KEVIN Stewart, Minister for Local Government and Housing, makes a strong case for improving the Scottish planning system ("Why we need to shift the focus of our planners", Agenda, The Herald, September 28). As he rightly says, "good planning is vital to shaping and delivering the high quality places that our communities need and deserve". It is, therefore, astounding that he steadfastly refuses to allow communities to have their views about how they want their areas to develop to be respected and adopted by the planning system.
The minister will, doubtless, say that his reforms are intended to encourage communities to engage early in the planning process. That is all well and good but, if planners and developers know that they can safely ignore the views expressed by those communities, then they will continue to ignore them. The best way to ensure that community views are heard and respected is by giving communities the right to appeal against bad planning permissions. The objection that giving an equal right of appeal would slow down the planning process would be relevant only if community views were not accorded the respect that they deserve in the first place.
This equal right of appeal, which is supported by your newspaper and by the vast majority of communities that took part in the consultation around the planning review (including the one that I represent), is a simple and effective way to improve the fairness and quality of planning decisions. It is not too late for the Minister to support his words with actions and adopt the equal right of appeal.
Alistair Stewart
Chairman, Jackton & Thorntonhall Community Council,
Wellknoweroad, Thorntonhall.
THE Minister for Local Government and Housing, Kevin Stewart, cannot be faulted for the worthiness of his wish-list on how to improve the planning system: "reduce complexity ... improve accountability and trust" - and so on, but shies away from demanding higher design standards.
We must hope that the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland emphasised this lack (again) in their representations to his draft bill, but the brutal fact is that the design quality of most new housing – in particular that produced by speculative builders – is dire, and local authority planners seem unable and unwilling to demand better. Unable because they have, at best, cursory training in design, unwilling because their councillor masters want hundreds of houses up and paying council tax without any delay caused by arty-farty requests for better proportions, more attractive external finishes, a bit more landscaping and space between houses, and the like.
The result is frequently dispiriting, to put it mildly, but such is the terrible state of the British housing market – in price and in quality – that buyers feel they have no choice. As with most societal problems, education is the answer. All schools have art classes, teaching an appreciation of great art, drawing and so on, which could easily be expanded to include proportion, materials, context, in building design. Beautiful buildings and spaces nourish the soul, and are often the most memorable highlights of a holiday.
We will continue to suffer some of the most soul-destroying housing developments in Europe until local authorities and their planners acquire the skills and the integrity to demand better on our – and our children's – behalf.
David Roche,
6 Conacher Court, Perth.
THE recent decision by the readers of Rough Guide books to vote for Scotland as the world’s most beautiful country ("It's official: Scotland is most beautiful country in the world", The Herald, September 4) stands in marked contrast to the attitudes of the various authorities involved in the preservation of our landscape.
The first sight many tourists will have as they drive north past Stirling and look to the hills of the north will be the wind farm development on the Braes of Doune, just one example of the despoiling of once-beautiful land in the name of landowner greed.
The Loch Lomond and Trossachs Park Authority seems determined to outlaw wild camping within its borders, on the grounds that it detracts from the unspoilt quality of the environment, and yet is determined to cover every square inch of its land with manicured footpaths, and signs and noticeboards declaring its own authority and self-importance. We also have the unhindered proliferation of high-level bulldozed tracks across the country, making a mockery of the wild land protection introduced by the Scottish Government. And only last week I saw that the people behind the redevelopment of the Kingshouse Hotel in Glencoe have submitted a new application with Highland Council to build a three-storey extension to the original 18th century building.
This new building would not be out of place in a central belt industrial estate, but certainly would be in one of Scotland’s most magnificent mixes of mountain and moor. The original plans for expansion, approved last year, were for a 30-room development and was of a design much more in keeping with the local environment. This has obviously since been regarded as not profitable enough for the developers, who wish to now create a more incongrous megastructure. I would like to think common sense would prevail and this application would be refused, but given the track record in these matters, I would not be overly optimistic.
This country seems to lead the world when it comes to treating our countryside as a limitless financial resource. It is a finite treasure and we are in great danger of waking up one day and finding it gone or ruined.
John Nish,
35 McNaughton Court, Stirling.
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