MSP Calls For Government Delay To Portincaple Planning Decision
Green MSP for the West of Scotland Ross Greer has written to the Scottish Government, asking for rules to be relaxed in order for Argyll and Bute Council to defer considering a controversial planning application until a public hearing can be held.
The council recently agreed to delegate committees’ decisions, including on whether to grant planning permission, to a temporary Business Continuity Committee. This would meet online, with no possibility of the public addressing the committee or the committee undertaking a site visit, as would be standard practice for planning applications. The council have advised local residents that they are restricted by national guidelines, meaning that they’re unable to pause the proceedings until a public hearing can be held.
Ross Greer, who has lodged an objection to the application and has set up a portal on his website to collect and submit objections, has written to planning Minister Kevin Stewart asking for rules to be relaxed to give councils the option of deferring consideration of non-urgent and controversial planning applications. He has also written to the council to ask them to maximise community involvement, such as through allowing residents to contribute via video-conferencing.
Greer commented:
“This application is a potential game-changer for Portincaple, irreversibly altering the character of the community and the local environment, so there are understandably very strong feelings about it. And it’s more than just 12 houses. If approved, it would open up a much larger space for potential development. The right decision needs to be made and that means giving residents the greatest possible opportunity to address the committee. Planning law is complicated and less than half of the councillors on this emergency committee are on the normal planning committee. Whilst I’m sure they are well-advised by officials, this is far from ideal. It’s also simply unnecessary, given there is no need to make an urgent decision on this application.
“The issue of planning applications which can’t be delayed isn’t just affecting Portincaple. Developers all over Scotland are always proposing unpopular and inappropriate developments. Local residents having their say in front of a planning committee can often be very effective in stopping them. Communities need the assurance that the right to have their say over issues which profoundly affect them will be protected.”