Aileen Jackson hopes that New Year brings hope of greater accountability
and transparency in planning decisions (Barrhead News 30th December). We
all know hope springs eternal.
As an outside observer of how local planning authorities deal with
representations from third parties and their professional advisers it would
be hard to find a less accountable and transparent authority than East
Renfrewshire. The green belt and its landscape and visual amenity has been
trashed with wind farms and turbines and still they consent more. Their
normal stance is to recommend approval of every application that is lodged
even although anyone with half an eye can see the area is overdeveloped
with a chaotic array of turbines of all shapes and sizes blotting the
landscape in every direction.
Having attended a number of meetings it is clear that the presentations by
officers supporting applications are lightweight and often inaccurate and
the majority of councillors lack the knowledge and experience to adequately
interrogate the material provided and challenge the officers. For this
reason alone, members of the public should be allowed to address the
committee I have seen members supporting a recommendation jest and joke
amongst themselves as if they were playing a jolly game.
All representations from interested third parties should be published on
the planning website as should any expert testimony from experts employed
by them. Planning is about a balance and if all we, or just as importantly
the elected members, get to see without having to go to the extreme lengths
of making a visit to the planning office, are the self serving, biased
documents provided by the applicants and their agents where is the balance?
I am not surprised the powers that be have decided not to broadcast the
Planning Applications Committee meetings live. It would be excrutiatingly
embarrassing for the officials and elected members were their performance
to be widely aired.
Graham Lang
Ceres
Fife
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