After helping to secure a previous extension, Pam Gosal, Scottish Conservative and Unionist candidate for Clydebank and Milngavie, has written to East Dunbartonshire Council to encourage the local authority to further extend its Local Planning Decision and Historic Environment Designations Review from Local Planning Decision 2 (LPD2) to LPD3.
In February, Mrs Gosal wrote to the council to highlight her concerns that local residents were unable to engage with the council’s planning process and called on the council to review how it would conduct its consultation. East Dunbartonshire Council responded by saying they would extend the consultation until 31 May 2020.
However, the Milngavie resident and candidate in May’s election has stressed that COVID has impacted the ability of residents to participate in the consultation. She highlighted that as restrictions are eased it would be beneficial to extend the consultation until LPD3.
The local candidate’s calls were echoed by the Mains Estate Residents’ Association (MERA) who have also written to East Dunbartonshire Council about this issue.
Firstly, Mrs Gosal raised the issue of timing of the consultation as she argues that, while she welcomes the extension, residents will still struggle to engage with the consultation.
Secondly, the Scottish Conservative hopeful was concerned about the impact of COVID as she’s argued this has impacted the ability of local residents to ensure their voices are heard without physical consultations, outreach meetings and community engagement.
Finally, the local candidate believes there are questions over the validity of the process due to the fact that the consultation responses for LPD2 had already been submitted on 15th January without this review in place.
Pam Gosal, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Candidate for Clydebank and Milngavie, commented:
“Milngavie is blessed with amazing greenspaces and our historic town centre, it’s part of the reason that I and so many others love living in the area. If the council is considering a major review of how these spaces are designated, then it’s crucial that local residents are put at the heart of the consultation and that their voices are heard.
“While I welcome the council’s concessions to extend the consultation until May, I know that many local residents will struggle to make their voices heard while we’re still in lockdown.
“Extending this until LPD3 would ensure that East Dunbartonshire Council can undertake extensive community engagement and make an informed decision. The local authority has to reflect carefully about how it proceeds to ensure that local residents aren’t left out of this process and we can make sure that Milngavie stays one of the best places in Scotland for families to live.”