THE owner of the former Cockenzie Power Station site has been urged to start being “open and honest” with the local community over its plans.

In an open letter to ScottishPower, local campaign group the Coastal Regeneration Alliance (CRA) accused the energy firm of treating residents as “insignificants” as it criticised the company’s silence over its plans for the land.

And it said: “In the eyes of the people of this area, it is well past time for ScottishPower to start being open and honest with those who have hosted them for more than two generations.

“We resent being treated as insignificants, whose interests are only taken into account if it suits your undisclosed commercial purposes.

“As a public utility, you have a duty to be open with those whose interests you impact. Now is the time for you to fulfil that duty.”

The letter was issued after the CRA held talks with representatives of Inch Cape, which is applying to renew planning permission for a substation on part of the Battle of Prestonpans site. Permission was granted two years ago by East Lothian Council, despite objections from the Battle of Prestonpans Trust and CRA.

Both organisations believe the building, which will be used to bring energy from the firm’s planned offshore wind farm into the National Grid, should be built on part of the power station’s coal plant, which is already a brownfield site. However, Inch Cape has repeated its claim that the reason it is building on the battle field, next to the coal plant, is that that is the only land ScottishPower will offer it.

Now the CRA has challenged ScottishPower to reveal why Inch Cape is not being allowed to build on the coal plant and what alternative plans it has for that land.

A ScottishPower spokesperson said: “We are aware that Inch Cape is seeking to refresh their existing planning permission in principle. Like any application, this will need to be fully considered by the local authority. We are continuing to consider options for the future of the Cockenzie site, but our immediate focus remains the successful completion of the demolition works.

“We are in the final stages of the demolition process, and we hope that this work will be fully completed in the next few months.”