FORESTRY development representatives came face to face with Save The Gretas campaigners at a tense public meeting in Largs.
There were dramatic scenes when protester Heather McCallum unveiled the campaign flag in front of the Blair Park/Halkshill forestry team as she made an emotional plea about preserving the back hills of the town for future generations.
Largs Community Council hosted the meeting at the new school campus as plans and layouts were presented to the audience before the revised Environmental Statement consultation deadline of Wednesday, set by the Forestry Commission.
Attempts to delay the deadline by Largs Community Council and Councillor Ian Murdoch were refused.
The forestry team stated that they had made changes to their development following the last consultation, and were also prepared to offer land for community woodland, with talks already underway with a Fairlie Growers group. 
They also said that they had little time to prepare for the hastily-arranged meeting - which they thought was going to be in an exhibition layout format - rather than a public meeting.
More than 60 residents and campaigners turned up, including Save Clyde Muirshiel Regional Group, who questioned the amount of public money and grants going towards the project.
Trever Blackburn, director of Gresham House Forestry Limited, who were representing developers Stakis Forestry LLP, said: "You are never going to please all of the people all of the time, but what we have produced is an environmental statement which we believe satisfies the objectives set by the Forestry Commission.
"The process is a compromise - and our best effort at trying to satisfy all of the parties involved."
Ecologist John Gallagher of Tillhill said: "While there is an end date of this week for the consultation, the Forestry Commission will take comments coming in at a later date as long as it is a reasonable time period.
"The commission brought together all the consultation responses and provided us with a 26-page letter detailing these responses from statutory consultation, the public and other interest groups.
"From that letter, we have made various changes. From 2016 to 2018, we have removed around 100 hectares of spruce. We have removed conifer below the core path and converted it to broadleaves."
Mr Gallagher added that various other improvements included better access on to the hill to the Cauld Rocks, an improved path surface, and the removal of planting behind Irish Law.
Ms McCallum said: "Thank-you for making the changes, but this is a commercial project - nothing more. You have a job to do, but we live here and it is right on our doorstep. There is no community benefit, and our campaign has been all about these hills which are well used by hillwalkers, runners and dogwalkers. The deer fences do not allow the access that people are used to - the bit that people love so much is being taken away."
Unravelling the Save the Gretas flag in front of the forestry team, Heather explained: "It is really to nail home what the community love about our hillside, including the open areas we are trying to preserve. The project is huge, the implications are huge, and it feels like we are losing a lot."
Largs Community Council secretary Anne Carson called on the developers to invest in the local area.
She said: "From other big companies in the area, we have the likes Hunterston and Kelburn windfarm giving out community funds. This forestry is such a big change, and we would like some community payback for it."
However, the forestry team replied that unlike the windfarm, their project will not begin to generate any revenue until it is grown, when it is 35/40 years old.
Independent councillor Ian Murdoch said: "I have grave concerns about this - people don't want any tree planting on west side of the hill."
Labour councillor Alex Gallagher said: "From my point of view, there is no benefit at all for Largs. There have been efforts to meet the objections. There have been improvements but nothing has been addressed 100 per cent. There are dozens of these forestries all over Scotland, and I don't know if we can stop it, but if we can't get any benefit out of it, I think we should object as much as we can."