Committee
Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee 20 December 2023
20 Dec 2023 · S6 · Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
Item of business
New Petitions
Spaceport 1 Project (North Uist) (PE2054)
It is a live planning application. Having pondered that, I really cannot see how it would be correct for us to interfere in a process in which a clear set of rules has been established and the petitioners and others can submit their objections to the local authority for consideration within the determination. We want to reach out to help petitioners in every case. However, in this instance, and this particular circumstance, I cannot see how—other than by interfering with legitimate existing proceedings—it would be for us to seek review of an on-going process. If people are dissatisfied at the end of it, they can lodge a further petition to Parliament on the perceived defects in that process. We have considered applications of that ilk before. Lastly, I want to record that I am very grateful to the council for taking the time to give us an extensive briefing, not least on misinformation in the BBC’s reporting of the issue, which is unfortunate. I just wanted to allude to that while expressing our thanks to the council for pointing it out to us
In the same item of business
The Convener
Con
Our final petition this morning, PE2054, lodged by Colin Anderson, calls on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to establish an independe...
Fergus Ewing
SNP
It is a live planning application. Having pondered that, I really cannot see how it would be correct for us to interfere in a process in which a clear set of...
The Convener
Con
Thank you very much, Mr Ewing. It is open to the committee to take action if the focus of a petition is a national issue. However, the focus here is much mor...
The Convener
Con
I thank the petitioner for lodging the petition. I understand the depth of feeling in relation to the issues concerned, but I am afraid that, in this instanc...