Ally McCoist has branded Renfrewshire Council's reasons for rejecting his Bridge of Weir housing plans as "very loose" in an appeal to the Scottish Government, as the reporter assigned to the case stands down over a conflict of interest concern.
The Rangers icon's company is seeking permission for 33 homes on a vacant site — four detached houses, six semi-detached houses and 23 flats across three blocks. The application drew nearly 400 objections and around 60 letters of support. Planning officials recommended approval, but councillors refused the scheme in May, citing a "detrimental impact" on the local conservation area and traffic concerns.
In a 205-page appeal, McCoist's team argues councillors departed from a substantial body of professional and technical evidence without a sufficiently robust basis for doing so. The document says the reasons for refusal were "very loose, not complete or precise, not tied to technical evidence", and that the council has not shown why design, landscape and conservation concerns justified rejecting the officers' recommendation.
Renfrewshire Council has urged the Scottish Government to uphold the refusal. Government reporter Ailie Callan was assigned to the case, but the Planning and Environmental Appeals Division confirmed she is no longer involved after it emerged her husband knows John Russell of the Hammerhead Trust, a residents' group opposing the development. She was said to have an "indirect connection" to Mr Russell. A new reporter will be appointed and a decision issued in due course.