To: John McNairney Chief Planner
Copy to Paul Wheelhouse MSP
Dear Mr McNairney
The following correspondence raises important concerns. While I have not read the North Ayrshire Council’s Scheme of Delegation I am astonished that bypassing the elected members in this matter and so defeating the normal democratic planning process has been sanctioned by the planning officer and senior management at the Council. In all normal local planning authorities such an application, with a plethora of third party objections and objections from Stakeholders like the Arran Civic Trust and the Arran Community Council would have had to be determined by the Planning Committee.
I would request that this application is called in by the Scottish Ministers for their determination.
I look forward to your positive response to this reasonable request
Graham Lang
Scotland Against Spin
Herald, letters 03 10 16
Wind turbine approval bypassed elected representative decision-making
LAST month a member of staff of North Ayrshire Council’s planning
department announced that the owners of the Holy Isle off Arran have the
council’s approval to go ahead with a wind turbine project over the heads
of the objectors, who included the Arran Civic Trust, The Arran Community
Council and at least 50 individuals from the community who had made written
representations. This decision, taken in-house without recourse to any
elected committee of councillors. is the consequence of the so-called
“scheme of delegation” reminiscent of the undemocratic world of the feudal
landlords and an abuse of planning power vested in local authorities, where
in this case the council department concerned chose to ignore its own
guidelines.
It is an appalling example of the continuing concentration of power that
has continued under SNP government in Holyrood with councils being ever
more beholden to central funding rather than local communities under a
regime of frozen council tax earnings from year to year.
This is only the latest and perhaps worst example here on Arran where the
community and their representatives at the most local level have been
ignored and where the applicant has taken advantage of a compromised
democratic system. The local councillor seemed powerless to act and demand
the application be considered by the planning committee of elected members
and even the local MSP re-ported his objection to the scheme.
From the start the applicants saw no need to consult with the community,
although they claim to be an integral part of that community, sharing its
values. The council itself had to its credit in the past sponsored a study
of the relative landscape value of the entire area of its mandate and the
report had made it clear that the Holy Isle was entirely unsuitable for
installation of wind turbines. To compound the issue there is no right of
appeal.
The reasoning behind giving local authorities power to bypass elected
representative decision-making in the planning process has its roots in
cost-cutting and was designed to simplify the route to approval of
low-impact schemes that adhered to previously agreed development planning
and council guidelines. The main safeguard put in place relates to the
degree of opposition. In this particular case the North Ayrshire Council
seems to have ridden roughshod over even this safeguard.
It is a sad day when communities see their worst prejudices about local
government reinforced and question which paymaster local authorities really
respond to.
John Campbell,
Herald 03 10 16
Unholy row breaks out over Buddhist monks’ wind farm
Victoria Weldon, Reporter
IT is one of Scotland’s best-loved tourist spots with a long spiritual
history stretching back to the sixth century.
Located off the Ayrshire coast, Holy Isle is now home to a community of
Buddhist monks, as well as local wildlife.
However, a planning application to erect five wind turbines on the
picturesque island, just off Arran, has led to a not-so-Zen outcry from the
local community.
A total of 89 objectors lodged complaints about the proposal amid fears it
will ruin the relatively unspoiled landscape of the island and have an
impact upon wildlife.
However, North Ayrshire Council approved the application using its
delegated authority, which means the council’s planning department made the
decision instead of it being passed to the planning committee.
While the council claims this process was allowed due to the “small scale”
of the application, local resident John Campbell, of Lamlash, claims it was
a “very bad error of judgment” which has prompted anger and suspicion.
The retired chemist, 78, said: “Despite the large-scale opposition, the
council obviously decided the they were going to consider this application
in house when the scheme of delegation indicates that with that scale of
objections it should have been put before the planning committee.
“They should have referred the final decision to the planning committee
then there would have been a proper hearing, giving objectors the
opportunity to present their views and watch the meeting publicly. There is
now a lot of anger about this decision and questions about why it was
taken. There are lots of conspiracy theories going around, and this is
exactly the point – if you make an open decision then you avoid all this
criticism.”
The Samye Ling monks who own the island want to build the turbines in a bid
to become as self-sufficient as possible and reduce their community’s
environmental impact.
However, residents on Arran claim the turbines will damage the landscape
and diminish the value of the island for residents and visitors. bjectors
include Arran Community Council and Arran Civic Trust, as well as local MSP
Kenneth Gibson and MP Patricia Gibson.
Mr Campbell said: “The value of Holy Island as a relatively unspoiled,
valuable landscape for both the community of Arran and visitors is very
significant.
“It’s absolutely astonishing that North Ayrshire Council seems to have gone
against the express wishes of a large number of the community.”
Arran Community Council say they are now looking at what options are open
to them to have the decision reviewed.
A council spokesman said: “Due to its small scale, this application was
defined in statutory regulations as a ‘local’ application for which
officers have delegated authority to make a decision.
“This is not unusual as the majority of planning applications are
determined this way and this practice is in line with the council’s agreed
procedures.”
0 Comments