Labour Seek To Scupper Denny Jobs Bonanza

Labour and Non aligned Councillors united to seek to block a public consultation on a proposed Denny job's bonanza.

Falkirk Council's Environmental and Heritage Committee was the place of a massive own goal scored by the Falkirk Council Labour Group today (20 November).

After almost two years of failure by Scottish Enterprise and the owners of the Carrongrove Papermill site in Denny to find an end user Falkirk Council's SNP led Administration brought forward proposals for a mixed use development that would have created dozens of jobs in the area as well as provide environmental benefits for the community. The council report then recommended that the joint proposals from the site owners and Scottish Enterprise Forth Valley be put out to consultation.

However, in an extraordinary display of petulance Labour Councillors and Independent Councillor Jimmy Wilson vetoed the proposals and put the matter back two years.

The end result of Labour's actions are that the industrial and commercial element of the scheme may be withdrawn from the plans and replaced by housing throughout the site.

Should a planning application for such be submitted at any time in the future the decision on the use of the site will transfer from Falkirk Council to the Scottish Executive who have favoured housing developers in past similar rulings.

Speaking to the web site, SNP Councillor John McNally said.

"In an ideal world we would want to see the site being wholly developed for industrial and commercial use, however, the choice appears to be either mixed use or housing.

The last thing Denny needs is a large scale housing development yet that is what Labour and Jim Wilson may have delivered to the town.

I am also astonished and disappointed that the Labour Party refused to allow the future of the site to go out to consultation to the community of Denny. The SNP regards this as a sell out of the principle of openness and transparency and gives an indication of what communities across the length and breath of Falkirk district can expect if Labour were to get back into power next May."

Despite the set back the matter will be referred to the Policy and Resources Committee in January where the SNP will raise the issue again on behalf off the Denny Community.