- Asked by: Phil Gallie, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 October 2004
-
Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 1 November 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there have been any instances whereby the procedures for the identification of land for development to meet housing requirements through the extension of existing settlements, as set out in Scottish Planning Policy 3 - Planning for Housing, have not been adhered to.
Answer
The Scottish Executive does nothold this information centrally. It is up to the local authority to interpret nationalpolicies and ensure compliance on a case-by-case basis.
- Asked by: Phil Gallie, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 October 2004
-
Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 1 November 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the procedures for identifying new housing land, as set out in paragraph 47 of Scottish Planning Policy 3 Planning for Housing, have been adhered to and whether, in accordance with these procedures, the existing towns and villages within the Lothians including Drem, Prestonpans, Tranent, Longniddry, Haddington, Fenton Barns and Ormiston have substantial physical, environmental and infrastructural constraints that prohibit further growth.
Answer
Scottish Executive Ministers approved the Edinburgh and the Lothians Structure Plan in June 2004. This included a strategic housing allocation of 1,600 units at Blindwells new settlement. This location was included in the Structure Plan following a development options study undertaken by East Lothian Council. This sought to identify locations which could accommodate Structure Plan housing requirements. Ministers’ approval of the plan took account of all matters they thought relevant, including national planning policy.
The detail of how the Structure Plan allocation will be taken forward in terms of specific land allocations, policies for the control of development and the provision of infrastructure will be included in the new Local Plan for East Lothian, which is currently being prepared. The content and processing of the Local Plan is the responsibility of East Lothian Council.
- Asked by: Phil Gallie, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 October 2004
-
Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 1 November 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether East Lothian Council followed all the relevant procedures set out in Scottish Planning Policy 3 - Planning for Housing in determining the Blindwells New Settlement site.
Answer
Scottish ministers approved the Edinburgh and the Lothians Structure Plan in June 2004. This included a strategic housing allocation of 1600 units at Blindwells new settlement. This location was included in the Structure Plan following a development options study undertaken by East Lothian Council. This sought to identify locations which could accommodate Structure Plan housing requirements. Ministers’ approval of the plan took account of all matters they thought relevant, including national planning policy.
The detail of how the Structure Plan allocation will be taken forward in terms of specific land allocations, policies for the control of development and the provision of infrastructure will be included in the new Local Plan for East Lothian, which is currently being prepared. The content and processing of the Local Plan is the responsibility of East Lothian Council.
- Asked by: Phil Gallie, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 October 2004
-
Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 1 November 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there have been any instances whereby the procedures for the identification of land for development on infill sites, as set out in Scottish Planning Policy 3 - Planning for Housing, have not been adhered to.
Answer
The Scottish Executive does not hold this information centrally. It is up to the local authority to interpret national policies and ensure compliance on a case-by-case basis.
- Asked by: Phil Gallie, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 October 2004
-
Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 1 November 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether paragraphs 29 and 52 of National Planning Policy Guideline : NPPG17 - Transport and Planning: April 1999, which state that the preferred location for development should be sites adjacent to railway stations, has been complied with in the identification of Blindwells New Settlement in East Lothian.
Answer
Scottish ministers approved the Edinburgh and the Lothians Structure Plan in June 2004. This included a strategic housing allocation of 1,600 units at Blindwells new settlement. This location was included in the Structure Plan following a development options study undertaken by East Lothian Council. This sought to identify locations which could accommodate Structure Plan housing requirements. Ministers’ approval of the plan took account of all matters they thought relevant, including national planning policy.
The detail of how the Structure Plan allocation will be taken forward in terms of specific land allocations, policies for the control of development and the provision of infrastructure will be included in the new Local Plan for East Lothian, which is currently being prepared. The content and processing of the Local Plan is the responsibility of East Lothian Council.
- Asked by: Phil Gallie, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 October 2004
-
Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 1 November 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in approving the finalised Edinburgh and Lothians Structure Plan, it was satisfied that the number of units planned for the Blindwells New Settlement site in East Lothian was enough to provide the proposed community benefits, including a new primary school, secondary school provision, a new railway station, additional community facilities, play areas and road links.
Answer
Scottish Executive Ministers approved the Edinburgh and the Lothians Structure Plan in June 2004. This included a strategic housing allocation of 1,600 units at Blindwells new settlement. This location was included in the Structure Plan following a development options study undertaken by East Lothian Council. This sought to identify locations which could accommodate Structure Plan housing requirements. Ministers’ approval of the plan took account of all matters they thought relevant, including national planning policy.
The detail of how the Structure Plan allocation will be taken forward in terms of specific land allocations, policies for the control of development and the provision of infrastructure will be included in the new Local Plan for East Lothian, which is currently being prepared. The content and processing of the Local Plan is the responsibility of East Lothian Council.
- Asked by: Phil Gallie, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 October 2004
-
Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 1 November 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there have been any instances where the procedures to be followed for the identification of land for development on brownfield sites, as set out in Scottish Planning Policy 3 - Planning for Housing, have not been adhered to.
Answer
The Scottish Executive does not hold this information centrally. It is up to the local authority to interpret national policies and ensure compliance on a case-by-case basis.
- Asked by: Phil Gallie, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 October 2004
-
Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 28 October 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied with East Lothian Council’s arrangements for the provision of secondary education at the Blindwells New Settlement site in East Lothian.
Answer
Decisions on school provision to meet new demand are for education authorities rather than the Scottish Executive. Accordingly, the Executive will have no involvement in arrangements which East Lothian Council may be considering for school provision at Blindwells.
- Asked by: Phil Gallie, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 September 2004
-
Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 26 October 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-10264 by Allan Wilson on 17 September 2004, whether it considers research carried out at the Hannah Institute on the control of cell fate by endocrine and local factors, the enzymology of liver and adipose metabolism, the interplay between insulin resistance and the insulin-like growth factor system in the etiology of metabolic diseases and in the development of science and technology platforms for the food industry to be of a high quality.
Answer
The Research Organisation Assessment Exercise was undertaken last year to assess the overall performance of all the Research Institutes funded by Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department. The visiting group carrying out the assessment of the Hannah Research Institute assessed the overall quality of science undertaken there as good but with room for improvement.
- Asked by: Phil Gallie, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 September 2004
-
Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 6 October 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive why it differs from the conclusion agreed by a majority of the European and External Relations Committee in its 2nd Report in 2004 on European regional development funding that a proportion of at least 0.45% of EU-25 Gross National Income is needed to fund regional development across the European Union from 2007.
Answer
We agree with the UK Government that the Commission’s proposed Financial Perspective – and the Structural and Cohesion Funds budget within that – is too high. It is important that the Structural Funds budget should focus on the poorest member states and generally concentrate on adding value to what member states can fund themselves.
