OVER the last week you have run stories about local Labour councillors hypocritically collaborating with Tories (Today we expose Scotland’s Better Together councils, July 11). Of course you are quite right to do so.
However, the story that seems to have been missed is the SNP Scottish Government collaborating with Tory MSPs to force through the new Planning Act, which denies communities the same right of appeal or mediation as has been gifted to developers.
READ MORE: Scotland’s Better Together councils: Labour still in bed with Tories
This means that planners and developers have been given immense power to override communities’ genuine concerns regarding unsuitable developments with no viable means of redress.
Councillors are already intimidated by the threat of developers appealing decisions – appeals that cost local councils dearly. One may argue that this is unlikely – after all, planners are supposed to be following policies that put communities at the centre of good development.
Nonetheless in my own community of Cupar in Fife, planners have employed a mix of ignoring and sidelining concerns, and failing to follow national and local policies to promote a development called “Cupar North” against the wishes of the town. In the latest outrage, Fife has collaborated with the developers led by Persimmon Homes to disadvantage schoolchildren if the development goes ahead.
Fife has agreed to run the risk of insufficient primary school places being available, leading to the possibility of young children being bussed out of the area. This shocking decision was made without reference to teachers, parents or the community council.
The reason is obvious: the developers want to delay paying the costs of a new primary school until they are at the point that they have made their profit and they can then walk away, profit intact without the costs of a new school.
I have written several times to Kevin Stewart MSP and his planning department, thinking that he would be concerned about breaches of national policy set by him. However, the response I have received is that he is “not minded” to intervene. In other words he does not care that planners, in cahoots with developers, are riding roughshod over the interests of the community. I can only infer that the Scottish Government is content to get into bed with big developers like Persimmon Homes and the Tories at Holyrood, contrary to the interests of communities. The lack of proper redress to challenge bad planning decisions is neither fair nor just and will blight communities for many years to come.
Ceri Williams
Cupar
IT is contemptuous for Labour, which pretends to be a socialist party, to forms coalitions with the Conservatives to run councils. It is, however, also highly questionable when the SNP sets policy in the Scottish Parliament with support only from the Conservative Party.
An important example is when together they stopped a proposal in recent planning legislation to give communities the same right of appeal as developers.
A recent case points out how undemocratic this is – a development at Stead’s Place in Leith Walk in Edinburgh. The local community objected in very large numbers, and councillors on Edinburgh’s development management sub-committee unanimously refused planning permission, giving numerous reasons.
Despite all that, the refusal was overturned when the developer appealed to the Scottish Government. Without the change in planning law the community has no right to appeal against that decision.
The SNP cannot suggest that such decisions are democratic. Refusing communities a right of appeal demonstrates extreme bias towards developers and fails local people, including small businesses which were in the existing building.
How will we feel if planning is refused for Flamingoland’s proposed development at Loch Lomond, which 57,000 people have objected to (Flamingoland fight sums up landownership issues, July 12), but the developer wins an appeal? Those 57,000 objectors will have no right of appeal.
The SNP and Conservatives alone also voted against restricting the number of houses in an area which can be used for short-term lets – a big problem in some areas in Edinburgh. This again benefits businesses, like Air B&B, against the interests of the people who actually want to live in the area.
That the Conservatives voted as they did is not a surprise but many will be disappointed with the SNP. The SNP have a huge support from those who want Scottish independence but would be extremely foolish if they believe that support is unconditional.
If we supported policies like these then we wouldn’t be so enthusiastic about leaving the UK where these nice, caring Conservatives are in charge.
Jim Stamper
Bearsden
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