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In the Scotsman newpaper on 5th December 2002 Bill McDermott expands on his view that the National Park Authority should have Planning Powers |
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In the Scotsman newpaper on 5th December 2002 Bill McDermott expands on his view that the National Park Authority should have Planning Powers |
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Cairngorms National Park Debate
Letter published in the Scotsman 5 December 2002
The published version of my letter (2 December) only brought out some of the arguments for planning powers to rest with the new national park authority. The crucial point I wanted to stress was that the Scottish
Executive’s position, as reflected in the designation order, displays a lack of leadership.
The Executive’s proposal to Parliament represents a weak-willed approach to management of our finest natural heritage. In almost every case in the United Kingdom of a national park being established, local authorities have insisted on retaining planning responsibilities. Just because they do so doesn’t mean it represents the best solution for the management of the national park. As Roger Crofts, the former chief executive of SNH, says (Letters, 23 November), "half-way houses ... are unsatisfactory". The trouble is that neither the Executive nor SNH is prepared to recognise that where no agreement over planning arrangements being vested in the national park authority exists, it is even more important that responsibility for the issue be brought to-gether under that authority. WG McDERMOTT East Lewiston Inverness-shire ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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