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.
What happened to the suggestion that a 2 cruise ship terminal could be made at the Cockenzie site once the old coal power station is demolished? There could be many jobs made serving the tourists etc.
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