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STV News
27-05-2025
- Business
- STV News
MSP urges councillors who greenlit controversial battery storage site to resign
Permission for a controversial plan to store energy in batteries on greenbelt land in Eaglesham could be revoked by East Renfrewshire Council. Two Conservative councillors, Jim McLean and Andrew Morrison, will ask the council's planning committee to back a U-turn at a meeting next week. Initially, councillors rejected a plan from GPC 1337 Ltd, a subsidiary of Apatura, for a 40MW battery energy storage facility on an agricultural site on the east side of Glasgow Road. But the firm's second bid was approved last month, despite over 300 objections, on the casting vote of the chair, Cllr Betty Cunningham, Labour, after a 3-3 vote. Both applications had been recommended for approval by planners. Since the second plan got the green light, a Scottish Government reporter has announced his decision to uphold the original refusal of the first application. He had been considering an appeal by the applicants. More than 3,000 people have signed a petition calling for the planning approval to be overturned. It states: 'Our voices have been ignored and the decision does not reflect the best interest of those who call this area home.' Cllr McLean and Cllr Morrison opposed both proposals when they were presented to the planning committee. They raised concerns over the appropriateness of the site. The aim of the scheme is to store surplus energy from the national grid in the batteries, which would then be returned when required. It has been described as a 'temporary' installation, with the site returned to its previous condition after 40 years. The first application was refused after councillors raised concerns over the risk of fire from lithium-ion batteries. Local MSP Jackson Carlaw, Conservative, has said the greenbelt should be protected and the proposal is 'intrusive and inappropriate'. He also said there were 'very serious concerns and real-life examples of fires that have erupted at battery plants because of the lithium-ion batteries'. Keith Bray, the independent reporter appointed by Scottish Ministers, refused the appeal over the original application earlier this month. He found that 'while the proposal could make a small-scale and indirect contribution to renewable energy and greenhouse gas emission reduction targets, it would entail development that has adverse visual effects in a greenbelt location where strict control over new development is to be exercised'. Mr Bray added: 'When completing my decision, the council approved a revised scheme on the site and the appellant asked to submit it. Given it was late in the appeal process, I did not accept it.' He also said the company had asked to submit drawings which showed the 'installation of two further above-ground water tanks' to align with the proposal's fire safety plan. These weren't accepted as they 'constituted a change to the proposal'. Council officials had reported the second application differed from the original as more information has been submitted on fire safety, and a water tank is now proposed to be underground. They added that the development includes specialised container units for the batteries and fire suppression equipment. Following the reporter's decision, Mr Carlaw added it 'highlights with even greater clarity that people in Eaglesham and Waterfoot have been utterly ignored and failed by the council'. He called on councillors who backed the development to 'consider their position and resign'. GPC 1337 Ltd has said the development will 'support the decarbonisation of the energy industry in the UK' and 28 other sites had been considered, but this is 'the only deliverable, viable' one. The plans were 'accompanied by a suite of technical documents which demonstrate the proposal will not lead to significant adverse harm,' the applicants added. East Renfrewshire's planning applications committee will meet on Wednesday, June 4. The motion asks for planning officials to issue a revocation order under the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
News.com.au
13-05-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Aus bank's shock finding ahead of ‘six' rate cuts
An Aussie bank has made a shock finding as the country braces for the equivalent of six rate cuts ahead. A Ubank study has found half of young Aussies still believe they'll own a home despite money being a top worry – with rising numbers using AI to budget and save to take advantage of softer lending conditions ahead. Conducted by NAB Behavioural Economics on behalf of the big four bank's digital counterpart Ubank found 55 per cent of 18 to 35-year-olds were positive they'd own a home – and also more optimistic about their financial future than older generations. How NRL stars are banking an off-field fortune This as the latest NAB Monetary Policy Update predicted 150 points worth of cuts to the cash rate target by the Reserve Bank by February next year to 2.6 per cent – with the first being a double rate slash (50bp) on May 20 when the RBA board meets, followed by 25 bps in July, August, November and February. The study found 54pc of young Aussies were confident they'd have enough money to save and invest, 60pc positive they'd work in a field they enjoy and 61pc believe they'll find a well-paying job. Across the generations, cost of living was the biggest concern for 65pc of 18-25 year olds, 79pc of 26-35 year olds, and 83pc for those aged 46-55, while housing access and affordability was a worry for 51pc of those surveyed across the board. MORE: Big bank's major rates call ahead of RBA Ubank's chief customer experience officer Andrew Morrison said the optimism of young people was not a surprise, with the bank seeing one in five customers take up automated help build budgeting and savings habits like their app's 'split income' feature for pay cheques into spend, save, bills, counting down the pay cycle, and alerting users over their spending footprint. 'Having a realistic budget in place is a powerful ally when you need to save for a deposit,' he said. 'You can do a lot of this on your phone in the Ubank app and keep it fun by adding emojis and giving your goal a nickname to personalise your digital banking.' Mr Morrison said younger people 'realise they're up against challenges, they're determined to succeed in life, and it's great to see the research shine a light on all the positive traits that define this generation.' Steven Uspensky, 26, is among those who scrimped and saved to secure his first home – a three-bedroom house in Crestmead, Logan, bought for $630,000 in March this year. 'I started saving when I first got a job and it took a while to save a large amount and a lot of self-control and discipline to see the bigger picture of becoming a homeowner. It is all about delayed gratification,' he said. 'Saving for a deposit is difficult. It took self-control and I had to say 'no' to long overseas travel trips, expensive weekends away and trade them for more budget friendly and sensible options. I did allow myself to spend within limits but I made sure I did not overspend.' Mr Uspensky said there was a lot of pressure to spend money. 'You just need to see past it and think of your goals and remember, just because you have the money in your account does not mean you need to spend it.' He urged others to find out their figures from the bank and how much they could borrow as a starting point into property. 'It is easier than people think to buy a house/property.' 'When I bought my house, my brother and a mate also bought a property within a month of me. I have also inspired other friends of mine in the process to have a look for themselves and to try and get into the market.'
Glasgow Times
29-04-2025
- Business
- Glasgow Times
East Renfrewshire Council gives update on housing emergency
A slight dip in homeless applications has been recorded but there is still a 'significant challenge', with around 170 households in temporary accommodation — and 39 of those in 'unsuitable' B&Bs. Up to 350 households were accepted as homeless and waiting for an offer of accommodation, a report by council officials revealed last week. The figures had reduced from September 2024, when over 200 households were in temporary accommodation and 'around 50 to 60' in B&Bs. However, the numbers in temporary accommodation at 'the end of September 2024 had increased by 44 per cent from the same period the year before' — the highest increase in Scotland. The national average was six per cent. Officials reported a significant rise in applications from households outwith East Renfrewshire since a Scottish Government rule change in November 2022 meant people can apply as homeless to any council in Scotland rather than needing a local connection. They added: 'This is important to note as with the removal of local connection, East Renfrewshire's proximity to Scotland's largest city will have an impact on the number of homeless applications received.' East Renfrewshire Council declared a housing emergency in September last year due to the significant rise. Glasgow had declared an emergency in late 2023. READ MORE: Young boy fed PAINT from ceiling after he was forced to go to bed hungry The Scottish housing regulator has said East Renfrewshire is one of several councils across the country facing 'systematic failure' of their homelessness services. The biggest issue is the use of 'unsuitable' hotels and B&Bs as temporary accommodation, which also puts a 'significant strain' on council finances. Around £545,000 had been budgeted in 2024/25 but the estimated total cost was £2.3m. There isn't enough social housing to 'meet the sustained increase', the council report stated, causing a 'backlog of households in temporary accommodation'. Efforts to ease the situation have included investing £2m into buying more homes and increasing lets to homeless people for council housing. The report added: 'Initial data for 2025/26 is expected to confirm the small decline in homeless application has continued and in recent months a decline in the numbers in temporary accommodation. 'However, pressure on temporary accommodation and permanent accommodation still remains a significant challenge.' From September 2019 to September 2023, the council saw a 53 per cent increase in homeless presentations, compared to a national average of 10 per cent. There was a four per cent decrease in applications in East Renfrewshire between September 2023 and 2024. Cllr Andrew Morrison, Conservative, said the figures were 'really quite concerning', adding: 'This isn't really a crisis of the council's own making.' READ MORE: 'I'm at my wit's end': Resident slams council for failing to fix flat water problem He said the situation was 'due to removal of local connection' and asked about concerns raised by Glasgow councillors that the 'asylum system was placing an undue burden on the housing crisis'. A council official said: 'It's a difficult situation… people who are still classified as asylum seekers are not the responsibility of local authorities to house on a temporary or permanent basis. They are the responsibility of the Home Office. 'They are not a local authority obligation until such time as their asylum status has been determined. Once it's been determined if… there is leave to remain, at that point people are able to access homelessness pathways.' The council said the housing emergency had been declared despite the delivery of more than 470 new-build homes since 2018. Work to address the situation has included doubling the provision of temporary accommodation over the last five years. An empty homes officer has been appointed to target 124 long-term vacant properties and an audit of all council-owned land is being carried out to consider development opportunities. Council leader Owen O'Donnell, Labour, said: 'There is an ongoing challenge and this isn't going to go away any time soon. It is clear that the council is focused on this, this administration is focused on this and will remain so.' Housing convener Danny Devlin, an independent councillor, added: 'While there has been a small reduction in homelessness and use of temporary accommodation, we continue to face a local housing emergency.' He is pleased with the 'positive actions' taken by the council's housing service to maximise new supply, improve preventions and boost the supply of temporary accommodation.
