Councillors debate population growth forecast

Mar 2 2010 by Alison Anderson, Perthshire Advertiser Tuesday

COUNCILLORS have reacted with disdain to a Scottish Government forecast that Perth and Kinross is heading for a 16 per cent population growth over the next 20 years.

Kinross-shire members Michael Barnacle and Willie Roberston led the criticism during a debate on the main issues of Tayplan, compiled by the Dundee, Perth, Angus and North Fife Strategic Development Planning Authority (SDPA).

The report is the first stage in the preparation of a strategic development plan for the area.

Cllr Barnacle branded the projected growth rate as “neither desirable nor sustainable”, while Cllr Robertson urged: “Let’s not spoil what Perth and Kinross is and what makes it special.

“The thing which brings people here is our excellent quality of life but there are problems with our infrastructure and we will have no money in the future to put these right.

“Our quality of life could suffer considerably if all these new houses are built.”

Cllr Barnacle said he had made it clear in May 2009 that he did not support the level of housing growth proposed, as it posed serious demographic challenges and was “neither desirable nor sustainable from an environmental prospective”.

He continued: “I appeared at the time to be alone in that view. However, recent comments from Roseanna Cunningham MSP and Pete Wishart MP on population growth being a ‘double-edged sword’ and querying if Perth is able to cope with such big growth rates suggest to me that I was right to urge caution.”

The independent councillor welcomed findings of the SDPA report that development driven by population growth would impact on the environment through:

the biodiversity and water quality of Loch Leven,

increased pressures on water quality and air pollution,

significant loss of prime agricultural land,

the increase in waste going to landfill and

over-development of rural settlements could undermine landscape quality and the traditional character of settlements.

He concluded: “We need a grown-up debate over acceptance of these growth figures in the current economic climate.”

Cllr Alan Jack also raised concern on the findings of the report.

Referring to the Tayplan preferred option that “future development should be concentrated mostly in Dundee and Perth core areas with the rest accommodated in the other principal settlements”, he said: “It’s no use thumping more houses around Perth. It should be spread around Perth and Kinross.

“There is a lot of work to do on this before we can take it forward in a positive way.”

The council unanimously approved the findings of the Tayplan main issues report, which will now go out for public consultation before the councils make their formal responses to SDPA at the end of June.