Councillor Mike Barnacle

Working hard for your community.

A977 Signage and Mitigation Measures – Letter to Marco Bardelli, Area Manager, Transport Scotland

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Letter dated 24 August 2015

Dear Sir

A977 Signage and Mitigation Measures

I feel I must respond to the letter of 24/4/15 you wrote to Jim Valentine at Perth and Kinross Council, copied to me by your colleague Gemma Montrose on 31/7/15.

As the local ward Councillor who attended the Public Inquiry in November 2004 into the new Clackmannanshire Bridge when the above issues were raised, I am dismayed that both PKC & Transport Scotland appear to have changed their position on these matters.

Local concerns about the speed and volume of HGV’s on the A977 are well documented and relate to Blairgingone, Powmill and Balado, as well as Crook of Devon; we are well aware of the attractiveness of this route to HGV’s as being a shorter link between the central belt and M90 – hence the demand for alternative signage and mitigation measures.

The request for a review of signage at Gartarry roundabout failed to mention the need for earlier signage on the motorway network at junction 5 (where the M80 leaves the M876) where only Perth is signed for the M9 (when clearly it should also mention Aberdeen, Dundee and Inverness).

The A907 has never been suggested, only the A985 and A9 as per Transport Scotland’s previous position. I realise that use of satellite navigation devices by HGV drivers complicates the effectiveness of signage, often negating it and causing significant problems on inappropriate routes; I have raised this matter at the regional transport partnership without success.

It is also clear that you regard the views of Clackmannan and Fife Council’s as paramount over PKC in the protection afforded to their residential amenity. PKC regrettably have changed their position recently on major mitigation measures for the A977 (supported by the Reporter’s Unit and included in our Local Development Plan) rejecting the need for large roundabouts they had argued for at the afore-mentioned public inquiry. Neither the Scottish Government nor PKC appear to have any sympathy or preparedness to address these matters despite numerous representations over the years from the community, including a petition to Parliament. I enclose background correspondence that shows in full light the change in their positions.

Yours sincerely

Cllr Michael Barnacle

Independent Member for Kinross-shire

 

cc        Jim Valentine, PKC

Gemma Montrose, Network Manager, Transport Scotland

Roseanna Cunningham MSP

Councillors Dave Cuthbert, Joe Giacopazzi, Willie Robertson

Kevin Borthwick, Fossoway Community Council

Note for Editor re A977 Mitigation Measures

These communications elicited a disappointing and negative response from both PKC and Transport Scotland.  I had written in July 2014 giving a full history of the situation since 1996 and got nowhere with my request for an outline business case to fund mitigation measures, stated as required in our Local Development Plan.  There is clearly no political will from the SNP administration at Perth to address this issue and I am reluctantly forced to conclude that local members should now lobby for the road to be re-trunked as part of a current review of the strategic road network; I had previously thought that such a course would send the ‘wrong message’ about the suitability of HGV’s increased usage of the road but I now conclude, after consultation with Fossoway and Kinross Community Councils, it is the more likely option to secure funding for the measures needed.  I remain sceptical, however, that the Government will re-trunk the road, preferring to pass the buck to PKC who won’t fund the measures needed either.

Review of the Local Development Plan (LDP) – Pre Main Issues Report (MIR) Submissions

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Sent on behalf of Councillor Mike Barnacle

Dear Eileen

I enclose my report on the above for inclusion in the July Issue.

Readers of the Newsletter may recall the abridged copy of my submission to Planning of 31/03/15 on the above in your May 2015 edition.

At the Member Officer Working Group (Planning Policy & Practice) on 08/06/15 we were provided with an overview of the submissions received to the LDP Call for Sites and Issues Consultation and I thought in this month’s report I would provide readers with a brief outline of this.

A total of 272 submissions for the PKC area were made.  In relation to Sites, over half of those suggested are not new and resurrect ones submitted for the previous LDP preparation.  It is unlikely that the majority of these will be brought forward for consideration in the MIR, unless a shortfall in housing land supply occurred.  This does not mean that future LDP’s will not reconsider them as such supply reduces.

Of the 56 policies in the LDP, comments were made in relation to 43 of them and the following policies stand out as raising most issues viz:

PM4 Settlement boundaries, ED1 Employment and Mixed Use Areas, RD3 Housing in the Countryside (suggests a need to review Supplementary Guidance and provide clarity on brownfield land, steading conversions and redevelopment of farm buildings), RD5 Gypsy travellers sites (comments all relate to Kinross-shire, where we have a particular problem, including my call for a review and that the policy should not apply in the Lochleven Catchment Area), ER1 Renewable and Low-carbon energy generation (policy deficit urgently requires addressing on wind energy with further policy/guidance on solar farms and preventing pollution incidents during construction of river hydro schemes).

As regards the sites submitted to PKC for Kinross-shire, which currently have not been given any support from PKC, the following is a  brief summary viz:

Balado

3 proposals (residential) – 2.7 hectares west of Balado Crossroads, 1.8 hectares west of H51 in LDP and 3.4 hectares on E35 in LDP.

Blairingone

A residential proposal of 10.5 hectares (covering H74 in LDP and land to south of A977) with traffic calming.

Cleish

A residential proposal for 6 houses on 1.2 hectares at Nivingston Estate.

Crook of Devon

4 proposals (residential) – 1.2 hectares of Church glebe land south of West Crook Way, a site east of the Village Hall with A977 traffic calming, a large 36 hectare site south of the current village boundary and a 20 house development on sloping fields to the north of Back Crook.

Greenacres

My request that the traveller site boundary in our current LDP be enclosed to prevent further retrospective expansion by securing landscaping and tree screening.

Keltybridge, Maryburgh & Blairforge

4 proposals for residential development – A small site west of Keltybridge and a small site north of Maryburgh.  A 3 hectare site east of the B917 in Keltybridge and a 1.9 hectare brownfield site north west of Blairforge.

Kinnesswood

2 proposals – one for a single house to the east of Bishop’s Terrace and the other the inclusion of Stephen’s field (6 hectares) into the Kinnesswood boundary as amenity/open space supported by Portmoak Community Council and myself.

Kinross

5 proposals (4 residential and 1 employment/mixed use).  Residential are H46 (a lot of representations seeking its retention as open space/community woodland, including from myself), a paddock area at the northern end of same, a 5.5 hectare proposal to re-designate OP15 of LDP and a proposal to increase site H47 at Lathro westwards from 260 to 400 homes.  The employment site is for 18 hectares of land west of the M90 and south of the A977, which continues to concern me.

Milnathort

A proposal for a new conservation area status.  3 proposals for residential development – 0.3 hectares at Moss Road, 2 hectares at Auld Mart Road and 13 hectares across 3                       sites at Perth and Burleigh roads redefining the eastern boundary.

Powmill

A proposal for a mixed use development on a 6 hectare site south of the Aldie Road and east of the A977 to replace the existing LDP zoned sites H53 (Gartwhinzean) and E23 (Powmill Cottage).

Rumbling Bridge

A 1.5 hectare housing allocation proposal between Merryhills and the Nursing Home.

Scotlandwell and Kilmagadwood

Representations seeking to retain their recently established separate settlement boundaries, contrary to what I thought was the community view.  4 residential development proposals – 1 hectare on  the eastern edge of Scotlandwell, 0.9 hectare north of the current building line settlement boundary at Leslie Road, 1 hectare east of H54 (this may ensure only single storey housing is permitted on both sites) and 1.5 hectare south of H54 and 1 hectare of community woodland.

Local members will be meeting with Planning Officers in late June/early July to discuss all of the above and the Overview Report in more detail.  The document is now available on-line at http://www.pkc.gov.uk/mainissuesldp2  and I understand it is the intention to submit a final Main Issues Report to PKC on 07/10/15 prior to a statutory period of further consultation.  I will be considering, along with my colleague Councillor Cuthbert, organising some public meetings/presentations on the above, possibly in co-ordination with Community Council meetings in the late summer/early autumn but hope this Report helps and is informative meantime.

Kind regards

Councillor Mike Barnacle

Independent Member for Kinross-shire

Crook Moss Gypsy Traveller Site – Letter to Nick Brian

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Sent on behalf of Councillor Mike Barnacle

During the course of the last week a significant amount of new fencing has been erected around the so-called ‘paddock area’ of the above site and I asked David Rennie to examine same in Eddie’s absence.

I understand that this part of the site has changed ownership and fully expect a ‘retrospective’ application for pitches to be made once established, as is current practice in PKC area by gypsy travellers, with Council support.

You may recall, at the time of the original application, that I expressed fears of site expansion into this hard-cored area, which I suggest were well founded.

I would like the Council to put a ‘stop’ notice on current developments, otherwise we will probably end up in the same situation as we are in with the current application.

I understand a report is to be brought to the September committee of DMC on the current breaches of conditions following that of 18/3/15.  It is also my understanding that CAR licences have been refused by SEPA and currently no drainage/sewerage arrangements exist on this site within the Lochleven catchment where the applicants have been since March 2012.  I also understand that conditions relating to noise have not been met.

Can I please have an update on the meeting of conditions (last revised 5/5/15) in advance of September’s committee (especially since I may be away then) and in light of current developments.

It remains in my view that this site is not appropriate for development in planning terms (a view shared by PKC’s landscape consultant during the preparation of our LDP but omitted from planning reports relating to this site).

I am in the process of writing to the most senior officials at PKC, SEPA, SNH and MSP’s concerning the current expansion of gypsy traveller sites retrospectively within the Lochleven catchment and shall be alleging a failure of the statutory duty to protect the loch.

Kind regards.

Councillor Mike Barnacle

Independent Member for Kinross-shire