CLADDING options have been dropped for the massive tower to be built at the new cabling plant at Hunterston - after bosses admitted its size will make it 'impossible' to hide.

Developers XLCC say the 185m-tall structure - which will be the biggest of its type in Scotland - will ge coloured the same grey as RAF fighter jets and that no other camouflaging is necessary.

XLCC carried out a number presentations to local communities in which different cladding options were put on display, but have no admitted these won't work in disguising the mammoth building.

Project director Alan Mathers said: "It's a really big structure - we can't hide it.

"If we try and camouflage it on some days it will look okay but on others it will look really odd. There is no structural reason to paint or clad the tower.

"We think the best colour is air superiority grey, which is the colour the Air Force paint their fighter jets to make them as difficult to see as they can be

"We are following their model as we think it will be best and make the tower look as inconspicuous as possible.

"We could colour the concrete, but concrete comes in different batches and it is difficult to get every batch as the same.

"We hope that over time the tower will look less obvious, but we can't get away from it, this is going to be a big structure."

Largs Community Councillor Jamie Black told the News he is surprised XLCC have arrived at this decision given the number of cladding options put forward at recent public events.

He said: "It is going to be a hideous concrete building, one which is going to be there for around 50 years,

"We are the ones that are going to be left with it. We know the principal behind why the building has to be there, but do we have to live with it looking hideous and a pure concrete blight on the landscape?"

Mr Mathers told the News the firm had consulted with architects in terms of the cladding design and the agreed best option was the air superiority grey.

He added: "If the planning committee at North Ayrshire Council come back to us and want us to make it a different colour we will do that.

It will take 13 months for the construction of the massive 185 metre tall tower, which will dominate the skyline at Hunterston.

The firm say it will bring 900 jobs to the area when it opens in 2025.