The email below was sent by Councillor Mike Barnacle concerning the loss of the AGLV areas in the Cleish Hills and the River Devon Gorge
Subject: FW: Paper 11 for Committee of 25th March 2015 on Landscape Guidance
Sent on behalf of Councillor Mike Barnacle
Dear Colleagues
I am taking the unusual step of contacting you prior to a Committee Paper because I feel it necessary to emphasise my strong disagreement to the loss of two former AGLV areas, namely the Cleish Hills and the River Devon and its gorge, from securing Local Landscape designation. Paras 5.12 to 5.17 of the Report refer and I ask you to note the comments in Appendix 2 from Kinross-shire Civic Trust (Pages 125, 146 & 149), Fossoway C.C. (Page 139), Cleish & Muckhart C.C.’s (Pages 142 & 143), Stuart Dean of Friends of the Ochils (Page 150) & Portmoak C.C. (Page 152).
My submission is referred to on Page 145 of Appendix 2 but I feel you should be aware of the full content of my letter of 19th January 2015 to Graham Esson and enclosed article.
In summary, I feel the consultants have ignored the strong representations made within the Review Panel for the inclusion of the Devon Gorge & the Cleish Hills as Local Landscape Areas, especially as they meet most of the criteria. They also have ignored the significance of cross boundary designations, although this issue was raised within the Review Panel. I don’t accept the Council’s response to the representations made for the above areas, in particular the comment on Page 145 of Appendix 2 that to include them would diminish the merits of the other LLA’s in Kinross-shire. The Reporter to the Local Plan Public Inquiry in 2003 clearly didn’t have that view either.
The quality of landscape does not change at a local authority boundary so I disagree with Para 5.17 for if the Cleish Hills merit an LLA on the Fife side, then they do so within PKC’s area. I further note continuing dialogue between Muckhart C.C. and Clackmannan Council on reviewing their LLA’s, particularly the Devon Gorge.
These former AGLV areas are important to the people of the area who fought hard for their inclusion in our Local Plan 2004 and they should not lose a landscape designation. So, I shall be arguing in Committee that the Ochil Hills LLA should be extended to incorporate the River Devon and its gorge (using the old AGLV boundary), which has strong linkage and association with the Ochil hills that dominate the landscape of the river here; also that the Cleish Hills AGLV area should extend the Fife LLA designation.
As far as I am concerned, any other conclusion, is illogical in landscape terms; so I hope I will get some support for that proposal.
Kind regards
Cllr Mike Barnacle
Independent Member for Kinross-shire