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Aviemore Highland Resort
28/02/2008
Material relating to the Aviemore Highland Resorts planning applications, in particular the involvement of Ministers, has been published under Freedom of Information today.
Environment Minister Michael Russell said:
"The material shows that following urgent representations made by a cross-party group of MSPs in relation to the Aviemore development, Ministers did precisely what was expected of them - their job."
FoI information regarding Aviemore Highland Resort
The representations suggested that the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) was responsible for unnecessarily holding up proper consideration of the planning applications, thereby threatening hundreds of existing jobs as well as the proposed development.
Representations concerning the Aviemore planning applications were received in the First Minister's office from Mary Scanlon MSP in a letter dated December 6, 2007, delivered by hand and received electronically on December 6, and notified to the First Minister immediately.
Representations were also received in the FM's office from Rhoda Grant MSP, in a letter also dated December 6, received electronically on December 6, and notified to the FM immediately.
The FM discussed these letters on December 6, 2007 with the constituency member, Fergus Ewing MSP, who also made representations.
In addition Danny Alexander MP wrote to the First Minister in a letter dated December 11, received by fax on December 12, and notified to the FM on the same day.
Each of the above also made representations direct to other Ministers and to others.
On December 6 Mary Scanlon MSP made written and verbal representations to the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment and to the Minister for the Environment, as did Rhoda Grant MSP.
On December 6 John Farquhar Munro MSP made verbal representations to these Ministers.
Mary Scanlon, Rhoda Grant and Danny Alexander wrote to other individuals and agencies, including SEPA whose then Chairman, Sir Ken Collins, was contacted by mail in letters dated December 6.
Rhoda Grant drew attention in her letter to Sir Ken Collins to the fact that she had also written to the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment, and to the Chief Executive of SEPA, Campbell Gemmell.
Mary Scanlon MSP and Danny Alexander MP were also in direct contact with SEPA's Head of Environmental Protection and Improvement North, concerning the Aviemore development and SEPA's processing of the flood risk assessments.
FoI information regarding Aviemore Highland Resort
As the Constituency MSP, Fergus Ewing wrote to Richard Lochhead, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment, on November 29 and December 6 and was in touch with the various agencies involved.
On December 7, the Environment Minister Michael Russell telephoned the Chief Executive of SEPA in order to ascertain if there were any misunderstandings or matters of process within SEPA that were unnecessarily holding up the agency's proper consideration of the applications.
Mr Russell said:
"Such actions are wholly consistent with this administration's desire to improve the process of government and to give a better service to the people of Scotland. Not to have acted would have been a dereliction of Ministers' duties.
"SEPA also did their job. They were able to independently and promptly review the flood risk assessment subsequently provided by the developer on December 10. SEPA withdrew its objection on December 12 and the Cairngorms National Park Authority's planning committee considered the applications when it met on December 14.
"At no time did Ministers seek to interfere in SEPA's review of the flood risk assessment or influence its decision. This is rightly and properly an independent role solely for SEPA to undertake.
"The Chief Executive of SEPA has said that Ministers put SEPA under no pressure to withdraw its objection and that its decision was made purely on environmental grounds.
"The former Chairman of SEPA, who was Chairman last December, is reported in the Press & Journal on February 6, 2008 as saying 'At no time did I say SEPA withdrew [its objection] because there was pressure. I said SEPA withdrew it because the flood risk assessment was finally produced'.
"In summary, Ministers responded to urgent concerns raised by MSPs from four parties, raised these concerns with the appropriate Government agency and subsequently ensured that the planning applications were given due and proper consideration. This is action for which the Government should be congratulated."
FoI information regarding Aviemore Highland Resort