Election 2011

How do you decide who to vote for? Do you already know beforehand who will get your vote; or does the place where you put your mark on the ballot paper remain a mystery until you stand in the booth, pencil in hand?

I am sure that it would not surprise you if I said that how I'd been treated by politicians - when I'd approached them to help us with various planning issues - will have a bearing on my personal decisions at the polling station.

I am not talking about whether or not a politician took a view on a particular development which was akin to or opposed to mine; no, I am thinking about whether they actually sought to engage with the issues, listened and then spoke honestly about how much the system allowed them to do on our behalf in a fair manner.

In my experience the much vaunted planning reforms are failing the public and APTSec would look to whoever was elected to represent us to be willing to remedy that failure.

What do you think?

Have you written or spoken to local politicians on planning issues? Did that communication help to resolve the problem or issues that you had? Were you impressed?

Inner Moray Firth Plan - call for sites

From the Council's web page:

The Highland Council is to produce a new style local development plan for the Inner Moray Firth. The Plan area covers from Tain round to Nairn, as far south as the Cairngorms National Park boundary and Fort Augustus, and as far west as Strathconon and Garve.

The current Plan phase is a “Call for Sites”. This is a call to communities, landowners, developers and agents to suggest sites for protection or development.

We would welcome any suggestions to be received by Friday 29th April 2011 which should be made by reading the following guide and filling in the following forms:

• Call for Sites Guide and Forms (doc 2794kb)
• Site Forms Word Template (doc 127kb)
• Site Forms Excel Template (xls 45kb)

For web page click here