Ropeworks residents stage protest against housing plan

Members of Inverclyde Council's planning board visited the old graveyard off Bay Street ahead of making their final decision on an application to build 24 apartments on the land on Wednesday.

The council delegation was met by residents of the adjacent Gourock Ropeworks building, along with representatives of Port Glasgow West Community Council, who expressed serious concerns about the development and the council's handling of it.

Yvette Craig, the resident who organised the protest, said locals were angry at the idea of buildings being constructed on such a sensitive area.

She said: "It's disgusting.

"People's relatives could be down there.

"It's been terrible from start to finish, the way it's been handled.

"We've not been notified properly throughout.

"In 2020 when one of the past applications was put up, the only notice we got was stuck up in our common closes.

"This was during the pandemic when most people weren't going out.

"We should have been sent formal letters through our doors about this.

"I've had to go to all sorts of lengths to find out who's involved in this development and who's going to take it over.

"If the works go ahead there could be heavy machinery brought in which will damage our roads.

"We may have to wake up in the middle of the night listening to building works and we've got a lot of elderly residents here.

"It's not right for the residents or for the people buried in there."

Among the protesters was Port Glasgow West Community Council’s secretary Tommy Rodger, who warned that the development put the history of the area at risk.

He said: "The heritage is an important part of why we're here.

"Before Woodhall cemetery was opened this was the Port Glasgow cemetery and all our ancestors are in there.

"Whilst we're out here for the heritage and the protection of our forebears, this is also a show of solidarity.

"Our community council is supporting the people who live in the Ropeworks building and showing them that the people of Port Glasgow are behind them.

"When you come in on the A8 this is an iconic building and one of the first things you see in Inverclyde, now it could be blocked off by a monstrosity.

"We should be protecting the town's heritage for us now and for our children.”

The four storey development was discussed at a recent meeting of the community council, where questions were raised about the lack of notification the group had received.

Tommy said: "I'm going to be writing to the head of planning and asking him for everything relating to this development.Advance Construction and Merchant Homes were both approached for comment and did not reply.

"If we had seen this before it went in we'd have done something - but we never even got an email in.

"We're a statutory body, we should have been notified."

Community council chairperson Anne Ross told the Telegraph the group were ‘determined’ to prevent the development going ahead.

She said: "Our forebears are in there and they were the people who helped make the town what it is today.

"People can't even rest and be safe in their grave anymore before some prospector is coming along to dig them up.

"The Ropeworks is also an iconic building and we don't want flats stuck in front of it.

"Several attempts have been made to get plans through on this land, it seems it is a case of shifting the goalposts until they [developers] get the result that they want.

"We're determined that they won't."

Advance Construction and Merchant Homes were both approached by the Tele for a response and did not reply.

A spokesperson for Inverclyde Council said: “Relevant documents related to a new or existing planning application are published on our planning website and we encourage anyone with an interest in finding out more to visit that to see what is being proposed and what stage it is at.

“All planning applications are examined on their own merits and against the latest local and national planning guidance.”