General News | Posted on June 19th, 2009
Having moved to Pitlochry only recently, I have been struck by the town’s unique beauty. Only a year ago I hardly knew it existed apart from the reputation of its theatre. Having been here for two months now, I know I want to spend the rest of my life here. It is a jewel of a town surrounded by wonderful countryside, rivers and mountains. Every day I find something new that literally takes the breath away and I firmly believe that its character must be conserved at all costs.
Already, though, I have heard that potential threats face the town – a development in its heart which would look more appropriate in Cumbernauld or Milton Keynes. It would be a tragedy if Perth & Kinross Council allowed an inappropriate development to be built including the demolition of a pretty Victorian house with crow-step gables to allow the construction of characterless lock-up shops and banal flats.I would think that what Pitlochry needs is sensitive small-scale development which puts the interests of local people first and which provides houses and jobs for the young to stop them having to move away from Pitlochry.When my great-grandmother came to Scotland in 1871 (taking advantage of the recently constructed railways) she fell in love with it, but having toured the Trossachs and the West Coast, it was her visit to the Dunkeld/Pitlochry area which impressed her most. She confided her impressions to her diary which I still have. If she came back today she would still be struck by its charm and attractions. But what about in 2028, when Pitlochry will celebrate its tercentenary?If I live until 2028, what sort of town will I consider it to be? A town which was once a beautiful place to visit and a pleasure to live in or one that has recently been ruined by greedy developers aided and abetted by supine Council planners? All I know after two months of living in this town is that it would be so easy for P&K Council to make the wrong decision for short term gain (to fulfil its quotas?) and that Pitlochry would thereby lose its unique charm and beauty for ever.I would maintain that Pitlochry does not need a comprehensive development plan. If the Curling Rink is no longer needed then it should be replaced by attractive but low cost houses or flats which benefit local people. Above all, whatever is decided, the people who live here should be consulted. Wholesale demolition should not be considered and greedy developers should look elsewhere. Roger W H WestThe Steading, Croftinloan
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September 22nd, 2009 at 4:48 pm
Just overheard at the red macgregor in aviemore.
Will the developments actually get further than the starting blocks………
I’m moving north - up land.
August 23rd, 2009 at 11:22 am
kinnaird is (maybe) going to close. where are we going to eat foie gras and drink petrus now?
July 20th, 2009 at 11:19 pm
upland perthshire. has a nice ring to it.
not quite highlands not quite lowlands.
think inchewen burn. discuss.
July 9th, 2009 at 11:42 am
The piece on Pitlochry town centre is interesting. It sounds like the community should develop its own “Design Brief” for the area to guide both the Council and prospective developers (who usually want to be guided anyway).
This would give a set of principles that would underpin future planning decisions and provide a common platform for community / council / developer action.
DM
July 9th, 2009 at 8:18 am
I see that Liz’s summary pdf can be downloaded from the main Commentonline website.
VC
July 8th, 2009 at 1:47 pm
Pitlochry meeting
Did anyone else notice that the community council all sat at their own table, and so missed the opportunity to hear where people where at about all this - so they blew the chance to take on board the views of those they are supposed to represent? They also missed the opportunity to share their views with more people. Why were they the only table which showed support for the development?
As for the ‘children of Pitlochry wanting a Travelodge’ - what is that all about?
What is going on with this area being ‘renamed’ as Upland Perthshire?
July 8th, 2009 at 12:01 pm
At the 2nd July Pitlochry Town Hall meeting views on the Curling Rink development and wishes for the town centre were submitted in sample notes. A pdf of these is available. If anyone wishes to have a copy please email lizhod@btopenworld.com putting ‘Pitlochry Views’ in the email subject.
July 8th, 2009 at 11:48 am
I’d like to touch on another aspect of the proposed Town Centre and Curling Rink developments.
Upland Developments have opted to split up the types of home. So we have exclusively small social housing flats tightly packed on the Curling Rink, whilst only ‘luxury’ flats are proposed for the Bank House site.
The legislation requires one social home to be built for every three market-value homes, but surely when the law was drafted the intention was to promote social integration – so we might have expected to see a mix on both sites.
You probably have your own thoughts on why the developer takes this approach. I do.
But serious mistakes of the past are being repeated – no social mix, tiny living space, no communal space and nowhere for the children to play. Where is the good design that makes a good environment for people to live? And where is the social justice? And where will we be in ten years time?
July 2nd, 2009 at 1:05 pm
public meeting tonight.
i hear the tv will be there.
would like to hear what the population think of these plans
June 29th, 2009 at 5:40 pm
do you think that a the footpaths up atholl road should be widened especially at the greggs entrance. i struggled to get through the other day because all the people were peering in the windows
June 25th, 2009 at 3:10 pm
supine,
had been shocked to see a house under construction which was utterly hideous and had absolutely zero architectural merit.
P&K planning official who was stupid enough to let this monstrosity pass…..
P&K Council must get it into their heads…..and anyone who contributes in any way to spoiling it will be answerable…
I know that the UK is full of supine planners…
Well Mr West, reading the above comments I fail to comprehend how I was being harsh!! You are more than a little harsh yourself. You appear to be very knowlegable about planning, which will be a good thing when you look at the planning procedures here and formulate your obvious objection.
If arguments are legitamite, to the point and logical then I am sure that they will be fully taken on board by the planners and indeed the councillors if it goes to committee. It is possibly not the best tactic to slag off the planners and councillors even before the issue is discussed.
If ‘the people of Pitlochry’ are concerned then they have the full chance to put their points forward. You will find all sides of the argument and also very possibly, as usual, the silent majority.
Re the ‘Coop is by far the best Coop I have lived near’ statement, I could not agree more, myself and most of Aberfeldy would like this sort of store here. We have the saem good that came on the same lorry, but we pay more here. That aside, what is the difference with Tesco and the coop? (the local divident does assist local groups, I accept that). If you were adamant about no change then surely the coo[p is a bad thing for the small retailers in the town. How many have closed in the last 20 years because of the coop?
Your comment ‘coucil need to be devolved to town councils’. The CC’s are being more enpowered, all be it slowly. TRhat said untill all Community Councillors are elected and fully acccountable tot he community, then I consdier that P&K Councillers such as myself have a huge role to play in respect of council services. I am elected, accountable and if I upset too many people I will not be elected again. Is that not true democracy?
Finally, your comment ‘the UK is full of supine planners and they have contributed in no small way to spoiling the towns and countryside of this once lovely country’
What a sweeping statement and by the way the UK is not a country, it is a group of countries, all be it dictated to on many issues and the Scottish budget reluctantly handed out by Westminster alothogh ‘we’ as a country pay far more into it than we get back.
June 25th, 2009 at 2:01 pm
i hear there will be a mcdonalds too. brill
June 24th, 2009 at 8:37 pm
Thank you, Liz Hodgson, I too was rather surprised by Councillor Lyall’s harsh response to my comment, especially as I was actually asking a question when I used the word “supine”. I actually used the word because that day,I had visited with my wife a small village to the east of Pitlochry and had been shocked to see a house under construction which was utterly hideous and had absolutely zero architectural merit. Thankfully it cannot actually be seen from the road, but otherwise the builder or designer should be thoroughly ashamed of himself/herself. The awful thought occured to us that the P&K planning official who was stupid enough to let this monstrosity pass could be the same person who will decide the fate of the centre of Pitlochry. What an awful thought! P&K Council must get it into their heads that Perthshire is an exceptionally lovely county and anyone who contributes in any way to spoiling it will be answerable to future generations. The developer of this monstrous house and the planner who allowed it to be built have contributed in a small way to spoiling the pretty village in which it is situated.
Councillor Lyall, I did wonder whether I ought to apologise for using the word “supine” but on second thoughts, I won’t. However I would love to be proved wrong, but I know that the UK is full of supine planners and they have contributed in no small way to spoiling the towns and countryside of this once lovely country.
As for the plea to allow Tescos to open a supermarket in Pitlochry, well everyone is entitled to their opinion, but my wife and I have been delighted by the existing shops in the town. They are friendly and helpful and if they havn’t got an item they promise to order it or tell you where else in the town it might be found. I usually hate shopping but I actually enjoy shopping in Pitlochry and the Coop is by far the best Coop I have lived near. My wife and I very seldom feel the need to go further afield to shop. Whatever is needed whether it is ironmongery, groceries, pet food, delis, whatever- look no further!
One final point, I am a great believer in devolution and also believe more powers need to be devolved from Westminster to Edinburgh. However, if devolution is right, then it also means that powers currently held by the Scottish executive need to be devolved and powers held by P&K Council need to be devolved to town councils. If it is right to let the Scottish people rule themselves and wrong that for years Westminster took decisions affecting Scotland, then it must also be wrong for Councillors in Perth to be able to take decisions affecting Pitlochry. Devolution should not stop in Edinburgh and Perth!
The people of Pitlochry must therefore decide on the proposed development and developers from outside should not be allowed to change the heart of this lovely town until the Pitlochry people have had a chance to have their say.
June 24th, 2009 at 6:10 pm
Liz,
Can’t see what was harsh about any of my comments. Sweeping statements about P& K does not do anything for the case for or against any planning application.
Participative planning is of course somenthing that should be embrased, so why not do it. This does not need to involve havng a cheap swipe at the council.
June 24th, 2009 at 9:17 am
Ms Hodgson,
I enjoyed reading your letter and I think that you “hit the nail on the head” in several respects. The people of Pitlochry and Highland Perthshire as a whole do indeed feel powerless in the grip of a local authority which portrays an arrogant disregard for the wishes of local communities.
However, I think it useful to remind our long suffering residents that each and every one of us have a right, both individually and collectively, to hold such local authorities to account via the vehicle of higher authority i.e. the Scottish Executive. An example of this in action is the petition by a local (Aberfeldy) resident (which happened to be myself), supported by many members of the community, submitted to the Scottish Parliament, which ‘prompted’ Perth & Kinross Council to finally act when ‘invited for their input’ following FOUR YEARS of delay and misery for local residents. (The ban was finally introduced on 15th December last year, some FOUR YEARS after Cllr Lyall raised the issue - the reason given to me by the Council for the delay was that things had been filed - so where was the follow-up?
Yet councillors are quick to take credit for results which were not obtained BY them but rather, in the end, largely DESPITE them - probably a politically motivated, yet pathetic attempt to endear themselves to the communities which they fail to adequately serve (the alcohol ban being, in my opinion, a case in point).
Anyway, enough of the negativity that surrounds local authority, your support of the principle of community buy-out is personified very close to home in Kinloch Rannoch which, owing to the sheer determination and pride of that very small community, has retained petrol services to the many visitors to the area and provided a first class eating establishment - a small community with a big heart, we should all look to them as our motivation (and not a council official in sight!)
Pitlochry is a beautiful town which I feel privileged to be part of and the community DOES have a voice; as with many things in life it is simply a matter of speaking to the right people WHICH WE CAN. My comprehensive file of correspondence relating to the alcohol ban is proof of this should anybody care to challenge the accuracy of the foregoing.
ONWARDS & UPWARDS folks!
Ron Duncan-Rose
June 23rd, 2009 at 6:46 pm
I found Mr West’s letter quite refreshing so I was surprised by Councillor Lyall’s harsh response.There is much dialogue going on at the moment and rightly so given the nature of what is planned versus what could be and, the planning system. We need dialogue and views to be expressed ahead of the current formal planning process. Sustainable development depends on decision making in which all members of society can be heard and contribute to the future of their communities. This does not undermine the elected members in the planning process. We need a change of culture to challenge the view that people who try to participate in the planning process are a problem.
I think the letter hints at a common local sentiment - that city hall rules. People feel disenfranchised, unheard and powerless. Planning rules are complex. The odds are stacked in favour of the developer who, no doubt, has a team of planning expertise which a group of objectors cannot match. Developers can go to appeal but objectors cannot etc etc. The whole planning process needs rapid overhaul - to go beyond the current structure. Presently it does not allow for community and developer learning - it is not commensurate with creating a learning society.
I suspect the furore that is happening in Pitlochry is as much a response to the fact that there is an unjust battle ahead rather than a more equitable process. Does anyone else find it odd that our towns are shaped by what makes maximum profit for a developer rather than something more inspiring - that a developer has the rights over the many, including the social and economic wellbeing of the town and even the people that he builds for?
There are times when I feel that councils are also behaving like ruthless corporations - ‘profit’ being ’sustainable economic growth’ which is not the same as sutainable long term development. Delivering quotas becomes removed from what the original intention was. In the Pitlochry context, are the current proposals the sort of social/affordable housing government dreamed of? Did Perth embrace Cittaslow for it’s ethos or it’s economic promise?
I hope a clear message goes to the developer that people want meaning and good design over maximising short term profit - an economy where people and planet matter. Sound neighbourhoods contribute more than a roof over one’s head, they contribute social, physical and mental wellbeing - they have substantial impact on health. Evidence shows that participative planning results in good design which generates long term profit and public benefit. It results in neighbourhoods that cater for everyone’s needs in a more intelligent and up-to-date way. We need new rules, new laws and guidelines. In the present operating system, I do not envy the burden of care that community councils or councillors have. The sooner we get the planned planning reform the better.
In the meantime, it is nothing short of a tragedy that there has not been a community buy out of some of the town sites. I hope other towns, at least, can learn from this.
Liz Hodgson
Pitlochry
June 22nd, 2009 at 4:14 pm
Mr West,
Easy to blame P&K council before the planning application is even lodged. Lets just wait until it is appropriate to criticise. To say ’supine’ council planners is really not appropriate and a sweeping statement (and this is from me, who have had issues in the past). If you have a problem, then put in down correctly in writing, citing the relevent reasons and post it to the Council. The Highland Plan is freely available on the councils website, base any argument around that, and save the critisism for afetr the decision, which is made by the 13 councillors on the Development and Control Committee.
June 19th, 2009 at 4:25 pm
cant wait for the tescos, it will be better then the present options.