A PRESSURE group battling to breathe fresh industrial life into Inverclyde has branded the council's proposed local development plan 'contradictory' and called on Municipal Buildings bosses to be 'more visionary'.

In a wide-ranging input to a public consultation on the future of the district, the Campaign to Save Inchgreen Dry Dock has criticised what it says is a 'risk averse ideology' within the local authority.

It says that a policy of building houses in Inverclyde's industrial heartland is 'restrictive', and demands that it stop immediately.

The pressure group — in an 1,100-word document to the council — declares: "The council must stop its risk averse ideology and be more visionary and radical in its approach to our industrial regeneration.

"Inviting businesses, organisations and community groups to discussions on developing an industrial strategy must be a positive and productive way forward."

The campaign points to 'various contradictions' in the LDP, adding: "On one hand it talks about scope for industrial development and on the other contradicts the objective by building houses on top of industrial businesses."

It adds: "The current strategy for mixed use includes more housing development and will restrict industrial investment and may jeopardise the future development at Inchgreen.

"No business will commit [to] investing in our redundant facilities or expanding their business if more housing is built around them.

"The current strategy of the council regarding housing developments on waterfront industrial land must cease as this will restrict industrial investment and curtail our regeneration."

The campaign says that options for industrial regeneration contained in the LDP merely 'tinker' with strategy and do nothing to remove pressures on businesses operating on Garvel Island.

It states: "A concentrated effort on attracting new investment must be the focus for an industrial regeneration strategy.

"Dales Engineering still get complaints regarding noise from the current housing development, which will only be exacerbated with further housing developments.

"The future developments at Inchgreen may have similar problems with complaints regarding noise because of the new housing developments at the James Watt.

"All future housing development at James Watt and Garvel island should be removed from the local development plan."

Focusing on the East India and Victoria harbours, the campaign backs the plan for a new college campus there.

It states: "Building a new college campus next to East India Harbour would help consolidate and promote our vocational training base and assist the development of marine engineering and shipbuilding trades, and we would support this proposal.

"The LDP should also highlight the relationship between the Victoria Harbour and Cartsburn dry dock for an industrial or heritage development.

"A new strategy should be developed taking account of the above for both harbours and Cartsburn dry dock and the options amended accordingly."

An Inverclyde Council spokesman said: "We would like to thank all those who took the time to provide feedback on the main issues report stage of creating a new local development plan.

"Following the deadline for submissions on Sunday, we're now working our way through all the representations received and these will be considered as part of the next stages of the process."