A HELENSBURGH plea for local people to be put at the forefront of planning decisions has been officially lodged with MSPs.

The petition - submitted by Stewart Noble, on behalf of Helensburgh Community Council (HCC) - calls on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to pay more heed to local participation in planning decisions affecting communities.

The petition asks for "a clear and unambiguous definition of the word ‘local’ insofar as it applies to planning legislation".

It also asks that community councils be given decision-making powers on planning applications in their local areas, and for the way decisions are made to be "compatible with the provisions and ethos of the Community Empowerment Act 2015.”

The petition was put forward in November 2023 as frustrations arose after planning applications that were opposed by the HCC and the majority of Helensburgh and Lomond area councillors on the Planning Committee were passed.

Currently, Argyll and Bute Council has four committees for localised decision making, including one for Helensburgh and Lomond.

Planning applications used to be decided by those local area committees, but since 2009 the power has sat with the authority's planning, protective services and licensing committee (PPSL) - which includes councillors from across the local authority area.

The same principle of council-wide planning committees is common at local authorities across Scotland, though few cover a geographical area as large as Argyll and Bute.

HCC first wrote to Argyll and Bute Council asking for a review of the operation of its planning committee in 2018.

Background information submitted alongside the petition states: "In recent years, three controversial Helensburgh planning applications have been decided by the planning committee.

"All three were opposed by Helensburgh Community Council and by the majority of Helensburgh and Lomond area councillors serving on the planning committee.

"Nevertheless, they were passed by a majority of councillors from other areas, none of whom could be considered truly local.

"In our discussions with the chief executive and executive director of the council, our proposals were dismissed because of the "quasi-judicial" nature of the planning process.

"Helensburgh Community Council feels that our role as a statutory consultee has in practice been a statutory right to be ignored – contrary to the Community Empowerment Act."

Helensburgh and Lomond's MSP, Jackie Baillie, backed the petition after initially giving her support to the community council last year.

Ms Baillie said: “I support Helensburgh Community Council’s bid to ensure that planning decisions which are taken are made with local views at their heart.

“The make-up of Argyll and Bute Council can mean that councillors are making a judgement on matters where they have minimal knowledge of the area’s geography and local concerns which can hamper good decision making.

“I understand the frustrations of the community council and that they just want to ensure that decisions are being made in the community’s best interest.

"I hope the Scottish Government will get behind this, as I am sure this would also help other areas across Scotland.”

The petition, which has attracted 35 signatures so far, can be accessed and signed on the Scottish Parliament’s website: www.petitions.parliament.scot/petitions/PE2075.