Committee
Communities Committee, 07 Jun 2006
07 Jun 2006 · S2 · Communities Committee
Item of business
National Scenic Areas
It strikes me that environmental issues will play a major part. Consider how popular the west Highland way has become and how much damage has been caused—well, perhaps not damage, but consider the on-going maintenance that is required. Will that become an issue as national scenic areas become more popular?
In the same item of business
The Convener (Karen Whitefield):
Lab
I open the 19th meeting in 2006 of the Communities Committee. I remind all those present that mobile phones should be turned off. I have received apologies f...
Sally Thomas (Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department):
Yes. We were asked to provide an introductory statement to set the scene.National scenic areas are areas of Scotland that are nationally important because of...
The Convener:
Lab
Thank you for your introductory statement. You said that 66 people responded to the consultation. What themes emerged?
Sally Thomas:
We asked a series of questions in the consultation paper, around which the majority of responses were structured. People gave their views on the basis of the...
The Convener:
Lab
Have the respondents generally supported the Executive's proposals?
Sally Thomas:
That depends on which element of the proposals you are talking about. There has been a good level of response in relation to the basis of the designation and...
Scott Barrie (Dunfermline West) (Lab):
Lab
Why does the Executive believe that encouragement would be enough to deliver management strategies, rather than going for a statutory process?
Sally Thomas:
Management strategies have a number of purposes, but we believe that a light-touch approach is most appropriate for the management of NSAs. The majority of t...
Scott Barrie:
Lab
You said that the respondents were split on this question. Was the split across the board, or did it, for example, have a geographical or organisational basis?
Sally Thomas:
I am afraid that I will have to come back to you with that analysis.
The Convener:
Lab
Do you think that the Executive's amendments to the Planning etc (Scotland) Bill will reflect the concerns that have been expressed in the consultation?
Sally Thomas:
The aim of the consultation is to seek views on the matter, and we hope to be able to take into account as many views as we can within the bill's confines.
The Convener:
Lab
Is the Executive being a little premature in suggesting changes to national scenic areas before the proposed Scottish landscape forum has been established? W...
Sally Thomas:
I should point out that the landscape forum is being established by SNH with the Executive's support.SNH reviewed NSAs several years ago, and we now feel tha...
The Convener:
Lab
Would the stakeholders have had more confidence in the proposed changes if, instead of the Executive simply consulting them, they had helped to reach the con...
Sally Thomas:
The proposals in the SNH review, which was widely publicised, received widespread support from stakeholders, who for some time now have been asking for this ...
The Convener:
Lab
Is it not the case that, although stakeholders might feel that the measure is necessary, they think that the Executive has handled it wrongly and that, by no...
Sally Thomas:
As that opinion has not been directly expressed to us, I find it quite difficult to comment on it.
The Convener:
Lab
I call Tricia Marwick.
Tricia Marwick (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP):
SNP
I will wait until the next section of questions, convener.
Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP):
SNP
I wonder whether the rest of the panel have any comments to make on stage 2 amendments and the question of the Scottish landscape forum. I do not think that ...
The Convener:
Lab
Christine, I was not aware that you had become the convener of the committee.
Christine Grahame:
SNP
I haven't, but—
The Convener:
Lab
If any of the witnesses had indicated a desire to speak, I would have let them do so. At no point have I suggested that no one can speak.
Christine Grahame:
SNP
I certainly did not mean to imply that, convener.
Dave Petrie (Highlands and Islands) (Con):
Con
Following the extensive consultation that has taken place, do the witnesses feel that there has been a robust enough debate about what constitutes one of Sco...
John Thomson (Scottish Natural Heritage):
I reiterate what Sally Thomas has just said. We are not talking just about the one-off consultation that took place recently. There has been extensive discus...
Dave Petrie:
Con
Do you think that the definitions in the Scottish Executive consultation are clear enough? I come from Argyll and Bute. In places such as the Kyles of Bute, ...
John Thomson:
Absolutely. One difficulty with which we struggle at the moment—not just in relation to landscape, but more generally—is the fact that there are very differe...
Dave Petrie:
Con
Who should be the primary beneficiaries of NSAs—those who live in them or those who visit them?