Approval for Family House on Brownfield Site in the Countryside

Man of Action Posted on August 18, 2013 Posted in News

West Lothian Councillor’s overturned the decision of their Head of Planning, and granted planning permission for a house in the countryside near Kirknewton. Pearson Planning, Chartered Surveyors proved to the Local Review Body that there was a policy justification for the family home. The proposal involved redevelopment on a redundant farm. Brownfield sites, outside of settlement boundaries, are a wasted resource. Many lie unused due to spurious sustainability arguments.

Derelict buildings in countryside are untapped brownfield resource.

Edinburgh, 12 November, and Ivan McKee MSP announced to the national assembly that work on introducing a Community Infrstructure Levy in Scotland is “stopped”. Ivan ‘the terrible’ McKee recognised that the Levy was not welcome. There is a general acceptance, too, that much needed house building is being stalled by disproportionate obligation demands, and as Ivan says “unpredictable, costly and lengthy” planning application processes. McKee, branded ‘the terrible’ because of His handling of public finances north of the Cheviots, offers only one solution: higher planning fees! Genius! Increasing (again) authority revenues is not the solution. The vast majority of applications are determined by individual Officers (many of which have no professional qualifications) without the right of appeal. This needs to stop. SNP Government spending for 2023-2024 had a negative fiscal balance of -£22 billion. This must stop.