New moves to protect the peace of residents in an Angus village have been made in the “long-running sore” of an unauthorised biomass plant row.
The RS Hill site at Douglastown, adjacent to the A94 between Forfar and Glamis, had been the subject of planning controversy some years ago and the situation reared its head again in 2012 with the development of the noisy production plant without permission.
Angus councillors took steps to shut the plant down and the firm failed in an appeal against the decision last year.
But the Scroggerfield yard has remained on the radar of planning officials over unlawful use of parts of the site and angry councillors made a new, but unsuccessful, bid to force the firm into getting rid of stored biomass equipment within months.
One of the buildings at the yard is being used to keep disused biomass plant under cover and the firm has submitted a retrospective planning application which officials recommended should be approved for three years.
Resident Michelle Hickson said householders remain fearful over what may lie ahead.
“I share the opinion of a number of residents that the storage for three years is too long,” she said.
“We have suffered greatly from the unauthorised use of this machinery in the past and until it is removed it will continue to be a source of stress for residents.
“Assurances have been given that it will not be used but we have no faith in those assurances.”
Councillor Ronnie Proctor said the site had been a “long-running saga”.
“I understand and appreciate the amount of work the applicant manages to attract to the area,” he said.
“But the residents of Douglastown are deeply concerned that the biomass plant may rear its ugly head again and I would ask that the period of storage is reduced from three years to six months, or a year at most.
“The applicant has already had one year to sell the equipment or remove it from the site and I am quite concerned for the residents that this biomass plant may come back to haunt them.”
Councillor Craig Fotheringham said: “This has gone on long enough and should be sorted out now. Six months is long enough, otherwise we will be back in this chamber in three months’ time going back through the same thing again.”
Opponents were unsuccessful in cutting the length of planning permission, but Councillor Jeanette Gaul had an amendment accepted which will impose an additional condition requiring the plan to be demobilised and a flue on one of the storage sheds to be secured.
At the same development standards committee meeting, councillors authorised the serving of another enforcement notice to secure the restoration of paddock ground to the west of the Kerbet Water to previous levels.
Officials said that over more than four years material has been deposited there and the authority is concerned that could create a flood risk.
Other matters concerning development of buildings on the site also remain live and will either be determined at appeal or come before the council for consideration.