Wednesday 30 March 2011

Environmental treasure trove

You have often heard APTSec complain of being drowned by documentation. Well I am trying to cast my mind back to first quarter 2010 to think what it was that commanded so much of my attention that I missed a very important piece of paperwork, the rather sexily titled, 'Planning Advice Note 1/2010' The Strategic Environmental Assessment Of Development Plans:

This Planning Advice Note 1/2010 states amongst other things:

The central aim of Strategic Environmental Assessment, SEA, is to help ensure that the environment is given the same level of consideration as social and economic factors within the plan. It can do this by promoting:

• integration of environmental information into the plan preparation and
adoption process;
• early dialogue with consultees, particularly those with environmental
expertise, but also the wider public;
• full and objective consideration of alternatives to ensure that the best
environmental options are identified and taken on board as far as possible;
and
• transparency of decision-making, through the publication of the postadoption
SEA statement.

Highland Council has been required to prepare a lot of Environmental Assessment documentation which can be seen in one place via this database here on the Scottish Government web pages.

Tuesday 29 March 2011

15 Election Candidates across Highland


The latest from THC web pages:

A total of 15 candidates across the three Highland constituencies are seeking election to the Scottish Parliament on Thursday 5 May.

In Caithness Sutherland and Ross, four candidates are seeking election. They are:- Rob Gibson (Scottish National Party (SNP)), John MacKay (Scottish Labour Party), Edward Mountain (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party), and Robbie Rowantree (Scottish Liberal Democrats).

Five candidates are vying to represent Skye Lochaber and Badenoch. They are:- Ronnie Campbell (no affiliation), Kerensa Carr (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party), Alan MacRae, (Scottish Liberal Democrats), Linda Stewart (Scottish Labour Party), and Dave Thompson (Scottish National Party (SNP)).

The Inverness and Nairn Constituency will be a six-cornered contest involving:- Donald Boyd (Scottish Christian Party “Proclaiming Christ’s Lordship”), Ross Durance, (UK Independence Party), Fergus Ewing (Scottish National Party (SNP)), Christine Jardine (Scottish Liberal Democrats), Mary Scanlon (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party), and David Stewart (Scottish Labour Party).

A total of 14 parties or individual candidates are nominated for election via the Highland and Islands Regional List. Seven candidates will be elected to represent the region on the Scottish Parliament.

Full item here