COUNCIL'S PLANS STUCK IN THE PAST

We're disappointed but not surprised at East Lothian Council's submission to the Scottish Government on national planning issues.

At yesterday's full council meeting councillors voted to approve the recommendations of officials, which will be fed into the government's National Planning Framework. The recommendations included:

- Recognising Cockenzie as a site for non-nuclear power generation.
- Proposing the dualling of the A1 to the English border.
- Proposing the upgrading of the Edinburgh City Bypass.
- Recognising Torness as a candidate for future nuclear power generation.

The National Planning Framework aims to encourage developments that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, help Scotland towards a zero waste society, help towards renewable energy targets, develop skills, mitigate the effects of climate change and improve the natural environment.

East Lothian has amazing potential to develop better food production, transport links and energy systems but our council remains stuck in the past. The National Planning Framework is supposed to be about sustainability and the long-term, so it's baffling to see officials and councillors nodding through polluting, stop-gap proposals that are straight out of the last century.

The council are basically saying East Lothian's role in Scotland's future is fossil fuel generation at Cockenzie and more nuclear generation at Torness. They're also promising to lobby for expansion of the Edinburgh City Bypass.

Residents of the county are crying out for better bus and rail services while the fringes of our towns are targeted by developers with little thought for supporting walking, cycling and independent, local shops. The population of East Lothian is expected to grow dramatically in the coming years and it is important we ensure this growth does not degrade the environment we rely on.

While it seems the SNP group put forward a more reasonable position on nuclear it is worth remembering their colleagues in the Scottish Government have a policy of allowing extensions to existing plants, as has just happened with Hunterston in Ayrshire. Such extensions are not needed when we are making so much progress with renewables.

Help grow the Green voice in the Garden of Scotland

East Lothian is known as "the garden of Scotland"; it certainly farms a huge amount of food for the nation’s plates, mainly using industrial methods dependent on chemicals but there is a growing appetite for organic produce, farm shops, farmers’ markets and allotments.

East Lothian is also the powerhouse of Scotland with the Cockenzie coal plant and Torness nuclear station generating half the country’s electricity. Both these facilities are approaching the end of their useful lives but the fossil fuel and nuclear industries are lobbying hard for conversions and extensions.

With issues like these, it’s perhaps no surprise the local branch of the Scottish Green party wants to increase its activities and boost its profile. In previous elections it has come close to getting a councillor elected and during the last Holyrood election East Lothian was the South of Scotland constituency with the highest percentage of Green votes.

If you'd like to know more or get involved, do get in touch.

You can email info@elothiangreens.org or send us a message on Twitter: @elothiangreens.

Save Haddington Sheriff Court

The Scottish Courts Service is proposing to close Haddington Sheriff Court and transfer business to Edinburgh.

East Lothian Greens are concerned that this will reduce access to justice in our mainly rural county.

The local court closure will be particularly hard on women involved in sensitive and upsetting court cases against their partners.

The closure proposal must take into account the additional distances to be travelled and the additional costs.

There is also the potential for women involved in court cases having to share public transport with other witnesses.

Legal firms base themselves near courts so we expect a reduction in access to suitable solicitors for civil cases.

The Scottish Court Service consultation closes next Friday (21 Dec) and we've submitted our response. We would encourage you to add your views via the Save Haddington Sheriff Court website.

Reducing The Rubbish We Bury

"Threat to weekly bin collections", reports the East Lothian Courier.

Susan Guy of Sustaining Dunbar is quite right when she says it could be good if proper recycling systems are put in place. Even better would be a crackdown on manufacturers and supermarkets who sell over-packaged goods smothered in non-recyclable materials.

Research by the Scottish Greens shows East Lothian Council’s landfill tax bill has risen by half a million pounds in the last five years to £1.5million, and is set to rise further. It is therefore essential not just for the environment but for the public purse that we dramatically reduce the rubbish we bury.

As for Paul McLennan’s comment that people would prefer to see their bins collected every week than have free special uplifts, is it acceptable to penalise people who are unable to transport bulky items to a recycling depot?

Of course Dunbar will soon have the pleasure of hosting a Viridor incinerator accepting waste from across Scotland thanks to a feeble council and a Scottish Government content to pass the buck.

We recently wrote to the Environment Minister Paul Wheelhouse, a South Scotland MSP who is supposed to represent East Lothian, asking how the interests of communities such as Dunbar are to be protected. He delegated his response to the planning appeals department who simply told us:

"It is the responsibility of the planning authority, East Lothian Council, to ensure that the terms of the reporter’s decision notice are adhered to."

How reassuring!