Kilmacolm Residents' Association

29/05/2026

We’re now in a holding pattern, waiting for Inverclyde Council to publish its Report of Handling on planning application 26/0040/IC — the detailed application from Barratt/David Wilson Homes for 78 houses on Kilmacolm Meadow.

When that report appears, it triggers the next phase of our campaign — and we’re ready. Over 250 of you have submitted formal objections. That’s an extraordinary community response, and it matters.

In the meantime, we’ve been working hard behind the scenes — on the ecology, on drainage, on the path that many of you use to reach the cemetery road, and on making sure the Council has a clear, documented record of every concern raised.

One thing you can help with right now: if you’ve used the path across the meadow — to reach the cemetery road, or just as a shortcut through the grass — we’d love to hear from you. How long have you been using it? Leave a comment or drop us a message. It all helps build the picture.

We’ll update you the moment the Report of Handling is published. When that happens, things may move quickly — so watch this space.

Thank you, as ever, for standing with us. 💚

17/05/2026

Today is World Endangered Species Day — and it got us thinking about something on our own doorstep here in Kilmacolm.
Just outside the village lies a grassland site that many of you will know — Kilmacolm Meadow. What you might not know is just how ecologically significant it is.
The 2017 Inverclyde LNCS Assessment identified it as containing genuine relics of unimproved lowland meadow — a habitat that has declined by more than 95% across the UK in the last 60 years. Among the plants recorded there are three orchid species: Greater Butterfly-orchid (Platanthera chlorantha), Common Spotted-orchid (Dactylorhiza fuchsii), and Northern Marsh-orchid (Dactylorhiza purpurella). The Greater Butterfly-orchid is a Renfrewshire Local Biodiversity Action Plan species, and whorled caraway (Carum verticillatum) — a plant with a very local Scottish distribution — has also been recorded nearby.
The assessment described this site as “one of high potential for the restoration of a flower-rich meadow,” with a reservoir of old grassland indicator species still present in the soil. This isn’t degraded land — it’s a place that, with care, could become even richer in wildlife.
Sadly, it is currently threatened by a planning application for 78 houses.
If you value places like this, we’d love your support. And if you’ve walked the paths across this land over the years, we’d especially welcome you getting in touch.
Find out more at

A website to promote and encourage people to come and use this fantastic meadow here in the village of Kilmacolm for dog walking and nature etc.

16/04/2026

Do you love Kilmacolm Meadow? We’d love to hear from you!

Cast your mind back — how many years have you been taking that lovely walk across our Meadow? Maybe it’s where your dog absolutely insists on going every single morning. Or where your children took their first wobbly steps on a real adventure. Or perhaps it’s just your favourite place to clear your head and breathe in that gorgeous Kilmacolm air.

However you use it — we’d love to hear your story!

Just pop a comment below and tell us:
— How many years you’ve been walking the path from Wateryetts Drive through to the cemetery road
— Whether you go with a dog, children, grandchildren, friends — or just yourself
— What the Meadow means to you and your family

It doesn’t matter if it’s 2 years or 52 — every single memory is precious and every voice matters. This is our community and our Meadow, and your stories make that real.

And please do share this post! You never know whose memories might be unlocked by seeing it — a neighbour, a friend, someone who grew up here and moved away but still holds Kilmacolm in their heart.

Thank you so much — you are all wonderful!

09/04/2026

🌿 Kilmacolm Meadow — Thank You, Kilmacolm! 🌿
We are absolutely blown away by the response from our wonderful community.
Over 250 objections have been formally recorded against the proposed development at Kilmacolm Meadow — and that is a truly remarkable show of solidarity from residents who care deeply about this special place we all call home.
What’s especially encouraging is how many of you took the time to make detailed, thoughtful submissions. Again and again, objectors made clear that this proposal must be thoroughly examined against National Planning Framework 4 — Scotland’s latest planning policy, which puts the protection of nature, green spaces, and sustainable communities at its very heart.
Your voices are on the record. Every objection counts, and together you have sent an unmistakable message to Inverclyde Council that this application deserves the most careful and rigorous scrutiny.
The process continues, and we will keep you updated every step of the way. In the meantime — thank you. Kilmacolm at its very best. 💚

A website to promote and encourage people to come and use this fantastic meadow here in the village of Kilmacolm for dog walking and nature etc.

27/03/2026

Kilmacolm, you’ve done something special!
The consultation deadline for the new Barratt / David Wilson Homes planning application on Land West of Quarry Drive has now passed (but you may find the planning portal is still open) and we are genuinely moved by what this village did.
Nearly 250 people stopped what they were doing, sat down, and gave their time and thought to share an opinion about the place they call home. That’s neighbours, dog walkers, families, people who’ve lived here for decades, and people who arrived more recently but already love this village deeply. Every single one of you matters.
You wrote about the paths you walk with your dogs every morning, the wildlife you’ve watched over the years, the character of a village that took generations to build, and the green spaces that your children and grandchildren play in. You put that into words, and those words are now on the official record.
Planning consultations can feel like shouting into the void. They’re technical, they’re slow, and the process can feel weighted against ordinary people, but community voice is real power - and 250 voices together are impossible to ignore.
Whatever the outcome ahead, something important happened here. A community looked up from daily life, looked out for each other, and said together: this place matters to us.
To every single person who took part, thank you. Kilmacolm is lucky to have you.

https://planning.inverclyde.gov.uk/Online/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=makeComment&keyVal=TALH0UIMH1B00 #

23/03/2026

Scotland's Planning Rules in Plain English

NPF4 is the law that decides what gets built where in Scotland — and it's actually on your side if you know how to use it.

***Climate comes first. Every planning decision must take the climate emergency seriously. Developments that pump out carbon or destroy nature can and should be refused.

***Greenbelt means no. Green belt land is protected. Big housing estates don't belong there — the law says so. Don't let developers tell you otherwise.

***Your street, your say. New buildings must be healthy, safe, and good for the community. Ugly, car-dependent, poorly designed schemes can be challenged.

***Brownfield before greenfield. Developers should be building on old, unused land first — not gobbling up countryside and green space.

***Car-heavy developments are out. If a proposal dumps hundreds of extra car journeys onto local roads with no sustainable travel alternative, planners are supposed to say no.

***The old loopholes are closed. In January 2023, Scottish Ministers gave only provisional approval — in principle, and subject to many conditions — for a greenbelt housing development at Kilmacolm, under the old rules. Even then, Ministers acknowledged it conflicted with the incoming NPF4. That transitional period is over. NPF4 is now the rulebook, and every new application must be judged against it in full.

Know the rules. Use them.

23/03/2026

🌿 A slightly wider thought…

It’s easy to look at West of Quarry Drive in isolation and think it’s just about one site.

It’s also worth remembering that what’s being considered now is a new set of proposals by a different developer, so it’s not quite the same scheme people may have in mind from a few years ago.

Decisions like this can shape how future proposals are viewed elsewhere around the village.

Places we all value — like Knapps Loch — have already seen development interest in the past, and it’s not unrealistic to think similar pressures could arise again over time.

Once a direction is set, it can be difficult to turn back.

That’s why it’s important to look carefully at what’s being proposed now, and the direction it sets for the future 👍

If you’d like to have your say, it’s very straightforward:

👉 https://planning.inverclyde.gov.uk/Online/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=makeComment&keyVal=TALH0UIMH1B00

You don’t need to write anything complicated — even a short comment is enough 👍

21/03/2026

🌿 I was in the village chatting to a few people about West of Quarry Drive
and it struck me that quite a few are still thinking of the earlier proposals that were brought forward a few years ago.

What’s being considered now is a new set of detailed proposals by a different developer — looking at the layout and type of housing — and it’s not necessarily what people might expect.

If you haven’t had a look recently, it’s well worth a quick check 👍

20/03/2026

🌿 A small update from the Kilmacolm Residents’ Association

We’ve now submitted our representation on the West of Quarry Drive planning application (26/0040/IC).

A huge amount of work has gone into this — focusing on design, connectivity, biodiversity and making sure any development truly reflects the character of Kilmacolm and meets today’s planning policies.

But this isn’t just about one submission — this is about the whole community.

This is the stage where the actual design of the development is being decided, and every individual view really does count.

If you’ve been thinking about commenting, it’s not too late — even a short message can make a difference.

👉 https://planning.inverclyde.gov.uk/Online/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=makeComment&keyVal=TALH0UIMH1B00

Kilmacolm is a special place — and it’s worth taking a moment to have your say 👍

29/01/2025

There is soon going to be a process to create a Kilmacolm Place Plan - see link below- and it seems nobody in the KRA followers are interested…
So it looks like others in the village are going to decide what you are going to get in the years to come.
It’ll be too late to grump when things happen in Kilmacolm that you think ‘that’s not what I want’.
So who wants to get involved now?

Scottish Government planning circular 1/2022: Local Place Plan provides guidance to communities and planning authorities on the preparation, submission and registration of Local Place Plans.