Plans for over 200 hectares of new woodland above the Gareloch have sparked concern for road safety and the environment.
The proposals for Letrault and Stuckenduff were submitted to regulator Scottish Forestry last year, prompting Rhu and Shandon Community Council to survey residents.
But now the proposals have also appeared on Argyll and Bute Council’s online planning system, leading to objections from the community council.
“‘There are two main issues that leave us with no option but to object to the proposals,” said a spokesperson.
“The timber transport and construction route is identified as Pier Road and Station Road in Rhu village.
“During felling operations at Highlandman’s Wood in 2019 the 44-ton timber transport lorries using this route caused no end of upset in the village.
“The roads are too narrow with sections of no pass through, without pavements and nowhere to step out of the way, with blind summits and a 90-degree blind corner.
“The roads simply were not built for this kind of traffic. Many safety concerns were raised during the 2019 felling operations and Police Scotland also expressed the view that the road is dangerous and unsuitable for this size and volume of traffic.”
She added that in a survey of households on the haulage route, 79 out of 83 opposed it being used for timber operations.
Community councillors have stressed that it is not against the new forestry plantations in principle and understood that landowners wanted to diversify their farms and generate income.
They say agent for the applicants had raised the possibility of building a new forestry track over moorland behind Helensburgh to link with the A818 on the Black Hill.
But this is not in the planning applications, and a spokesperson for Scottish Forestry said no application for this road had been received.
The community council spokesperson said: ” The use of the road is simply not acceptable to the residents of Rhu.
“It is our job as the community council to represent the views of our community. We do not want the village to be fighting for safe use of the roads ‘in perpetuity’ and a solution has to be found.”
A second reason for objection was that the Letrault planting would go all the way down to the West Highland Railway line, which the community council says would have an adverse impact on landscape classed as ‘sensitive’ in the Argyll and Bute Forestry and Woodland Strategy.
“We believe the new conifer plantation should not extend any further down the hill than the bottom edge of Highlandman’s Wood,” she added.
“We feel that the new plantation would blend in much better with the existing Highlandman’s Wood if it stayed on the same contour.
“There are quite a few other outstanding issues, including the lack of a wildlife survey, drainage concerns and the percentage of native to conifer woodland.
“The Scottish Government set a target over a decade ago that 35% of woodlands should be native species and this proposal is less than half that at about 16%.”
A Scottish Forestry spokesman said: “We have received two applications for woodland creation above Rhu, near Helensburgh.
“The two applications are for woodland immediately adjacent to each other and have been prepared and submitted by the same forestry company. As with normal practice, both applications have been on the public register for formal public consultation. We are currently assessing the responses to the consultation period, this will take around two to three weeks.”
The planning applications are on Argyll and Bute Council’s website.
The reference numbers are 20/02235/FGS for Letrault Farm and 20/02234/FGS for Stuckenduff.
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