LOOK out for a cow jumping over the moon or something equally fairytale-like because I find myself agreeing with local Labour councillor Alex Gallagher.

We both welcome the decision by the Scottish Government to allow North Ayrshire Council to proceed with planning permission for the Pencil Bay proposals.

Councillor Gallagher phoned, just before deadline, to tell me that he had heard that the Scottish Ministers at Holyrood had decided not to intervene in the plan for a sailing dinghy launching area, involving the reclamation of land in order to construct a launching beach and removal of rocks with the tidal zone at Largs Yacht Haven.

In fact, SNP MSP Kenneth Gibson had already emailed me on Tuesday night to say that he had spoken to the planning decision makers in Edinburgh to try to expedite the issue.

He had pointed out that although it normally took over a month to take a decision on a planning matter at Holyrood a delay could place in jeopardy a regatta for Largs which the Royal Yachting association budgeted �250,000 for and could bring in substantially more to Largs and its environs. Apparently a decision on whether Largs would get the major RYA regatta had to be taken by next Tuesday.

Mr Gibson said: 'I am delighted that, having received NAC"s documentation only on Friday, the Planning Decisions Division responded that they will not intervene. As planning permission has been granted, the slipway development can now proceed and plans for the regatta with it.' Local Labour stalwart Alex Gallagher - who has never agreed with the SNP before - also welcomed the news saying that the development will not cause any problem for people walking along Pencil Bay.

His view was that countries like Spain and Italy would positively support new sailing facilities like this, and he felt that the campaign group of objectors who said it would harm Pencil Bay were wrong.

As stated in this column before I think the hyperbole used by the objectors was disproportionate. To suggest, as they did, that Pencil Bay would be 'devastated' by the new sailing launch was grossly exaggerated.

As the Fife Regatta has proved this week Largs is the ideal location to benefit from national and international nautical events.

Personally, I now regret the campaign of a decade ago which stopped part of the grass prom being converted to more parking. Now there"s controversy.