THIS week's councillor column comes from the SNP's Helensburgh and Lomond South Councillor, Richard Trail.
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THE council’s planning committee, of which I am a member, has an interesting and varied work load.
The full planning committee meets once a month and is only called upon to determine a small proportion of applications. The more interesting ones are those that have attracted a barrage of objections from the public.
Emotions can run high when changes are proposed in the townscape or landscape. People identify with their locale and are very protective of it.
Architecture is art on a large scale. Fine buildings in suitable settings delight the eye every bit as well as standing in front of a Rembrandt.
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We are fortunate here in having a wide range of mansions from the Victorian era. The arrival of the railway brought a surge of interest from the wealthy merchants in Glasgow to move down to Helensburgh, Cardross and Kilcreggan.
The legacy that our forefathers have bestowed on us is something to be proud of and treasure. Naturally, when a new planning application comes in that strikes a discordant note, the public gets quite exercised about it.
Fortunately, most applications are straightforward and are competently dealt with by council officers. They all receive the careful attention of the planner assigned to consider the merits of the new structure or whatever.
The care taken can be attested by reading the ‘reports of handling’, which summarize all the consultations and research which have been done to support the final decision. The planner has to engage with a range of people and outside bodies to gather their views and expert opinions.
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This all takes time. The planning system is often perceived to be slow and cumbersome. And it is, but much of that is down to the necessary background research which is carried out.
Planning does not always work out well. Plans for two houses in Cardross came before the planning committee five years ago. The village residents were up in arms at what they perceived to be vandalism. The committee’s decision agreed with the locals’ view and refused permission.
However the applicant appealed the decision and the government reporter overturned the decision. Work started on site, not construction but destruction, taking down a section of stone wall.
That is as far as the work progressed. It has been a scar, an open sore, on the Main Road. It has been a shameful episode, and Cardross the victim.
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