The first step on the road to demolish Longannet Power Station has been taken.
A request has been lodged with Fife Council for a screening opinion in advance of work to raze the sprawling Kincardine on Forth site, including its iconic chimney, to the ground.
When the ScottishPower plant closed in March 2016 it was a hammer blow to the Fife economy and surrounding communities.
The coal-fired power station’s demise came at a price of 230 direct jobs and an estimated 1,000 indirect jobs and at a cost of £50 million a year to the local economy.
Since then, there has been a concerted effort to try to ensure a brighter future for the area and £300,000 was granted to Fife Council to help projects in those communities affected by the closure.
The first stage in the planning process to demolish the buildings has been taken with Shepherd and Wedderburn, acting for demolition contractors BAM, lodging the request.
The firm requests Fife Council adopts a screening opinion that an environmental impact assessment is not needed for the demolition.
BAM, an experienced demolition contractor which has disposed of more than 50 power stations, has been appointed by ScottishPower.
The energy giant has decided the majority of buildings be razed, including the power plant building and chimney stack.
Decommissioning and demolition is expected to take up to four years.
As part of the planning process, a screening report has been prepared to determine if the environmental effects likely to arise from the demolition process may be considered significant.
It has looked at the potential impact on noise and vibration, air quality, drainage and waste, traffic and human health.
The findings from the screening report indicate that the proposed demolition of Longannet buildings would not result in significant adverse environmental effects, nor any significant effects, provided mitigation measures are implemented.
It concluded there is no need for an environmental impact assessment to be undertaken.
