A CONTROVERSIAL plan to build a substation on the former Cockenzie Power Station site could be reduced to a fraction of its size under new designs.

Inch Cape Offshore Limited (ICOL), who want to site the building on the land, have said they have been working to shrink its size to just one fifth of the area they included in their planning application, which is being considered by Scottish Ministers.

Representatives from the company, who want to bring energy from an offshore windfarm onto land and into the National Grid at Cockenzie, applied to build on a site which is over 100,000 metres square.

But they said their current design reduced the land needed to just 20,000 metres square.

They told Cockenzie and Port Seton Community Council: “If we are given planning permission we will drive forward with (new design) plans. We understand that if the Reporter gives us the go ahead on that site you want us to shrink it to the smallest size we can.

“If you want us to make as small a footprint as possible you need to shout at the [East Lothian] council. It is their visual guys who will make the decision, not us.”

The Inch Cape application was called in by the Scottish Ministers for determination controversially earlier this year.

The unusual step to call in the application – and take the decision out of the hands of East Lothian Council – was taken because the Scottish Government said the site was of “national importance”.

cockenzie power station site 14/10/17 cockenzie power station site 14/10/17

However questions were asked about the timing of the decision, which was announced as the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was on an official visit to China where she met representatives from Red Rock, the Chinese State-owned company which owns ICOL.

The Reporter appointed to investigate the planning application has announced a public hearing into it which takes place this morning (Tuesday) in Port Seton Centre at 10am.

Both Cockenzie and Port Seton and Prestonpans Community Councils – who are against the proposals – have been invited to present their case to the Reporter at the hearing, along with East Lothian Council representatives and ICOL.

Cockenzie and Port Seton Community Council have said they object to the substation being built on the site and support the Cockenzie Master Plan, drawn up on behalf of East Lothian Council, which outlines a mixed use for the power station footprint in the shore side of the coast road with an energy zone on the opposite side of the road centring around the former coal store and transmission buildings.

Concerns have been raised in the past that the substation would sterilise much of the power station site, leaving it unusable by other companies.

However at the meeting of Cockenzie and Port Seton Community Council earlier this month, some members of the public were keen to promote the idea that if the substation was given the go ahead on the site it could be turned into a feature of the area.

Shona Brash, a founding member of the Cockenzie Regeneration Alliance, which successfully fought off a plan by Scottish Enterprise to build an energy park on the land, said: “It could be another Greenhills. If there is going to be any noise generated from it maybe there is a case for it going on this site.”

She pointed out that when ICOL originally planned to site the substation further inland on the Battle of Prestonpans site there was huge public opposition with people asking for it to be on the former power station footprint.

ICOL representatives said: “There is potential here for us to work with the community and make it look any way you want from the colour and design. That is what we intend to do.”

And they told the meeting: “We understand that you want us to reduce the size. If you want us to make as small a footprint as possible you need to shout at the council. It is their decision.”