Mixed views on village business expansion
Villagers in Fintry appear split on plans for a locally based business to expand.
Carbon Lighting are seeking permission for a change of use of land adjacent and west of Menzies Drive from agricultural use to business and storage use.
Their application to Stirling Council planners also includes two buildings - one for business, the other for storage - and a further building for agricultrual use. There would also be a new access and the fitting of solar panels on the building roofs, installation of a private treatment plant and the planting of trees and hedging.
The bespoke LED lighting manufacturing business was formed in 2007 and has been located in Fintry since 2015.
It currently operates from a small workshop within the owner’s garden - but is said to have outgrown the current space “a number of years ago”.
Several representations have already been made commenting on the application, split between support and objection.
Supporters are backing the proposals on grounds such as the need for employment opportunities in villages and that the plans don’t appear to be of a large industrial scale.
However, objectors have raised concerns including over the proximity of the site to Fintry Cemetery, impact of industrial traffic and deliveries, and pedestrian and horses/ riders safety.
In documents, the applicants said: “We feel very strongly that the business should remain locally in Fintry, and not be forced to move to a location with existing industrial capacity such as Stirling or Kirkintilloch.
“We provide employment for four Fintry residents. Fintry is not connected by public transport and offers very limited opportunities for work unless car access is available. The village has limited childcare options, moving the business away from the local schools would not suit our current employees. Additionally, Carbon Lighting was founded on the principles of sustainability. We produce low energy lighting in a sustainable and ethical way. By moving our premises 30 minutes or so to an existing industrial estate we would incur unnecessary travel costs and carbon emissions at odds with our ethos and business model.
“For seven years, we have exhaustively searched for disused buildings, brownfield sites and existing commercial premises in the hope of finding something suitable. Unfortunately, this has not been fruitful. We have therefore needed to consider alternative locations, mostly agricultural land.
“Our normal business hours of operation are 8am-6pm Monday to Friday, and Saturdays 8am-1pm.
“Regarding noise, although we are a manufacturer of lighting, we use only modern machines and processes. We outsource all bulk operations of machining, cutting, painting, coating etc. Even the noisiest of our machinery would not be audible outside the buildings. We have operated in a residential location in Fintry since 2015 without complaint or nuisance, at distances far closer than those being proposed.”