Largs Community Council say they hope that the developers behind the new forestry development will meet with local groups and various bodies who have voiced concerns or objections to the proposal.

So far, Cunninghame North MSP Kenneth Gibson has met with Stakis in early November, and it was announced at the recent community council meeting that Jim Miller, the chief planning officer of North Ayrshire Council, will facilitate a meeting to involve Largs Community Council and Stakis senior management.

Save the Gretas campaigner Iain Dippie stated at the recent community council meeting that he believed a joint meeting involving all the groups with Stakis management was necessary.

Cunninghame North MSP Kenneth Gibson recently met with Tillhill and believes that the company have 'bent over backwards' to address the concerns raised, following a long community battle.

The area downstream of the Greeto Bridge will be left open with scattered broadleaves and form the focus of the main recreation area, while visibility and access to the Quad Rocks will not be affected.

The slopes below the core path will be predominantly native broadleaves, with some pine planted. Amenity conifers and broadleaves will screen any view to the forestry operations on the upper slopes. The lack of community benefits has been highlighted as a concern by both the MSP and Largs Community Council.

Largs CC chairman Douglas Blair said that the arbitrators, The Forestry Commission Scotland, who rejected the initial Stakis forestry application, had advised the developer to meet with all the organisations and groups regarding their amended plan.

Mr Blair said: "The Forestry Commission said to the applicant to consult with the objectors and agencies, but the fact that they have only approached our MSP so far, but not anyone else, does not show good faith. They have to convince Forestry Commission Scotland, and the FCS have also said that they are willing to facilitate meetings, so the fact that they have not yet spoke to Scottish Natural Heritage or Clyde Muirshiel Park either, as far as I understand it, doesn't seem to make sense, and they must also speak to the Save the Gretas group as a matter of course.

"There are maybe still lots of opportunities for these talks to take place - but they are not happening at the moment."

Mr Blair also pointed out that the power supply that comes into Largs comes over the back hills. He said: "It is quite a high voltage, and if you are planting trees there, and a tree falls on top of it, that is Largs in darkness as the main supply to Largs comes over the hills and down over the Gogo. That is a total of 33,000 volts, and 11,000 volts as it splits in three directions. The other thing I understand is that the Sitka trees are generically modified, as they are not a native species, and the growth rate is higher."

People power has forced the developers of the controversial Largs forestry plan to rethink their options last year.

Following over 250 representations, Forestry Commission Scotland confirmed that the Stakis proposals for Halkshill and Blairpark were unacceptable in their application, sending them back to the drawing board.

Consultees, organisations, MPs, MSPs, the ‘Save the Gretas’ campaign and the public have all had their say, while concerns from the online petition, which received over 1200 names, were also taken on board.

The initial proposal would likely have had ‘a significant and unacceptable impact on the core path access and the Greeto Bridge area’, while the visual impact in some areas ‘would likely to be higher than set out in the environmental impact statement,’ it was concluded.