Delay on Ineos road closure decision

Members of Falkirk Council were supposed to meet on Wednesday, March 29 to vote on a planning application by Ineos to permanently shut off a section of Grangemouth’s Bo’ness Road.

However, the council confirmed the matter would not be discussed at that meeting because Ineos had lodged supplementary information which would take more time to consider.

This sparked fears in the community Ineos was deliberately delaying proceedings to bypass the council and put the decision in Scottish Ministers’ hands.

James Bundy, who started a petition against the plans which now has over 2400 supporters, said: “I feel this is a blatant attempt from a multinational organisation to ignore the will of the people of Bo’ness and Grangemouth.”

A Falkirk Council spokesperson said: “A pre-determination meeting was held earlier this month. Following this meeting Ineos decided to submit additional information connected to this planning application but this may not all be received before March 29.

“Once we receive this information, officers will need time to assess prior to finalising our report and recommendations. We cannot confirm a timescale for determining this planning application until we have all the relevant information from the applicant and officers have a chance to assess it.”

Members of Bo’ness and Grangemouth community councils put forward objections to the plan at the pre-determination meeting.

Walter Inglis, vice convener of Grangemouth Community Council, said: “Ineos may have taken notice of what was said and might have gone away and come up with something more acceptable to the community.

“We would look on that as a good thing, but until we actually see the supplementary information they have put forward we won’t know.”