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Information and Accessibility
Other Businesses
Cinema Exhibitors' Association Ltd: The proposals will make the planning process much more transparent and the wide consultation proposed prior to the formal planning process should enable the planning application to move through the system without undue delay.
Professional Organisations
Institute of Civil Engineers Scotland: Concerns over the ability of developers, planning authorities and communities to cope with such an increased level of consultation. The new proposals will require significant commitment of time and resources which may not be available.
Community Councils
Cove & Kilcreggan Community Council: We agree with the need for local people to be consulted and for steps to be taken which will ensure that their views are better taken into account. We are surprised that Community Councils are not specifically mentioned as they are more likely to be better informed of local views on proposed developments (and less politically biased) than LAs especially in rural areas.
Eaglesham Community Council: There is no mention in the document of Community Councils although "local involvement "is stressed through out .Community Councils are, after all, classed as Statutory Bodies and should have a right to be consulted on developments in, or affecting their local area.
Greengairs Community Council and Greengairs Environmental Forum: As with participation at any stage in the planning process, there will be an increased need for easily accessible public friendly information to assist in the understanding of the process and ensure effectiveness of input. The alternative is to have a public who feel even more disenfranchised by the participation process itself.
Private Individuals
Anonymous: With reference to the participation of local people earlier in the development plan process and in the detail of development proposals, the respondent suggests that local people should be used only if they are professionally and academically qualified in planning.
Anonymous: In the past many applications which have been approved, despite objections, have been seen to be altered without the public knowing of the changes. Housing developers are very guilty of this, so I trust your new proposals will eliminate this.
Anonymous: I am a retired planner, but submit this as a member of the public who has been disappointed in the service provided by an LPA when I tried to influence development control decisions. My experience on two occasions of submitting opposition to planning applications left me feeling that my views had not been properly considered. This was not simply a reaction to the decisions having gone against my views but a genuine belief that the system had not given my views sufficient consideration. Three suggestions occur to me that would have given me and others a better service in return for our efforts in making submissions but also recognition that our voices have equal rights to be heard.
- Where there are large volumes of objections, a separate report on these could be prepared, perhaps by someone other than the case planning officer. This would reduce the imbalance of reporting which can result when the application report is being purposely drafted towards a known conclusion in favour of the approval.
- Hearings with councillors should be in advance of the final officers report and in advance of the point at which the decision is about to be made.
- Hearings should allow objectors to make all their points despite previously submitting them in writing.
Armstrong, Pam: The White paper objective of giving local people better opportunities to influence decisions that affect them is very important. Neighbours who know the area and may be seriously affected by a development should be involved at every stage of the planning process. The current procedure is wholly inadequate for environmental protection. Objections from neighbours should also be anonymous so that they feel free to voice their concerns.
Drummond, Gordon B Dr: It is very interesting that Mr McKinnon recently admitted that for the present planning system, "quality is the exception rather than the rule". Much of the White Paper appears to address this problem by proposing more adequate early consultation, although the detail of how inclusion is to be widened (4.3.3) is sparse.
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