Chamber and committees

Planningdecisions are required to be taken in accordance with the development planunless material considerations indicate otherwise. Scottish Executive planning policies contained incirculars, National Planning Policy Guidelines and Scottish planning policiesmay be such material considerations.

Paragraph 73 of NationalPlanning Policy Guideline 11, Sport, Physical Recreation and Open Space,relates to a proposal for a stadium in the green belt. It notes that anyproposal for such a stadium could be considered alongside any proposal foradjustment of green belt boundaries. Such boundaries should be altered only inexceptional circumstances after consideration of all other options, such asredevelopment of the existing ground, development opportunities within urbanareas, or on vacant, derelict or underused land.

Of the 30 representationsreceived, 83% (i.e. 25) have related to costs.

I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-2110 on 16 September 2003. All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility forwhich can be found at:http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.

The Scottish Executive has received 30 representations in total. Of these, there have beeneight from patients, 12 from visitors and 10 from staff.

TheNational Maximum Parking Standards contained in Scottish Planning Policy 17: Transportand Planning Maximum Parking Standards: Addendum to NPPG 17, publishedMarch 2003, sets a maximum figure for car parking at a 20,000 seat stadium of1,333 (one space per 15 seats). In addition to this would be parking fordisabled users of at least 57 spaces. A planning authority is fully entitled tooperate more stringent standards in their area resulting in a figure less than1,333. Coach parking is a matter for the local authority to determine. This maydepend on mode share targets set by the authority, on availability of coachparking elsewhere in the vicinity, and on experience of the number of coachestypically likely to be involved in events at the stadium.

Traffic volumes vary atdifferent locations along the A720. The highest annual average daily flow oftraffic on the A720 in 2002 was at Dreghorn and was 67,940 vehicles per day(34,310 eastbound and 33,628 westbound). The highest average am peak-hour flowwas westbound at 3,190 vehicles per hour. The highest average pm peak-hour flowwas eastbound at 3,367 vehicles per hour.

There is no absolute measureof capacity for any given road. However, research indicates that a road such asthe A720 should be able to carry between 3,500 and 4,000 vehicles per hour inone direction before traffic flow is disrupted.

I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-2110 today. All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility forcan be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.

I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-2110 today. All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for whichcan be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.

Planningdecisions are required to be taken in accordance with the development planunless material considerations indicate otherwise. Scottish Executive planning policies contained inCirculars, National Planning Policy Guidelines and Scottish Planning Policiesmay be such material considerations.

It is for the decision-makerto assess both the weight to be attached to material considerations and whetherindividually or together they are sufficient to outweigh the provisions of thedevelopment plan.

The Scottish Executive is not monitoring this. Such schemes are to be welcomed when they are developed in conjunction with local diabetes services.