Committee
Local Government and Communities Committee, 16 Jan 2008
16 Jan 2008 · S3 · Local Government and Communities Committee
Item of business
Planning Application Processes (Menie Estate)
First, I will explain the point on the advice that was given to the BBC. On 12 December, the Government press office received questions about telephone contacts between Aberdeenshire Council and the chief planner. The questions were answered correctly on 12 December, within a very short space of time of the questions being asked. On the following day, 13 December, the BBC refined its question by changing a limited number of words—about four words—in the question. During a very busy day, in which he dealt with a large number of questions on the Trump issue, one of my officials did not realise that a change had been made in the wording of that question and issued the same wording that he had issued on the previous evening. When the mistake was identified, officials clarified the situation to the media at the swiftest opportunity. The change at that time is a matter of record. We are talking about a matter of minutes to address the fact that incorrect information was given because one of my officials inadvertently did not recognise that four words in a BBC question had been changed, for which the Government has apologised. The second point concerns Mike Rumbles's question about the number of telephone calls. As Mr Campbell said to the committee this morning, he issued a press statement on 13 December, I think, in which he said that there had been two telephone calls. Earlier, he said that there had been one telephone call and, in his written evidence, he said that there had been three telephone calls. When I saw Mr Campbell's written evidence, I made further checks on the sequence of calls and it emerged that the chief planner had had one call to discuss the current state of play in relation to the planning application and then there were two calls to discuss the issue of call-in. One call was made before the recommendation was given to me and the other was made after that, as a courtesy. That is the explanation.As to the point about having to amend questions, I know for a certain fact that I am not the first Government minister who has had to correct parliamentary questions and I am sure that former ministers around the table today have had to do the same at some stage in the past.
In the same item of business
The Convener:
Lab
We move to the third item on the agenda. The committee will take evidence on the process surrounding the planning application from the Trump Organization in ...
Jim Tolson:
LD
For clarification, and with due respect to you and other committee members, convener, I would like to make a short statement. In my role as the shadow minist...
David McLetchie (Edinburgh Pentlands) (Con):
Con
That is very apt. I am a member of the cross-party group on golf in the Parliament. At one of our meetings prior to any decision being taken in Aberdeenshire...
Patricia Ferguson:
Lab
I suppose I should put on record the fact that I am a member of the cross-party group on golf. However, I was not at the meeting to which Mr McLetchie refers...
The Convener:
Lab
As there has been an outbreak of declarations, I should mention that I, too, am a member of the cross-party group on golf. However, I did not attend that mee...
Alan Campbell (Aberdeenshire Council):
Thank you, convener. You will be pleased to hear that my statement will be a lot briefer than my written submission. I have been the chief executive of Aberd...
The Convener:
Lab
I have some general questions about your written submissions before we move on to questions from members. You sent the committee the council's scheme of dele...
Alan Campbell:
That is correct.
The Convener:
Lab
You sent us a copy of the standing orders. Can you confirm that everything that was done in the decision-making process complied with the standing orders?
Alan Campbell:
That is correct.
The Convener:
Lab
Controversy arose about the role of the chairman of the infrastructure services committee and his use of the casting vote. Can you confirm that what happened...
Alan Campbell:
I confirm that those processes were all carried out correctly.
The Convener:
Lab
No rules were broken.
Alan Campbell:
No.
The Convener:
Lab
Why are we here?
Alan Campbell:
We are here for the reasons that I stated. Although all the rules were followed as they stood then, the controversy that ensued was completely and utterly un...
The Convener:
Lab
Section 1d of your written evidence states:"Reference was also made to the fact that should the Council be minded to approve the application, it would requir...
Alan Campbell:
That was because the point was made that if there was development on the site, it would be contrary to the structure plan, both in terms of the site of speci...
The Convener:
Lab
Are you talking about an old structure plan?
Alan Campbell:
No—I have the structure plan in my briefcase.
The Convener:
Lab
In my constituency, I have come across structure plans that are 10 or 20 years old, but the structure plan in question was not that old. When was it drawn up?
Alan Campbell:
It was drawn up in 2002. It is the structure plan for 2001 to 2016.
The Convener:
Lab
So it is a current plan.
Alan Campbell:
It is the current structure plan. The development plan also included the current local plan. Two proposals were contrary to the plans: the proposed developme...
The Convener:
Lab
A Scottish Parliament information centre briefing paper says that planning authorities in Scotland deal with more than 40,000 planning applications each year...
Alan Campbell:
If we had agreed to the application, we would have had to refer it to the Scottish Government, because it was contrary to the plans. I think that 22 planning...
The Convener:
Lab
I have one more general question, on the SSSI designation. I readily confess to not having an in-depth knowledge of the detail of the matter. Did the SSSI ha...
Alan Campbell:
I do not have detailed knowledge of the SSSI, but I believe that it was of UK—
The Convener:
Lab
You mention it in your report.
Alan Campbell:
I believe that the site was of UK rather than EU importance.