Falkirk Council’s planning process questioned by Blackness group

Blackness Area Community Council is seeking answers after an application was granted in November to demolish 1930s-built Mannerston Holdings and replace it with a large, modern home, despite planners recommended refusal for a second time as they said it would not fit in well with the surrounding area.

The community council has questioned why the council has a planning department if planning officers’ advice is simply ignored by councillors.

A Blackness Area Community Council spokesman said: “The planning department represents the interests of the community and those interests are very well detailed in the local development plan.

“The planning department reviewed the application and made clear that it did not meet the local development plan and does not accord (or comply) on a number of policies.

“And the councillors, perhaps without the qualified skill sets required for this decision granted permission against all the interests of the community.

“We are at a complete loss as to how this decision took place. The planners persisted that the application was incomplete but their advice was ignored. They must be demoralised with decisions like this.

“The planning process seems unfit for purpose. It leads to feelings that the system is corrupt.”

The group is particularly angry with local councillors Ann Ritchie and David Aitchison for calling in the application to the council’s planning department, despite not being committee members, and fellow ward councillor Lynn Munro for voting to accept the application.

The spokesman added: “The local councillor knew the views of the community but sided with the applicant against the community they serve, against the planners’ advice and against the local plan. We don’t know what justified the decision. Answers have been misleading.

“Local councillor David Aitchison attended many of our meetings and knew the view of the community on this but ignored our view.

“The three local councillors went against the community they serve. There is no point in us meeting as a community council to tell our elected councillors how we feel if they just ignore us.

“Distrust of politicians is so high just now. How do we trust them with the big stuff when we can’t trust them about such clear cut things as this?”

The community council is unsure of the next step.

“We would have to raise £10-20,000 to take up a judicial inquiry,” added the spokesman.

“We shouldn’t have to do that. We are utterly powerless in the end.

“What we want is a test case review of this application as it is representative of a recurring issue happening in many communities.”

Despite repeated requests, Falkirk Council declined the opportunity to comment.