BCC met with Joanna Cherry MP, Gordon MacDonald MSP and Cllr Bill Henderson, on Friday 28 September along with members of the Balerno Green Belt Group and local residents directly affected by the proposed housing development at Ravelrig Road. The meeting was to consider what steps might be open to address the current situation following on the issuing of the Reporters decision in July upholding Gladman’s appeal. The meeting involved a site visit to the Ravelrig site as well as the Cockburn Crescent site which is the subject of renewed interest by Barrat David Wilson.
Following the visit Joanna Cherry commented –
‘From what I have heard at today's meetings in Balerno, and from what I already knew about the various planning applications currently affecting Balerno, something seems to be wrong with our planning system at present. When a site which has never been intended for development under the local plan, is suddenly brought into the frame, and that is, in part at least, because the timetables for strategic and local plans have got out of kilter, then something is wrong. And when a site for which permission has been refused on appeal just a year ago, is brought back into contention without there having been any material change in circumstances then something is wrong. We seem to have moved far away from a relatively orderly planning process, and that is bad for the planning system and it is bad for people. If we are not careful then confidence in the system is lost. I will be writing to Alex Neil asking that he intervene.’
Gordon MacDonald also commented –
‘I agree entirely with all that Joanna has said. Edinburgh Council planning department is failing people at present, and something has to be done in order to restore public confidence in it. We cannot have a system in which housing developments are being given permission simply because the Council has been late in preparing their Local Development Plan.'
BCC remains absolutely committed to pressing for action to stop development at the Revelrig/Pilmuir site and to protect the Balerno Green Belt.
BCC meeting Thursday 3 September
BCC's next regular monthly meeting is on Thursday 3 September at 7.30pm at Balerno High School. The Council will hear a presentation by CALA in relation its proposals concerning the site at Newmills Road on which the developer held an exhibition on 19 August as part of a PAN process.
All meetings of the Community Council are open to the public.
