ABSTRACT
The decision to build the largest gas terminal in Europe a few miles to the north of Peterhead did not excite much local interest. The proposal to build an ammonia plant on the southwest boundary of the town did. In October 1973 the local MP confirmed that rumours of an ammonia plant were well-founded. On 19 November 1974 a press conference was organised at the offices of Peterhead Town Council by the Town Clerk. The Flixborough disaster provided a focus for local opposition to the proposal and this opposition found a willing ally in the Buchan Observer, which in September had called for a moratorium on all developments other than oil and gas. The Director of Planning for Banff and Buchan began by saying he did not think that the proposal would make an unbearable impact on the district. Shell/Esso originally applied to the District Council for permission to build an NGL plant and ethylene cracker.
