Chamber and committees

This is a matter for West of Scotland Water, and I have asked the Chief Executive to respond. His response is as follows:The Environmental Statement is part of the planning process and in the first instance all correspondence on this matter should be addressed to the Head of Partnership & Planning, East Dunbartonshire Council, The Triangle, Kirkintilloch Road, Bishopbriggs G66 4TJ.West of Scotland Water's Katrine Water Project team are currently responding to queries from residents on all matters relating to the project including the Environmental Statement. Members of the public can contact either the Katrine Water Project Office at Kirk Wynd House, Montgomery Place, The Village, East Kilbride G74 4BF, telephone number 01355-581469 or the authority's Customer Helpline number on 0808-100-5333 should they wish further information.For community liaison during the construction phase, I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-22386 on 8 February 2002.

This is a matter for West of Scotland Water, and I have asked the Chief Executive to respond. His response is as follows:Any delay in the approvals process will have an adverse financial impact on the Katrine water Project.Planning was submitted to East Dunbartonshire Council in November and the statutory approval/decision period is four months, i.e. until mid-March 2002. Thereafter there is a 28-day period for Scottish ministers to give listed building approval bringing us to mid-April. A delay of greater than four to six weeks will inconvenience the excavation operations which rely on better weather for their efficiency. This means that more muck would be shifted in the winter months resulting in increased operation times and costs.Should a planning inquiry be deemed necessary, the consequent delays and costs are a larger order of magnitude. Our best advice is that an inquiry cannot be carried out in less than one year and is more likely to take 18 to 24 months. Direct costs of such an enquiry could easily be in the order of £2.5 to £3 million. Consequential increased construction costs resulting from the delay could bring this figure up to £10 million.

I refer the member to the answers given to questions S1W-22387 (8 February 2002), S1W-22134 (5 February 2002), S1W-22133 (5 February 2002), S1W-22086 (4 February 2002) and S1W-22155 (11 February 2002).

Following from the work of the joint "It Pays to Pay" Working Group, we have introduced legislative changes to allow all councils to start collecting council tax earlier and to take action more quickly when people fall into arrears. Good practice guidance has also been issued on council tax billing and collection arrangements.

The Executive will assist the development of the credit union movement in Scotland through the implementation of the action plan "Unlocking the Potential". £1.5 million of new resources are available over this and the next two years to help implement the plan. To help credit unions meet the Financial Services Authority's new regulatory changes (coming into effect on 1 July), every credit union in Scotland has been offered free compliance training.

This is a matter for West of Scotland Water, and I have asked the Chief Executive to respond. His response is as follows:The highest point of the proposed new treatment works at Milngavie is the roof above the lime storage silo at the north end of the treatment building which is at an elevation of 126.4 meters above Ordnance Datum (AOD). The general level of the ridge of the treatment building is 125.4 meters AOD. The level of the hillside behind and to the west of the building is 139 meters AOD.

This is a matter for West of Scotland Water, and I have asked the Chief Executive to respond. His response is as follows:I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-22821 on 20 February 2002. The consortia tendering for the Katrine Water Project were not asked to provide proposals for new treatment works.As part of the tendering exercise each consortia were asked to apply rates to a bill of quantities for a hypothetical generic works. The purpose of this was only to directly compare commercial tender rates and to give guidance rates for the later calculation of a target price.

This is a matter for West of Scotland Water, and I have asked the Chief Executive to respond. His response is as follows:The preferred option became a firm proposal when the planning application was submitted. Prior to this Katrine Water Project was very proactive in communicating with statutory and non-statutory consultees. In total 71 statutory and non-statutory consultees were contacted. Consultations began as early as March 2000 as part of the Babtie Mott Strategic Review. As the project developed, meetings were held with the major consultees and presentations were given. Initially this was to explain the large numbers of options, then to seek their views about the short-listed options, and more recently to include for any concerns they had in the design and development of the preferred scheme. In addition, during the process of surveying possible sites and pipe routes, members of the project team and our land agents visited some 75 landowners, occupiers and tenants. A further consultation process was undertaken as part of their Environmental Impact Assessment by our consultants, ERM. They wrote to 62 bodies giving details of our proposals and seeking their comments. The project team has also met with and given presentations to, on several occasions, local community and interest groups including: Baldernock Community Council, Milngavie Community Council, the Mugdock Association, Strathblane Community Council and the Baldernock Amenity Society.In August 2001, once the preferred scheme had been identified, a website (www.katrinewaterproject.com) was established and a caravan display taken to the Milngavie and Baldernock areas. It was exhibited over a continuous period of 26 days and received nearly 3,000 visitors. Comment sheets were available. Those completed showed no disapproving comments on the detail of the initial proposal itself. Some asked for information on other options considered and most raised concerns on aspects of project implementation.Following the caravan initiative, public meetings were held in Balmore and Milngavie on 29 and 30 August to explain the project proposals, respond to queries and seek feedback. To satisfy requests for further information on the site selection process, a third meeting was held on 26 September. At that meeting further documentation was handed out which gave cost comparisons and explained how the data previously given out had been used to come to the preferred option.Since the planning application was submitted, material relating to the submission has been displayed at six local venues where members of the project team have been available to explain the proposals to anyone interested. At all stages the various public meetings and displays have been publicised in the local press and by widespread distribution of posters.

Tourism at Loch Katrine and the Katrine Water Project are not related.

I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-22821 on 20 February 2002.