Highland Council’s battle with Caley Thistle over battery storage plan ‘beggars belief’
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Highland Council’s battle with Caley Thistle over battery storage plan ‘beggars belief’ according to one residents.
Robert Mckendrick wrote to councillors ahead of tomorrow’s crunch meeting after two councillors, unhappy with the planning process, demanded a “review.”
The review provoked uproar – the football club accused the council of trying to kill it as it stood to lose £3.8 million and then four community councils objected to the ICT's plan.
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Mr Mckendrick said it “beggars belief” that Councillors Thomas MacLennan and Paul Oldham felt the original vote was “not a good look for the council.”
Why? Because both are in the council administration, which is planning its own battery storage scheme.
That was first revealed in the budget last month and then confirmed in the draft delivery plan which is due to be discussed at the same meeting.
Depending on where it will be located it may even go through the same planning committee chaired by Cllrs MacLennan and Oldham.
In his email, Mr Mckendrick said: “I once again ask you to consider the many things which include ‘a bad look for the council’ – this I think is a sentiment everyone will agree on.
“If I were a developer looking to make a major inward investment in this area, and looked at this application as a template of how the council conducts business, I would most probably look elsewhere quickly.
“Approving an application then requiring a further vote within days of the initial decision being made, is not the solid platform businesses require when making investment decisions.
“The little I understand the points that were a concern have been met in full now, please correct me when you are allowed, or indeed in public at the meeting on March 14.
“If the vote of five members is legal, correct and it followed appropriate council protocols; which I assume to be the case, why is another vote required when nothing in the application has been altered?”
As a resident of Wester Inshes, he has also pushed back against assumptions he feels have been made on his behalf during the row between Highland Council and Caley Thistle.
He said: “Soundings I have taken from various professional people, all of whom are far better versed with normal planning procedures than myself, without exception consider this to be a highly unusual outcome.
“I live with my young family in the IV2 postcode, Wester Inshes, and use the facilities of Fairways regularly. For the record – I wish to formally record that I do not agree with my local community council when they suggest that they speak for me or my family.
“The same can be said of many of my neighbours. Please give due consideration to this when deliberating on this application.”
Since then it has come to light that the local authority offered councillors planning training because because only those with it can vote on the item tomorrow.
A spokesperson for Highland Council said last week: “A further training opportunity for members on planning matters is taking place next week for those who did not manage to take part in that training or who wish a refresher.”
