Local Government Committee, 05 Sep 2000

Meeting date: Tuesday, September 5, 2000

Official Report 185KB pdf

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Petitions

We continue our meeting with agenda item 3, on petitions. Members have a covering paper with each of the petitions, all of which relate to the planning system. Members are at liberty to decide whether further action is required, but will note that the Transport and the Environment Committee has already commented on the first petition—PE132—and that the other two petitions are merely for members' information. However, Donald Gorrie might want to make a general comment and have his point recorded.

Thank you, convener. I am afraid that it is not a very clear point.

I read through the three sets of papers this morning. There are two aspects to planning. First, there is the technical side to do with the environment, the use of land and all that. The other side is to do with local democracy, which, it seems to me, is clearly within the remit of the committee. We should, therefore, be involved. I am sure that we have all experienced a lot of dissatisfaction with the planning process in Scotland, especially in relation to objectors not getting a fair go. We should be involved in the discussion. Perhaps we could ask the Executive whether it has any plans to reform planning law or to improve the democratic aspects of the system.

In the past couple of years, I have gained immediate experience of going to planning appeals that were sponsored by the firms that failed to get planning permission. I always thought that it was a bit ironic that the democratic decision of the elected council could be challenged by the builders, but could not be challenged in the same way by the citizens who did not like the outcome. There seems to be an inequality there, which should be addressed.

That position is unsustainable. It is important that we move towards a change in the system.

I thought that there was an on-going review of some aspect of planning. Does the clerk know any more about that?

I think that there is such a review.

I know about the review only because a document was sent to my constituency office. As there is so much concern over the local democracy aspect, as members have already mentioned, I immediately sent that document to the people by whom I had been approached, asking for their views. The deadline for that review is quite soon—I believe that it is September—although I asked for it to be extended, as the time scale covered the summer holiday period.

A review by the Scottish Executive?

It had come from the Executive, yes.

It seems that it would be a good idea for me to write to the Executive, asking whether it is conducting such a review and what plans it has to reform planning. We can take up the matter once we have received a response. Are we agreed?

Members indicated agreement.

Okay, we will do that.

In the meantime, we have three petitions in front of us. The Transport and the Environment Committee commented on the first of those and the other two have been submitted to keep us up to date. Donald Gorrie has a point when he says that, given that we have an overview of local government and given that the issue of planning often arises in our surgeries, we should consider that issue at some point.

Do we agree to note the petitions for information?

Members indicated agreement.