PRESSURE has been piled on the Scottish Government’s planning minister as local politicians demanded he reverse a decision to call in plans for the former Cockenzie Power Station site.

Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard MSP last week met East Lothian Labour Party campaigners at Holyrood as they delivered a petition signed by more than 1,000 people to Kevin Stewart MSP.

While Councillor Lachlan Bruce, ward member for Preston, Seton, Gosford was joined by South of Scotland MSP Michelle Ballantyne, both Conservative, as they sent letters to Mr Stewart calling for the same action (see image inset).

The campaign comes after the minister called in a planning application by Inch Cape Offshore Ltd (ICOL) to build a substation – which would bring energy ashore from a planned offshore wind farm – on a large section of the site, which was recently purchased by East Lothian Council from ScottishPower.

That sparked cross-party condemnation from county politicians, who fear it could jeopardise local plans to create jobs and boost the economy on the site.

Mr Leonard added his signature to the Hands Off Cockenzie petition before it was submitted.

Iain Gray (Lab), East Lothian MSP said: “Ministers claim the call-in is because the site is of national importance, but even the leader of the SNP Group on East Lothian Council has condemned the decision as unnecessary.

“By signing our petition in such large numbers, local people have sent a clear message they want East Lothian to decide on decisions about the future of the site.”

Meanwhile, Mr Bruce said he had asked Mr Stewart to send the decision back to the council. He said: “I think it is only right that this decision is made locally by the council on behalf of local residents. The people who are affected most are local residents and it is the people they elected, not a Government minister from Aberdeen, who should be making the decision.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The reporter will ensure that the local development plan and the community’s views are taken into account prior to making a recommendation to ministers, who will make the final decision.”