According to today's Herald (see here), the Scottish Executive intends to introduce a White Paper next month, announcing proposals to exempt from the planning process major development projects (such as new nuclear power stations and large wind farms) which it decides are strategic in nature. The Herald claims to have seen the paper considered by the Scottish Cabinet three weeks ago.
If this is well-founded (and it is worth noting that the article contains no response from the Executive to its revelations), it is likely to cause a major stramash. The proposed change would require primary legislation: does the Executive believe that its Labour and Liberal democrat backbenchers will be prepared to let this go through Parliament without a fight? Or is it proposing to buy off environmentalist opposition by conceding third party rights of appeal in non-strategic planning cases? Watch this space...
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