Committee
Transport and the Environment Committee, 31 May 2000
31 May 2000 · S1 · Transport and the Environment Committee
Item of business
Petitions
I will attempt to sum up the way in which the committee is moving on this subject. For future petitions, we want to see supporting papers from the local authority concerned, restricting ourselves to the processes, systems and principles of the system, as opposed to papers on individual cases. We also wish to bring the matters outlined in this petition and raised by committee members to the attention of the Scottish Executive and will bear in mind what the petitioners say about NPPG1 on this occasion. That reflects the action that committee members want to be taken on the matter.
We now come to petition PE167, from the King's Park/Croftfoot Community Council. The petition calls for the Scottish Parliament
"to legislate to ensure that telecommunications masts will be subject to full planning controls, with this legislation being effective retrospectively."
The petition is accompanied by covering note TE/00/14/8. The Public Petitions Committee took evidence from the petitioner on this issue and the relevant extract from the Official Report is attached to the covering note. The Public Petitions Committee has also written to Glasgow City Council to raise the petitioner's concerns.
The Public Petitions Committee has asked us to provide details of the consideration that we gave to retrospective planning controls when we prepared our report. Set out in the covering note is a note that has been prepared for the media launch of the committee's report, which sets out the committee's thinking on not recommending retrospective planning controls. The note reads:
"The committee has not found any conclusive evidence concerning the health effects of mobile phone masts. Whilst it feels that a precautionary approach should be taken to new developments, it feels that retrospective action at this stage would be premature. However, it does recommend that opportunities to improve the siting of existing masts should be taken where possible in the contexts of new developments."
With that in mind, I open the matter to members of the committee.
We now come to petition PE167, from the King's Park/Croftfoot Community Council. The petition calls for the Scottish Parliament
"to legislate to ensure that telecommunications masts will be subject to full planning controls, with this legislation being effective retrospectively."
The petition is accompanied by covering note TE/00/14/8. The Public Petitions Committee took evidence from the petitioner on this issue and the relevant extract from the Official Report is attached to the covering note. The Public Petitions Committee has also written to Glasgow City Council to raise the petitioner's concerns.
The Public Petitions Committee has asked us to provide details of the consideration that we gave to retrospective planning controls when we prepared our report. Set out in the covering note is a note that has been prepared for the media launch of the committee's report, which sets out the committee's thinking on not recommending retrospective planning controls. The note reads:
"The committee has not found any conclusive evidence concerning the health effects of mobile phone masts. Whilst it feels that a precautionary approach should be taken to new developments, it feels that retrospective action at this stage would be premature. However, it does recommend that opportunities to improve the siting of existing masts should be taken where possible in the contexts of new developments."
With that in mind, I open the matter to members of the committee.
In the same item of business
The Convener:
Lab
The first item is petitions. I refer members to petition PE17 from Western Isles Council and to petition PE27 from Skye and Kyle Against Tolls. We dealt with...
Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP):
SNP
I am not sure how the proposed changes to CalMac may ultimately affect matters. In both this matter and the Isle of Cumbrae matter, we are facing a state of ...
Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD):
LD
I support Kenny's points. I live on an island where a date-stamp system is operated and I am persuaded by the case that he makes. The points about the local ...
Mr MacAskill:
SNP
We expect to receive a transport bill later this week that might mention a Highland transport authority. We should consider what the bill suggests. It has be...
Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con):
Con
I was not entirely happy with the Executive's response. It was not clear to me that, while there is no haulage concession now, there used to be one. The e-ma...
The Convener:
Lab
We should make some sort of interim response to the petitioners. I am more than happy to pick up on the issues that have been raised by committee members. Th...
The Convener:
Lab
Petition 22 is from the Island of Cumbrae Tourist Association and concerns the fare structure of Caledonian MacBrayne's ferry service to the island of Cumbra...
Mr Tosh:
Con
When we asked about income information, I thought that we would also ask for information on costs. However, that has become difficult because of competitive ...
Tavish Scott:
LD
The situation in the northern isles is comparable because of competitive tendering. No Government has given information on costs or fare structures to commun...
Mr MacAskill:
SNP
I agree with Tavish. We need to keep the issue alive pending an investigation into what the boundaries of a Highland transport authority would be and what wo...
Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP):
SNP
I agree with much of what has been said. The situation in Cumbrae is different, because it is such a small crossing. There is much merit in the idea of consi...
The Convener:
Lab
We seem to be moving beyond the content of the petition. I suggest that we make a fairly detailed interim response and say that we are going to keep our eye ...
The Convener:
Lab
The next petition is PE132 from D W R Whittet, who calls on the Scottish Parliament to introduce legislation to streamline the planning system and to change ...
Nora Radcliffe (Gordon) (LD):
LD
I see from the letter on the timetable of NPPG1 that a draft guideline was going to the task group on 4 May and then on to ministers before being issued for ...
The Convener:
Lab
That is a fair comment; we will do that.
Mr MacAskill:
SNP
Friends of the Earth recently convened a meeting in Glasgow on third party rights in planning applications. We could ask it to give us its views on the gener...
The Convener:
Lab
That makes good sense. I am sure that the committee will pick up on those suggestions.
Linda Fabiani:
SNP
Going back to the petition, I think that we should let the petitioner know that we will consider it. We should also submit it to the Local Government Committ...
The Convener:
Lab
That is a good idea.
Mr Tosh:
Con
I thought that the petition was quite well crafted. It obviously comes from a specific point that Mr Whittet has encountered in another case that he has give...
The Convener:
Lab
I would take pleasure in that. Are members agreed on how to progress the matter?Members indicated agreement.
The Convener:
Lab
We shall contact the Local Government Committee, inform the petitioner of the review of NPPG1, consult the Public Petitions Committee about the role of the o...
Mr Tosh:
Con
And raise with the Executive whether NPPG1 will in fact cover codes of guidance to local councils about planning matters.
The Convener:
Lab
I could not have said it better myself. We have received two new petitions: PE154 from Dr Joanne Beaumont on behalf of Hillhead Primary School board and scho...
The Convener:
Lab
Members may wish to refer to the covering note, attached to which is an extract from the Official Report of the Public Petitions Committee at which the petit...
Mr Tosh:
Con
At first sight, I saw these petitions as a bit of a challenge to the committee; we could become a sounding board for all the unpopular planning decisions in ...
Tavish Scott:
LD
I think that Murray Tosh has hit the nail firmly on the head there. Are there any additional papers besides the two responses from Glasgow City Council that ...
Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab):
Lab
Murray Tosh was correct to suggest that there is a danger that this committee might end up as a planning appeals committee. I would caution against that, as ...
Linda Fabiani:
SNP
I endorse what other members have said, but I add weight to Murray's plea that we get information from councils where possible. As an individual member of Pa...
Mr MacAskill:
SNP
I take on board Cathy's comment, which was valid, because we cannot get bogged down in these matters. However, on the face of it, the petition appears to dis...