Telegraph s coverage of toxic land issues at Ravenscraig from an official document. Municipal Buildings bosses wanted to brand our reports regarding the contentious social housing development unsubstantiated and to declare that they contained unfounded allegations. The move would also have led to the council itself publishing an untrue statement regarding concerns over the project in its five-year Strategic Housing Investment Plan (SHIP). But councillors have halted officials in their tracks and unanimously agreed that the provocative wording must be immediately deleted from the draft strategy document. The cross-party move by the environment and regeneration committee came after SNP member Jim McEleny voiced a strongly worded objection to what senior council officers had sought to do.
A probe was ordered by Inverclyde Council leader Stephen McCabe last week. It came after a claim that earth had been moved to an area near Pennyfern without permission was relayed to the local authority by concerned community councillors. Planning chief Stuart Jamieson told elected members: Recognising the sensitivities associated with this application, and also recognising the profile of this application, it s only appropriate that an independent investigation take place to allow us to find out what the applicant has done, or not done. The council has now clarified the position following an enquiry from the
Telegraph. A spokesman for the local authority said: The independent element is in reference to the fact the investigation is independent of the planning application brought before the planning board.