Planning Aid Training

Panning Aid, Scotland's Planning Advice Charity, is holding a day long session on Planning Procedure on Saturday 27th November from 10am-4pm , in the Kirk Centre, Station Road, Ellon AB41 9AE.

It is targeting at Community Council members but those interested can also attend so if you wish to register for the event, please let Robert McGregor know by Wednesday 24th for catering numbers. 

For more information on Planning Aid for Scotland please see their website
at  - http://www.planningaidscotland.org.uk/

Robert McGregor
Area Committee Officer

Direct Dial: 01358 726405
Email: robert.mcgregor@aberdeenshire.gov.uk

Trump on TV

I watched the BBC program me on Trump carefully and thought that it gave a fairly decent picture of the issues. Any programme is limited so it is forgivable that it omitted the disgraceful actions of local and national politicians. However, there are other films and sources for these. The only thing most people need to know is that there is now proof that if you want to protect the environment, none of the big 4 parties can be trusted.

The BBC film is available on iplayer until next Monday but you might also wish to view this short film (with a cameo from me)

The wrong side of a hole from jon Pullman on Vimeo.

Pacts with the devil

Ok .. So councils that smile at a 2.6% cut in grant, and promise not to raise council tax, get one sum of money.

But if any council wants to protect services by raising council tax, regardless of what their constituents may say, get punished by a 6.4% cut in grant.

Someone (except NF) please explain the logic of a SNP government arguing for greater powers for Scotland and refusing to let Councils make their own decisions?

Scottish Green Party Conference

You can really see how Caroline Lucas so deserved to be elected to Westminster.  She is a very convincing speaker and engages with people so well.  Definitely the highlight of the conference this weekend.  Full text of her speech is here.


But conferences are not all about speeches so some good solid work honing policies and putting in place structures to manage the situation if the Greens are part of the equation for government at Holyrood next May.  There are good grounds for believing that Greens will be represented across Scotland next May - certainly we are the only Party likely to be challenging cuts in our public services and a new economics rather than the expensive repair of the old. 

And ultimately, the Greens will be talking a message of hope.  Not hope for a return to a discredited system of greed and consumption.  But hope for a more human scaled world where we recognise our interdependence and work together to make our lives better.  Happiness can't be measured just in cash.

Planning Alerts

I am a big fan of Planning Alerts  - just sign up to see applications submitted near you.  These days you only have 21 days to put in a letter of representation so it's worth keeping on top of applications submitted.

It's interesting seeing the output for Aberdeenshire on a map.

Intimidation at Menie

Another twist in the continuing "bad neighbour" behaviour at Menie reached the Daily Mail.

David and Moira Milne have has a 20ft high and 100 yards long bund built behind their house.  You can see the full story in this Daily Mail article.

I believe this topsoil storage bund is unacceptable ... if it is needed, then the Trump Organisation has many other locations to place it.   A Reporter in a planning appeal regarding a 15ft bund further from a house said this would be "an entirely inappropriate and unacceptable form of mitigation from noise and vibration" (para 26).  How much more unacceptable is a bund placed close to a residential property for no reason.

March of the Menie

The threats to the families at Menie are increasing.

The Munro's at Leyton Cottage have the daily disturbance of heavy lorries past their house - and oddly the road put in to serve these lorries has had to be reconfigured a few times.

Trump is now claiming that David and Moira Milne have no right to part of the land their house is built on.

And the Trump's continuing harrassment of the Forbes is well documented. 

My fear is that Trump, having realised that my colleagues on Aberdeenshire Council take delight in saying "Yes, Mr Trump and will that be all today?", will build the course, apply for permission to build the hotel and then refuse to do more unless they agree to CPOs for the Menie families land and the extra land at Leyton Farm.

Will my colleagues be able then to move from fawning over Trump to standing up for people's human rights?

Many thanks to the 250-300 people who marched from Balmedie to "the Bunker" at Mill of Menie in support of the families.

Child Benefit and Marriage Allowances

I thought that the government was being pragmatic when it announced that child benefit was to be withdrawn from families in the top tax bracket.  A bit crude perhaps as in some families both parents will be high earners and in others only one and some the high earner will be the sole earner.  But that is the way of our over-complex tax and benefit system.

I think it's pity to target child benefit rather than other options as it was regarded as the universal benefit that everyone shared at the time when they most needed the money - a transfer of money from perhaps later in life when earnings may be higher to the point when people tend to have children.

But I can't understand the Tory enthusiasm for marriage allowances.

The video explains the craziness better that I could.



But the LibDems seem to have agreed to the tax cut for married couple (OK to be fair - they get to abstain) without securing the raising of tax allowances for all.    So much for fairness.

A Times article gives the cost of transferable allowances between married couples as £3.2 billion.   Limiting this to those with children would reduce this to £1.5 billion.  But just why should a marriage certificate give an advantage to one set of people over another?

Ellon Planning for Real

It's been a week for consultations. 

Encouraged by the course director, I went to the opening of the Elsick design charette and looked into the workshop on Friday afternoon.  It seems to be a very open consultation exercise with real efforts to involve the local community with special sessions for school children and the residents who are most affected.

And today was a Planning for Real event in Ellon.  This was perhaps mistimed with the deadline for Local Development plan representations being yesterday but ...

Much attention was focused on the proposed sites for Ellon Academy.  6 sites were shown but I am still of the view that only the Cromleybank sites are viable.   Discussions were lively and people really wanted to engage.  I tried my best to explain the likely constraints and I think that most people share my view that only the Cromleybank sites are viable.

On the wider issues, there were a wide variety of suggestions of how Ellon could be improved and I'll await a full analysis of this before commenting.

However I do have one serious concern about the exercise.  When I left at about 2pm, only one person in the 19-30 age range had shown up.   How can we better engage with this age range?- they'll have to live with any decision that flow from the day.

Planning studies

I have just enrolled as a student on Aberdeen University's Urban Planning and Real Estate MSc course.  I spent Thursday and Friday on a field trip with some of my fellow students and three lecturers.

It is shaping up to be an interesting experience made even better by the range of backgrounds of my fellow students as well as the engaging and challenging approach of the academic staff.   So a warm hello to my new friends (I hope!) from China, Nigeria, Canada, Greece, Faroe Isles and those who are more local.  And it is already fun debating issues with people who are approaching the course with backgrounds as geographers, economists, environmentalists, architects - and me as the politician/planner.

And to those from warmer climes, I do promise that September in Scotland can be something other than cold, wet and windy.

But I suspect that the outdoor equipment retailers will do brisk business with my fellow students before we venture out again.

Local Development Plan

We are in the last few days of the new Development Plan consultation period.   So if you do have comments to make, please make sure you do so before 1st October.  You can email ldp@aberdeenshire.gov.uk with you contribution but do be sure to give your contact details, clearly reference which bit of the plan or supplementary guidance you are concerned about and exactly what is you concern.  And finally clearly state what Modification you suggest.  

I do not find the online form or the pdf form they provide easy to use.  So I suggest that you make your representation being careful to include all the required information and leave council officers to sort out the format.

I have made two submissions. 

Along with my other Democratic Group colleagues, I seek to embed the requirements of the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 as required by Section 72. The Aberdeenshire proposed local development plan does not do this.

 Secondly, the Council is gradually working their way to needing to reserve land within Cromleybank for the new Ellon Academy.  The developer is content with this.  The Community Council is content with this.  This is the best option for the traders.   So I've asked that the "may be required" is changed to "will be required" so that we can get on with it.  This is urgent as the funding from the Scottish Government is time limited and the timetable is looking increasingly tight.

It's slightly odd being a councillor asking for amendments to the Council's plan by this route.  But it's the best chance for common sense to prevail.

On the Holyrood road

Congratulations to my good friends Cllr Martin Ford and Rhonda Reekie who have been selected as the No.1 and No.2 places on the Regional List for the North East of Scotland by the Scottish Green Party.


While a Green, Shiona Baird, was elected for the seat in 2003, 2007 saw a retreat everywhere to the 4 establishment parties of Scotland.

I know Martin and Rhonda would both be very effective MSPs and I hope that Martin's high public profile will make voters consider voting for a politician whose views are well known and based on strong principle.

I wonder why the P&J failed to carry any news item about Martin's selection?  Are they that frightened of him? 

Another day at the office - another knife in the back

Yesterday my ward colleague Cllr Rob Merson (SNP) sprang an emergency motion to remove me as Vice Chair of the Formartine Area Committee.  To my astonishment, Rob was unable to clearly articulate what the emergency was - but the Chair Cllr John Loveday (LibDem) agreed to take the motion.  And the motion was passed.

Cllr Merson cited comments I have made about my colleagues indecisiveness re the siting of a new Ellon Academy and my failure to attend some site visits as the reasons for my removal as Vice Chair.  I don't think these have anything to do with me as Vice Chair.  And indeed I have received no complaints or even adverse comments regarding my role as Vice Chair.

So what motivated Cllr Merson and the other Formartine Councillors to act in this way?

I know Cllr Merson doesn't like me mentioning him on this blog (see comments to post below).  And of course we have political differences.

But I think this is simply a continuation of the divide on the Formartine Area Committee post Trump.  Faced with a planning application at Menie, my colleagues are prone to saying things like "We must press ahead as quickly as possible with this development".  No.  We have a duty to scrutinise all proposals and ensure that the conditions of the permission granted by the SNP government are complied with.

Not being Vice Chair will not stop me doing that job.  And it will not stop me speaking out to protect the Menie residents whose homes remain under threat because my colleagues refuse to rule out compulsory purchase and keep giving the Trump Organisation every reason to believe that they can ask and it will be given.

Myself as Vice Chair (may 2007 to 31st August 2010) in a display at the area office.

MP doesn't want constituents to email him

Tory MP, Dominic Rabb has complained about campaign group 38 Degrees facilitating constituents sending emails to him.  The poor inundated soul asks his constituents not to email him.  He doesn't want his email address published anywhere and says that "My approach is to ask those with a problem or issue they want me to take up to write in, so I have full details and can check they are constituents (it is a protocol that you do not take up the case of other MPs' constituents.)"

The 38 Degrees system does this preliminary check for Mr Raab - and I spent ages when first elected encouraging people to use email as it made dealing with casework more efficient.

You can read 38 degrees side of the story at http://blog.38degrees.org.uk/2010/08/09/dominic-raab-tells-constituents-dont-email-me.


You can read Dominic Rabb's comments at http://www.dominicraab.com/dom_s_blog.html and you can email Dominic Raab on dominic.raab.mp@parliament.uk - I publish it here as a public service as it's not published on the House of Commons website or Mr Raab's own website.

Perhaps it's having 58% share of the vote that engenders arrogance.  An excellent argument against any system that makes "safe seats".

Trump land grab

On Tuesday at Menie, large machinery was used to clear fishing nets and other equipment from the land and a fence was erected.  However Michael Forbes, whose family home is threatened by compulsory purchase, has title deeds showing the land belongs to him. 

The Forbes family are shocked and angry.  Trump's agent called on them to confirm the land boundaries and Michael Forbes showed his title deeds.  He was assured that all was well.  But now it appears that the Trump Organisation have simply decided to clear and occupy this parcel of land.

I called on the Forbes family yesterday.  Estate security had a vehicle on the track to Michael Forbes house and when I and a few others walked to the disputed land, we were followed by Estate security in their vehicles.  When standing on the disputed land we were asked to leave with the security guard claiming it was a construction area.   It clearly was not.

Ten days ago the water supply was cut off to Mill of Menie, the home of Mike and Sheila Forbes, and Paradise, the home of Mike's 85 year old mother Molly.  The supply has just been restored. 

Ten days to restore a water supply is disgraceful and I understand that the estate did not even attempt to supply water until Saturday.   This inaction and the continuing surveillance of the Forbes family must feel like part of a campaign to intimidate them into leaving their home.  I totally understand why the Forbes family are angry but I know they are determined not to be bullied.

But they will need help to defend their property and homes against Trump with his deep pockets.  Layers cost money.

Aberdeenshire - Final Local Development Plan

The Aberdeenshire Development Local Plan was agreed by the Council on 24th June.  I did not vote for it but a future post - or perhaps posts - will talk about the issues.  After all, we have until 1st October to lodge our representations on the plan.  My previous post talked about the form required for representations.  This post will discuss the form of the plan itself.

Instead of one document, the Plan has been published as a plan containing just 14 polices, 6 maps and a schedule. One of my colleagues described the plan as vacuous - there is so little detail in the Plan itself that it is difficult to see what objections there could be.  Most of the detail is in the Supplementary Guidance.

In addition to the Plan there are (currently) 51 pieces of Supplementary Guidance, 6 of which are Settlement Maps for each Area within Aberdeenshire and the rest give details on the 14 polices.

Therefore, it is likely that if you wish to make a representation about anything you will need to make two representations - one for the policy in the main plan and one for the relevant Supplementary Guidance.

Aberdeenshire has provided two forms (in two forms, pdf and online), one for the Plan and one for Supplementary Guidance.   But as you are not required to make your representation on the specified form, I would suggest that you  make one representation per issue covering both the Plan and the Supplementary Guidance.  If you follow the 7 required pieces of information from the Schedule 4 form, you will have provided all the necessary information.   The Council can then cross reference your one representation into two parts to cover the Plan and the Supplementary Guidance. 

Over the summer, I'll post some comments on the content of the plan itself.  Remember, you only have until 1st October to make you voice heard.

Local Development Plan - Consultation and Examination

On 24th June, Aberdeenshire Council agreed to publish its new Local Development Plan for public comment and that this plan should have some degree of materiality for planning decisions.

Since the previous round of Local Plans, there has been a change in legislation. This is not a draft plan that will then be turned into a Finalised Plan by the Council and then be subject to a Public Local Inquiry. This is IT. A reporter will be appointed and this plan will be subject to an examination to ensure it is "appropriate and sufficient".

So Representations (objections and expressions of support) will need to be made over the summer with a closing date of 1st October.

The process is new.  The Council will turn your representation into a Schedule 4 form which will contain

1. Issue Reference and Heading
2. Development Plan Reference
3. Body or persons raising the issue
4. Provision of the Development Plan to which the issue relates
5. Council's summary of issue
6. Modifications sought by those submitting representations

andthen the Council will add

• Summary of Response by Council
  
• Any further plan changes commended by Council

and finally the Reporter will add

• Reporters Conclusion
• Reporters Recommendations

In order to avoid your representation being misinterpreted by the Council and so that you know that you have included all the necessary information, I suggest that you format your representation under Headings 1 to 7 above.  You are restricted to a maximum of 2000 words plus limited supporting productions.


Thanks to Planning Aid Scotland for the session from which I gleaned the above.  Any errors are mine not theirs!

In my next post, I will comment on the format of the local plan and what that means for you if you want to make a representation - the form is very different from previous plans.

Site for a new Ellon Academy

Last Tuesday, Formartine Area Committee discussed 6 possible sites for the new Ellon Academy and it was clear that there was a consensus about Options 2 and 3 which would put the Academy into the planned Cromleybank development. These were the options clearly favoured by Ellon Community Council the previous day at a special meeting. Councillors were all also agreed that a second road bridge across the Ythan was needed at an early point to make the development work with the rest of the Town (and stop Bridge St seizing up!).

However, my colleagues wouldn't simply made the decision - they expressed a preference for Options 2 and 3 but left it open to be somewhere else. And it seems as if they are willing to totally revisit the agreement to development Cromleybank in the Local Plan. With Aberdeenshire Council due to approve the Local Plan on 24th June and no meeting of the Formartine Area Committee in the meantime, this risks this very important decision regarding Ellon having to be taken by Infrastructure Services which only has one representative of the area on it - or by the full council of 68 members.

I believe that local councillors working with local people and the Community Council should be calling the shots on this and that my colleagues have done the town a dis-service by dithering rather than making a decision.

City Councillors finally talk about Union Terrace Gardens

After months of spouting nonsense that they were somehow legally barred from telling people their views re City Square/Peacock/Union Terrace Gardens, a few have now decided to speak.

I don't think Cllr John Corall puts up a solid defence of voting in favour of City Square - but at least he was willing to be filmed. Do you think he knows what he is talking about?

Watch this video.


He starts by telling us that people do not know what is proposed ... and that he doesn't either ...

Sir, it's in your ward. Don't you think you should take an interest?

Masterplans and golf courses

Last Tuesday, my colleagues agreed to the discharge of a heap of conditions, the Masterplan and the golf course at Menie. Many of my colleagues seemed, at least before the meeting, to be under the misguided impression that the Masterplan did not impact the homes of the Menie families. I check at the meeting and it does.

I moved refusal of the Masterplan on the basis that it was not deliverable unless these parcels of land were in the control of the applicant. The Masterplan itself acknowledged this in that it said it would need to be redesigned.

And then we have the golf course. Contrary to Trump spin, work can not yet start - the rest of the Masterplan conditions need to be met. So an opening in 18th months is not likely.

But the developer may believe they have an excuse to close off the constrcution area. That I believe will cause problems. People walking along the beach north from Balmedie may decide they have had enough and want to get back to the A90. If the whole golf course area is closed, that will be a problem. I have no interest in increasing conflicts on the Menie estate - local people are suffering enough without this. But I think it would be sensible if the Menie estate retained route across their land - perhaps limiting themselves to closing one of the masterplanned routes at a time. Else the police will get bored with dealing with casual walkers coming into conflict witht he developer. And be less able to distinguish anyone out to cause trouble.