Former Perth and Kinross Council executive accuses bosses of dragging their heels over incinerator

Dec 4 2009 by Gordon Bannerman, Perthshire Advertiser Friday

FORMER council chief executive Jim Cormie has accused councillors of dragging their heels over sounding the death knell for the Shore Road incinerator project.

After calling for a top level inquiry into the controversial decision-making process in last week’s PA, Mr Cormie yesterday said he was “horrified” that the full council wouldn’t be voting on revocation until January at the earliest.

And he’s demanding a special meeting of the council to revoke Grundon’s outline consent before the festive break.

In a letter to council leader Councillor Ian Miller, secured by the PA, the one-time district council chief warned it was wrong to suggest it was “all over bar the shouting” in the wake of the development control committee’s decision to refuse Grundon’s detailed plans for a £100 million incinerator.

Mr Cormie cautioned: “I do not see Grundon just giving up, after all the money which they must have spent developing this project – as a result of the council failing to grasp the nettle and revoke the permission as soon as the mistake was realised by officials in mid 2006.

“I was very disappointed that the development control committee limply asked for a report on revocation from the same officials who gave us the 82 pages of turgid flim-flam which was before that committee.

“I am further horrified to learn that this report is not likely to be considered by the full council before February.

“It is outrageous that the council appear now to be compounding the incompetence of their officials by delaying grasping the nettle of revocation.

“It looks like another pathetic attempt, this time by the council itself, to put off facing up to reality – the reality of Grundon appealing against the development control committee's refusal, the reality of the cost involved in defending an appeal, the reality that Grundon might be successful in an appeal, the reality of the council being forced to be represented by counsel in the Court of Session in the event of Grundon or the objectors applying for a judicial review of the whole sorry procedure and the reality of the exorbitant cost of such a procedure.

“Further delay in this matter is far too dangerous to contemplate.

“Grundon have only three months to appeal against the refusal of detailed consent. If they are to appeal they are unlikely to delay this much beyond the date of the next council meeting on December 16

“A special council meeting should be called very quickly to deal with the issue once and for all.

“A pre-emptive strike is vital to stop matters spiralling further out of control. What is needed is immediate and decisive action to revoke the outline permission.”

Mr Cormie accused councillors of “pussyfooting around” and again blasted officials.

He said: “It is a disgraceful reflection on the competence of the officials that they cannot compile a report on such an urgent and vital matter.

“The urgency of this matter is the importance of emphasising to Grundon that the council is absolutely dedicated to ensuring this development never goes ahead.”

Mr Cormie said Grundon were entitled to compensation for their investment in the Shore Road application because of botch-ups within the council, including “concealment in the hope it would go away.”

He told Councillor Miller: “I trust that the council is not in denial in the same way as their officials have been since this calamitous error was discovered away back in the middle of 2006, only a few months after the outline consent was issued.

“It is absolutely vital that this project is killed stone dead in the water now.”