SCOTTISH PLANNING POLICY (SPP) 16: OPENCAST COAL PUBLIC CONSULTATION
Dear Consultee
1. I enclose a copy of consultative draft revised guidance on opencast coal and invite your comments on this document.
2. The draft sets out the proposed new national planning policy framework for the working of opencast coal. It updates, revises and clarifies the contents of National Planning Policy Guideline 16: Opencast Coal and Related Minerals to reflect developments in policy, legislation, etc and also draws on practical experience of implementing earlier policies. In doing so, account is taken of the recent research on the operation and effectiveness of NPPG 16. This endorsed NPPG 16's policy objectives and made recommendations that are intended to build on its strengths. This research is at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/planning/oenppg16-00.asp.
Responding to this consultation paper
Please send your response to the consultation paper by 3 December 2004 to:
opencastcoal@scotland.gsi.gov.uk
or to:
Mr Ian D Mitchell
Scottish Executive Development Department
Planning Division 4
Area 2-H
Victoria Quay
Edinburgh
EH6 6QQ
Tel: 0131 244 7062
Format of responses
We would be grateful if you could clearly indicate in your response the sections or paragraphs to which you are responding. Any further comments may also be included. This will aid our analysis of the responses received.
Respondee Information Form
I also enclose a note about the Executive's consultation processes which includes a Respondee Information Form. This form allows you to indicate how you wish your consultation response to be handled. Please return your completed form along with your response to the consultation. All responses will be acknowledged.
Access to consultation responses
We will make all responses available to the public in the Scottish Executive Library 21 days after the closing date of the consultation unless confidentiality is requested. In addition, we will later publish an analysis of responses on the Scottish Executive website. While numerical totals may include confidential responses, the name or content of the response will not be published. All responses not marked confidential will be checked for any potentially defamatory material before being logged in the library or placed on the website.
SEConsult
A new email alert system for SE consultations (SEconsult) was launched in December 2003. This system will allow stakeholder individuals and organisations to register and receive a weekly email containing details of all new Scottish Executive consultations (including web links). SEconsult will complement, but in no way replace the Scottish Executive's distribution lists, and is designed to allow stakeholders to 'keep an eye' on all Scottish Executive consultation activity, and therefore be alerted at the earliest opportunity to those of most interest. We encourage you to register as soon as possible.
Further copies of this draft SPP can be obtained by telephoning 0131 244 7543. It can also be found on the Scottish Executive website at: www.scotland.gov.uk/planning. Freephone 0800 771234 to find out where your nearest public Internet access point is, if you prefer to submit your response by e-mail. A list of those who we are consulting/informing can be found at the back of the draft SPP. If you are aware of any other organisations who should be consulted please contact Ian Mitchell on 0131 244 7062.
Yours faithfully
ALAN DENHAM
Assistant Chief Planner