Renfrewshire councillors have been accused of “shocking hypocrisy” after adopting a blueprint which will allow housing to be built on greenbelt land in Lochwinnoch while protecting other similar sites.

The Local Development Plan (LDP) was originally rubber-stamped by elected members in 2019 but has recently undergone an examination by an independent reporter appointed by the Scottish Government.

After reviewing a number of suggested modifications, the LDP will now be formally adopted, with councillors reaching an agreement over housing sites by nine votes to six during a meeting.

They resolved to throw out some of the reporters’ recommendations by opting not to earmark green spaces at Thriplee Road, in Bridge of Weir, and Auchenlodment Road, in Elderslie, for new homes, while deciding to keep a former driving range in Rannoch Road, Johnstone, for future housing.

But campaigners in Lochwinnoch have slammed the council for keeping a field in the village’s Burnfoot Road as part of the housing envelope.

Independent councillor Andy Doig, who represents the village, said: “In more than 40 years of political activism, I have never seen such a display of shocking hypocrisy.

“I moved an amendment which would have required the officers to formulate a whole new LDP, as there were a number of controversial sites in Elderslie, Johnstone, Bridge of Weir and Lochwinnoch, but this was defeated.”

“Convener Marie McGurk moved that some of the controversial sites in Elderslie and Bridge of Weir were taken out, so why are the concerns of Lochwinnoch being ignored?”

Alan Bissett, of Lochwinnoch Community Council, insisted the community would stop at nothing in their fight to protect the Burnfoot Road site.

“We are disappointed with the decision, as this is a site which was once assessed as being unsuitable for housing, ” he said.

“It looks as though we are now going to have to wait until the plans for housing come to the planning board, when we will put forward the same objection.

“There are no supporters of this development in Lochwinnoch and it is within the legally-recognised boundary of Clyde Muirshiel Park,” he said. “There are no grounds for building on that.”

Council chiefs will now notify Scottish ministers of their intention to adopt the LDP, including the modifications agreed.

Iain Nicolson, council leader, said he understands that local campaigners “may be disappointed.”

However, he added: “The issue of Clyde Muirshiel is one the local SNP councillor Emma Rodden and myself have been looking into with regards to provisions that explicitly deal with development inside the park boundary.

“The Countryside Act 1981 only makes reference to planning applications. However, now the issue has been raised by the community, it does show a clear deficit on policies specific to the park with regards to managing development.

“We are actively looking to bring forward policies to remedy this.

“The new LDP covers the whole of Renfrewshire and offers protection for vast swathes of greenbelt. We are required to meet national quotas for new-build housing and the LDP prioritises brownfield over greenfield.”

“Where the quota can’t be met from brownfield, the LDP manages the process of greenfield release. There are a number of sites being released from the greenbelt to meet that quota. These are assessed through a two-year consultation process.”