The Cairngorms National Park is the largest park in BritainThe Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA) is to consider a proposal to create a new community on the outskirts of Aviemore.

Park officials have recommended that the CNPA’s planning committee approves the project in principle.

Rothiemurchus Estate’s project would see 1,500 homes and business and community facilities built in phases at An Camas Mor, close to Coylumbridge.

The CNPA said it would be one of the “biggest developments in a generation”.

The Cairngorms National Park is the largest national park in Britain.

Duncan Bryden, CNPA planning committee convener, said the proposal required a rigorous examination.

He said: “This is the largest and most complex application to come before us – indeed it is the only proposal for a new community in a UK National Park.”

Objectors to the project include Badenoch and Strathspey Conservation Group.

It said the site was home to a large population of slender groundhopper, a rare invertebrate, and other species of wildlife.

The An Camas Mor project team sees the 259-acre (105-hectare) development as a solution to the area’s “chronic shortage” of housing, business and community facilities.

If approved, the scheme would be built in phases and completed by 2027.

Link to original BBC article

Council chief makes clear public will pick up the tab if event does not go ahead

By jonny muir – Press and Journal

Published: 16/11/2009

The taxpayer will pick up the tab if a multimillion-pound exhibition showcasing environmentally friendly homes is cancelled, it has emerged.

Scotland’s Housing Expo is due to be held at Balvonie Braes, Inverness, in August 2010, but contingency plans have been prepared in case the event is abandoned or delayed.

In a report to councillors, Geoff Robson, Highland Council’s head of environment and development, said cancellation would lead to the liquidation of the Expo company, with “any outstanding debts being met from public sector resources”.

Identified risks that could lead to postponement of the 55-home event, which has already been delayed by a year, include failure to complete houses on time, low ticket sales or insufficient sponsorship.

Expo board chairman Jean Urquhart yesterday predicted “success, not disaster” and said a risk assessment had to be prepared to “reassure all our partners in the event of disaster”.

She said the prospect of cancellation was “simply not being contemplated”, but conceded there was a chance that the homes might not all be completed in time.

Despite the assurance, there were calls at the weekend to scrap the event, believed to be costing about £5million, to avoid it becoming a “white elephant”.

Barrie Haycock, a member of Inverness South Community Council, said: “There would be uproar from everybody if the event had to be cancelled.

“That money could have built a new school in Milton of Leys.”

Questioning the Expo’s potential to generate a budgeted £180,000 in ticket sales, he added: “Where they think these people are going to come from – given that large annual exhibitions with free admission are held in Glasgow, Birmingham, Manchester and London – is a mystery to anyone who has an understanding of marketing.”

Liz Gilchrist, who sits on a community liaison group of councillors, Expo representatives, residents and ward managers, said organisers had been upbeat about the event’s prospects at their last meeting on October 14.

She said: “They were very positive and hoping to get the site up and running by April. The public sector is already peeved at cuts, and having to carry the can for this would rub salt in the wound.”

Inverness South councillor John Holden added: “There is a great danger of it not happening, and I fear the public purse will have to pay for what is someone’s badly thought-out dream.”

In a report to Wednesday’s planning, environment and development committee, Mr Robson said the Expo would be promoted by a 10-month travelling exhibition.

Budget forecasts indicate that, as well as generating £180,000 from ticket sales, the Expo must make £80,000 from sponsorship, £27,000 from parking charges and £20,000 from brochure sales.

The Expo, previously called the Highland Housing Fair, aims to showcase modern low-energy housing designs, stimulate the wider use of timber construction and promote the “creativity and quality of lifestyle” in the Highlands.

Read more: http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/1484194#ixzz0XCmXpbQn

Planning Watch pictures of the forlorn and neglected site taken on 15th November 2009:

Entrance to the site

No evidence of house building commencement

By Gillian Bell – Press and Journal

DEFIANT  David Milne is refusing to sell  his Hermit Point home to the Trump Organisation.
The angry homeowner lives in the middle of Donald Trump’s Aberdeenshire estate and has accused the tycoon of using “bullying” tactics.

David Milne, 44, who lives at Hermit Point, is a former coastguard lookout at Menie Links, which has views of the billionaire’s north-east empire.

The house and land is one of a number of plots Mr Trump has said he needs to produce the “best possible design” for the £1billion project.

The Trump Organisation recently submitted a planning application to add five privately-owned plots to his golf resort, which includes Mr Milne’s house and land.

He said: “He’s been a real pain in many ways, the most recent one is this application for planning permission on my land. It may be legally acceptable to apply for planning permission on someone else’s land, and in certain cases it’s understandable.”

But he said the move, coupled with the potential use of compulsory purchase – raised by Aberdeenshire Council in a briefing note to members – is “immoral, unethical and a bullying tactic”.

He said he has had “practically no contact” with the organisation, apart from a “derisory” offer for his home in 2007 for a sum which would have bought him a “two-bedroom flat in Dyce”, and a recent letter to tell him the organisation was applying for planning permission for his land, which said if he wanted to sell he was to phone.

But the HSE consultant insisted last night he would not sell to Mr Trump “under any circumstances”. He said he has invested 17 years of his life in Hermit Point, which he converted from a former coastguard station into his home, which he shares with his wife, Moira.

The Menie resort project director Neil Hobday said he has sent Mr Milne an invitation to talk to the team and stressed the door was “always open”. He dismissed claims the Trump Organisation was using immoral, unethical and bullying tactics as “inaccurate on all counts”.

And he added: “The mechanism for compulsory purchase exists but we very much hope we won’t get to that.”

Mr Trump’s aide, George Sorial, said Mr Milne’s assertions were “disingenuous” and talk of compulsory purchase “very premature”. “We did make offers in the past, which were based on market value,” added Mr Sorial.

The council has said it would expect applicants to have exhausted “every possible opportunity open to them” before it would require to consider compulsory purchase powers.

The golf resort would include two championship golf courses, a hotel, 500 homes and 950 holiday homes north of the beach on the Menie Estate.

Editors comment:

Councillors who voted for this Trump development need to seriously consider how they can justify  representing the interests of the community in this planning fiasco – a sign of the times…

Bottom line… It will be interesting to see just how much economic benefit will result to local residents and businesses from this development.

No doubt any profits will be used elsewhere in the globe and not for the direct benefit of Scotland or Scottish tax payers.

The plans would have seen treetop walkways and zip slides

Campaigners succeed as controversial plans to build a treetop adventure playground in Pollok Park in Glasgow  abandoned.

The Go Ape facility was given the go-ahead by dotty Glasgow councillors last year, despite a large campaign against it.

Now the firm behind the adventure course in the park’s north wood, behind the Burrell Collection, is pulling out.

Glasgow City Council has called it a “major disappointment” but the Save Pollok Park group said it was delighted with the move.

The proposed Go Ape adventure play area would have seen platforms and zip slides placed in the trees near the Burrell Collection.

Our main objective was to secure an additional attraction for park users Robert Booth Glasgow City Council

In March 2008, members of the planning committee at Glasgow City Council voted in favour of the plan after a special meeting and visit to the site.

Despite a continued campaign from objectors, the Scottish National Party Government decided it would not issue any restriction or call in the plan.

The scheme was referred to Scottish ministers because the council had a financial interest in the scheme.

Go Ape are understood to have now decided the venture would be too expensive to pursue.

Inquiry call

Robert Booth, Glasgow City Council’s executive director of land services, said: “Obviously we regret Go Ape’s decision not to proceed with their facility at Pollok Park.

“Our main objective was to secure an additional attraction for park users at no cost or financial risk to the council.”

Save Pollok Park campaign said it was “delighted” with the decision of Go Ape to abandon its plans.

A spokesman added: “However, the council’s failure to consult and respond to the real legal and operational issues resulted in over two years of unnecessary work and a waste of taxpayers’ money which could have been avoided.”

“We call for a detailed inquiry into the council’s futile posturing and mishandling of the Go Ape affair.”

Campaign Information Background:

We are a group of park users and many others (over  5000 signatures) who are concerned about Glasgow City Council’s proposal to give a 21 years lease covering a large part of the North Wood of Pollok Park to Adventure Forest Ltd to develop a “GO APE ” facility

Go Ape and Glasgow Council are bogged down in a legal mess

It is now established that Pollok Park ( and Knowehead Lodge ) are part of the Common Good and they will haveto go to court to remove them

This will cost either Glasgow Council tax payers or Go Ape tens of thousands of pounds  – and legal precedents are such that it is likely they will lose (and the case could take several years)

The NTS has not yet given its required consent for the proposals as they presently stand.  The dicussions to use Knowehead Lodge have got nowhere

There is no chance of a lease being signed  in time for the Go Ape proposed start date of 2010. If one is signed now it will be subject to a legal challenge

It is clear that Glasgow  Councillors (and Go Ape) contiune to be misled by Land Services

We suspect they are all now trying to find a way to wriggle out of this without accepting that they have made a total mess  – no doubt they will try to put the blame on the 5000 objetors  and those of us who have been telling them since 2007 that they got it wrong in the first place

Oposition to Go Ape’s  agressive tactics and flouting of local agreements is growing across UK

Go Ape and Glagow Council thought we would just go away- but we have shown that we undestand the legal status of Pollok Park better than them – and contiuue to win round many politicians at local and national level through our reasoned arguments and independent legal opinions . We are stronger than ever .

The Council , Go Ape and its PR company have produced no counter arguments or evidence to what we have been saying – in fact Go Ape tried to libel us in the press (Oct 2008) - a tactic which back fired as nobody believed them and made Glasgow people even more angry

So watch this space

UNDER PRESURE GLASGOW COUNCIL HAS FINALLY CONCEDED THAT POLLOK PARK BELONGS TO US  – IT PART OF THE COMMON GOOD

IT  CANNOT BE LEASED WITHOUT A COURT ORDER AND ANY INCOME BELONGS TO THE COMMON GOOD AND NOT COUNCIL SERVICES

WE SAY THAT AS IT WAS A GIFT  TO US IN PERPETUITY WE SHOULD NOT HAVE TO PAY FOR THE USE OF ANY PART OF IT

It is now officially established that the Park belongs to us – we have a right to use it freely without hindrance or cost as the people of Glasgow have been doing for over half a century -  it is inalienable. Depite this the Council and Go Ape are still pursuing the idea of fencing off areas ( for example the land on the right of this photo identified as the Go Ape ” training area” ) and charging us £25 to go into it

I have been using the Pollok Park since I was knee high, and have been out running and walking in the park early morning very frequently over the last few weeks, and have been regularly spotting groups of six to eight deer grazing in the very spot that Go Ape propose to masacre. These deer have probably already been trapped within the park due to motorway and continuing developments around the park, but if Go Ape were to go ahead these deer will have a substantial amount of their habitat taken away. I can’t describe what an amazing site it is to see these deer and it elates me every time to see such beautiful wildlife so close to home. I am very much saddened by the fact that Glasgow Council disregard such an asset to the park and just want to fill their greedy pockets by collaborating with whoever it takes, they seem to have no shame.
I am 32 years young and would like to have enjoyed this park just the way it is, it’s a ‘little piece of peace’ just moments away from the hustle and bustle of the secular world

We exposed  Glasgow Council’s flawed public consultation process, their cavalier treatment towards the National Trust for Scotland and that the Council and  Go Ape’s statements that they would only come to Pollok Park  if the people of Glasgow wanted them as a con

We exposed  the the fact that Councillors were misled when they approved the proposal in 2007 – because they were not told of the legal agreement in place which mean that NTS consent is needed to certain developments – nor were they told that Pollok Park is Common Good Land – it cannot be alianated and anyway the projected commercial deal to raise money for Council services is a non-starter

We exposed the “offer ” by Go Ape of 450 free places to Glasgow schoolchildren as a con –  head teachers were not asked if they would agree to the health and safety requirements or to virtually  shutting schools down to enable enough teachers to accompany the pupils- we did ask and we have not found  one school  who said they would take up the “offer”

We have exposed the poverty of the planning application- the lack of public toilets, no parking survey was done, no study of the flora to be affected was done,  the less than truthful assertion that ” we would have to look up to notice anything at all ” the visual and noise pollution of the  fences and zip wires in an area of national landscape importance . Despite this 14 Councillors voted through the application – but now the Council has recognised the flaws and is trying to get round them – see News and Updates

We rallied over 5000 signatures , held public meetings of 700+ and a vigil of 1000 people . We have shown that we are not a small group of “NIMBYs but people from all  over Glasgow and beyond who value the gift to the “Nation and the Citizens of Glasgow “ that is Pollok Park and are determined to safeguard it as it was intended even if the Council seems to have abandoned its obligations under the terms of the original gift

We have supported other campaigns in UK fighting GoApe proposals in equally unsuitable sites and exposed that they cannot be trusted – eg they have illegally felled trees in Chorley

Save Pollok Park supporters in Feb 2008 on the occasion of Pollok Park being awarded “European Best Park”

1000 people turned out to a silent vigil – to mark the site of the Go Ape development (we could only mark  part of it) - here is the proposed  site of a 120 metre mechanical slide  across an area created by  the Maxwell family in the 18th century, described by Scottish Natural Heritage as of National Landcape importance, home to several roe deer,  and gifted to the city ” to be preserved in its orginal state. Go Ape says ” we will have to look up to notice anything at all”

See  News and Updates for result of a debate with Glasgow Scouts and young people from  Greater Pollok

See News and Updates for news of a campaign similar to SPP in Lancashire

See News and Updates

Find out why this will make the Council’s attempt to use money from Go Ape for Land Services unlawful - and what you can do about it - Go to The Common Good section of this website

Another successful public meeting on 28th October heard expert views  affirm that Pollok Park is part of the Common Good of Glasgow and confirm our  views on the Legal Agreements – See News and Updates for Details

Almost 300 people attended the meeting on 28th October at Pollokshaws Burgh Hall- they unanimously endorsed 2 new resolutions

A separate meeting was also held on 28th Oct to start the setting up of  a Friends of Pollok Park

The National Trust for Scotland has publicly re- affirmed its opposition to the present proposal for  the Go Ape development although at persent it  remains neutral on possible alternative suitable sites  in Pollok Park - Go to news and Updates for Details

An Archaeological dig has just finished on the Go Ape Site – see News and Updates for more details

An Archaeological dig has just finished on the Go Ape Site – see News and Updates for more details

A lovely view of  Pollok illustrating why people feel that we need to conserve it as was intended in the gift to the people of Glasgow  – as a country estate – and not an urban theme park - sent in by supporter  Christopher S. Walton (thanks)

Cick on this Link to Gerry Fletcher’s website which has additional photos and videos (with sound ) of the Park and of  some of Save Pollok Park’s  actions to date

http://www.gerflet.co.uk/savepollokpark2008/

A packed meeting of 200 people vowed to continue to challenge the proposal . Representatives of 4 political parties were there- all of whom gave their support – Nicola Surgeon, the constituency MSP spoke as did Jackson Carlow MSP and  Patrick Harvie MSP. Others were Robert Brown MSP and Bashir Ahmed MSP. Glasgow Councillors Danny Alderslowe and Paul Colsehill also spoke and  Cllrs David Meikle , George Roberts and Margo Clark were there in support of the next stage which is to persuade Scottish Ministers to call in the application and overturn the Glasgow Council planning decision

THE REAL FIGHT TO SAVE OUR PARKS HAS JUST BEGUN  – our main strength is in our numbers- already over 5000 petition signatures Can we all be wrong?

• To find out more about what is proposed go to The Development
• To find why we think it is a bad deal for Glasgow go to The Proposed Lease
• To find out about why Pollok is unique go to Historic Pollok
• To see photos of  Go Ape and of the areas of the Park it will affect go to Photos- Go Ape/Park
• News and Updates includes some new and older pieces of news of the campaign

Here is a mock up of a the Zip wire going across the Glade – a Conservation Area  and designed landscape of national importance (Historic Scotland)-and yet Go Ape says it will have little impact and  ” we will have to look up to notice anything at all” - are these people serious?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aD3FFT-Qt1Q

http://www.vimeo.com/1232652

A soundtracked  slide show of the Planning  Commmitte’s  visit to the Park on 25th March – thanks to Geery Fletcher (and Joan Baez –  make sure you turn your speakers on)

http://cid-07bf495138080875.skydrive.live.com/self.aspx/SPP/080414%20Save%20Country%20Park%20%202008%20by%20Gerry%20Fletcher.wmv

They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
Don’t it always seem to go
That you don’t know what you’ve got
Till its gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot

They took all the trees
Put ‘em in a tree museum
And they charged the people
A dollar and a half just to see em
Don’t it always seem to go
That you don’t know what you’ve got-till its gone
Joni Mitchell – Big Yellow Taxi- written in 1970  but the message is timeless

Pollok Park was gifted  by the Maxwell family in 1969 “for the enjoyment of the citizens of Glasgow” and the “enhancement of the beauty of the neighbourhood” This development will restrict the use and enjoyment of parts of North Wood to ordinary users, walkers etc

It will cost £25 per adult and £20 for a teenager to use – that is not the meaning  of the word “Gift”

There are agreements in place form 1939 and 1969 with the Maxwell family and National Trust – they have to be consulted and if they say no – then the Council cannot do this. Representatives of the family and the National Trust  have formally objected – so why has the Council told the Company to put in a planning application?

The red lines mark are the activity areas with some fenced off bits adn zip wires – but the planning application area is the whole area within the yellow line – there is no guarantee that these sites may not move over the next 21 years – and we believe  there is evidence that the sound of users and zip wires will carry across much of it. The blue dots mark the 2 new buildings – the Burrell Museum is botttom right- this area is 30% of North Wood and 50% of North wood outside the mountain bike track area

The remark made by Mr Robert Maund, chairman of the Scottish Campaign for National Parks, came a day after the Scottish Government revealed An Camas Mòr had been chosen as one of 11 “exemplar” low-carbon communities of the future backed by £400,000 of public money.

Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing Nicola Sturgeon said the communities would lead the way in the drive to make Scotland greener and healthier.

Mr Maund highlighted his concern that the cart was being put before the horse at the public inquiry into the Cairngorms National Park Local Plan.

It allocates land for the first phase of the new community on Rothiemurchus Estate which is expected to comprise 1,500 homes by 2028.

Mr Maund said: “I was concerned when I read about Nicola Sturgeon announcing that – it could compromise this hearing and the outcome of it.

“Here we have a Local Plan which is the subject of a hearing with nothing approved, we have a planning application for the development come in a couple of days ago and pretty much the same day the Minister stands up and says this is one of 11 schemes the government is putting £400,000 into to further the aims of the Scottish Sustainable Communities Initiative.

“I wonder if I should just go home and do some gardening and put in an application for costs.

“At every level judgements seem to be being made in advance of the Reporter’s recommendations to the park authority.

“It is as if it is a done deal and that would be very worrying for the planning process and for the democratic process.”

Mr Maund asked for “some kind of reassurance” from Reporter Jill Moody leading the hearing on An Camas Mòr that Ms Sturgeon’s announcement would not colour proceedings.

She responded: “I can say in absolute honesty that I have not a clue about any announcement by Nicola Sturgeon.”

Ms Moody said that her involvement was “absolutely objective” and she would be applying “normal planning judgement”.

The SSCI encourages the creation of places which are designed and built to last, where a high quality of life can be achieved and which demonstrate how to reduce ecological footprints.

Other winning exemplar projects include Craigmillar, Edinburgh, PARC Craigmillar; Lochgelly, Fife, Fife Council; Maryhill Locks, Glasgow, Glasgow Canal Regeneration Partnership and Tornagrain, near Inverness, Moray Estates Commenting on them, Ms Sturgeon said the Scottish Government was committed to creating an enduring legacy of high quality, distinctive new places.

“The projects selected include innovative design and building principles but they also promote environmental solutions which communities across Scotland can adopt.

“It is vital for our long term economic and social success that we create communities which provide new homes in the right place, of the right type and which contribute to reducing energy demand and impact on the environment.”

Moving Aviemore across the River Spey was first mooted at a meeting of the village’s community council in 1989.

Speaking at the public inquiry on Thursday, Mr Don McKee, the national park’s head of planning, said: “The park authority has acknowledged that An Camas Mòr is different. It is a new community in a national park and presents both a challenge and an opportunity.”

Explaining the need for the site to be allocated for housing, he said: “We are trying to respect the character of the established communities. We have reached a point where we can no longer add infinitum to the volume of housing. It is increasingly difficult to justify.”

He added that An Camas Mòr could be developed in a co-ordinated way: “This will relieve some of the pressure on other communities but we will be looking at them on an on-going basis to ensure that they remain viable.”

However, Dr Gus Jones, chairman of the Badenoch and Strathspey Conservation Group, claimed An Camas Mòr was unsustainable and would seriously damage the natural heritage. “This development within a National Scenic Area has long been viewed as unacceptable,” he said after the hearing. “Apparent ministerial support seems to be based on wishful thinking that ignores widespread opposition.

“Realistically the last thing the Cairngorms National Park needs is another flawed and over-ambitious development, especially one riding roughshod over landscape, conservation and significant community interests.

Mr Johnnie Grant, owner of Rothiemurchus Estate and applicant for the development, said An Camas Mòr was subject to an environmental impact assessment (EIA) and well-supported by planning policy.

He commented: “As there are more than 1,000 pages of detailed work to be understood and the proposal is to be tested against pages of planning policies it is very far fetched to describe it as a ‘done deal’.

“There is an immense amount of work to be carried out by a wide range of hard working, qualified and experienced public officials. “Furthermore the granting of outline consent would be only the start of the consent process.”

A Scottish Government spokesman said of the “done deal” claims: “The awarding of the SSCI status to a project by the Scottish Government is completely separate from the process of planning approval.

“The Scottish Government is supportive of the SSCI exemplar projects in their vision to create sustainable communities.

“All proposals have to go through the relevant planning process and SSCI exemplar status does not in any way influence or compromise this process or the considerations of the local authority.”

Willy Roe is chairman of both HIE and consultancy firm Rocket Science

The chairman of Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) has resigned from a consultancy firm at the centre of controversy over contract awards.

William Roe chairs both HIE and Rocket Science UK, which was awarded £150,000 of contracts by the enterprise body.

An internal review into the contracts was ordered by HIE chief executive Sandy Cumming.

It found “no evidence” of wrongdoing, but Mr Roe said he would be stepping down from Rocket Science.

The review carried out by HIE’s head of internal audit found its payments to Rocket Science between 1 September 2004 and 31 March 2009 totalled £149,256 for 21 projects.

However, the consultants subsequently repaid £6,864 after it was discovered that material in one report had been copied without clear attribution from another source.

Willy Roe is a hugely imaginative and inspiring public leader who is devoting his talent to creating a better Scotland Richard Scothorne Rocket Science

The report said 12 of the projects, which totalled £117,516 of expenditure, were either awarded after a tender, or had appropriate justification for using Rocket Science recorded at the time of the decision.

It added that a further expenditure of £31,740 had no advance justification recorded, but all of these contracts were for less than £10,000 and were therefore in line with HIE’s policy for awarding negotiated contracts.

The audit found no evidence that any of HIE’s decisions to use Rocket Science had been influenced by Mr Roe’s role in either body.

In a statement released following the report’s publication, Mr Roe said he had decided to leave his post with Rocket Science in order to “completely separate my public service functions from my private business interests” and to “prevent any possible perception of a conflict of interest arising in the future”.

He added: “When I was appointed chair of HIE, I agreed with the chief executive of HIE and the managing director of Rocket Science UK Ltd that we should immediately put in place a protocol to manage potential conflicts of interest that would arise if HIE and Rocket Science were to continue to have contractual business relationships.

“Both parties agreed that such a protocol should be established, the effect of which would be that I, as chair of both bodies, would be completely excluded from any and all aspects of the business relationship between the parties. The protocol was established and has been in existence ever since.”

Internal audit

Mr Cumming said HIE would be putting in place a tough monitoring regime in the wake of the report, which would include require all negotiated contracts worth more than £10,000 to be signed off by the HIE chief executive.

He added: “This has been a detailed and rigorous investigation of a complex issue, carried out to the highest professional standards by HIE’s head of internal audit and compliance.

“HIE aspires to be an exemplar of best practice in all the things it does, and the procurement of consultancy and other contracts should be no exception.

“I am confident that the procedures which HIE is putting in place as a result of this review will address the areas of weakness in the present system and ensure greater clarity and accountability from now on.”

‘Sad news’

Rocket Science said its work with HIE had actually reduced significantly since Mr Roe took on his role as chairman of the enterprise body.

The work carried out for HIE last year accounted for less than 1% of the turnover of Rocket Science, it added.

Rocket Science managing director Richard Scothorne said: “It should be very clear from this that we have not received any kind of special treatment since Willy Roe’s appointment as chair of HIE.

“Willy Roe is a hugely imaginative and inspiring public leader who is devoting his talent to creating a better Scotland.

“His resignation is sad news for us, and we admire him for taking this lead in completely removing any scope for perceived conflict of interest by decisively separating his public responsibilities and private interests.”

Commenting after the internal audit into the role of Willy Roe and dual responsibilities as Chair of HIE and of Rocket Science, Mary Scanlon, Scottish Conservative MSP for the Highlands and Islands said:

“This report has highlighted the failure of Mr Roe to update his register of interests in HIE and his failure to include 7 of the 21 contracts awarded in the register.  The investigation has also uncovered the fact that a contract worth £42,348 was awarded to Mr Roe’s private company and not put out to tender.

Many IT companies across the Highlabnds and Islands have been excluded from tendering for HIE contracts due to the awarding of so many contracts to Rocket Science.  In the depths of a recession, even one of the contracts awarded to Rocket Science would have helped to keep a small business afloat.

This investigation has confirmed the HIE did not follow correct procurement procedures.

I am now asking the Scottish Government to ensure that these incorrect procurement procedures are not replicated in any other quangoes and to ensure that Chairmen and Board members are not given preferential treatment in the awarding of lucrative public sector contracts’.

The recommendation of ten separate courses of action by HIE, following this investigation, is confirmation of the failures inherent in their existing systems.

Finally, there is no doubt that we would not have seen any report into HIE’s procurement process had there not been pressure and serious concerns raised in the media as well as my request for Audit Scotland to intervene.     HIE were obviously content to continue their current protocols of not pursuing any best practice models of fairness, openness and accountability in the awarding of contracts’.

TROUBLED business development agency Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) must review its procedures if an internal investigation finds rules were broken when approving £100,000 of work to its chairman’s own company, according to an SNP politician.

Rob Gibson has called for a meeting with HIE bosses as soon as possible to discuss the controversy surrounding the probe into 15 contracts awarded to chairman William Roe’s Edinburgh-based firm, Rocket Science.

The results of an internal audit, overseen by Audit Scotland, are due to be delivered next month, but Mr Gibson wants MSPs to be allowed to discuss the matter with top officials now.

“The sooner the better, because we can always have another one when they publish the results,” said the Highlands and Islands MSP.

“Transparency is everything and a meeting with MSPs at an early stage would be a useful idea.

“They need to follow the rules and if they aren’t adequate to avoid conflicts of interest then it’s time to review those rules.

“The first of which is for MSPs to actually meet officials at Highlands and Islands Enterprise and discuss the rules with them because this crisis has arisen.”

Mr Gibson has also backed calls for HIE to change its policy and make board meetings public again, after halting open meetings in June 2007.

An HIE spokeswoman pledged it will publish a report on the audit findings on its website when it delivers its response to results next month.

“The audit committee will examine the report and make recommendations on any follow-up actions which members decide may be necessary,” she added.

MSP calls for talks with HIE over £100,000 controversy

By Jane Candlish – Press and Journal

The chairman of Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) is being asked to consider resigning following Press and Journal revelations that a major investigation is under way into contracts awarded to his private company.

Willie Roe is also chairman of Edinburgh-based consultancy Rocket Science, which in recent years won work worth more than £100,000 from HIE.

Highland Tory MSP Mary Scanlon said yesterday: “It’s not for me to call for Willie Roe to resign, but I think at the point he becomes an embarrassment to an excellent organisation like HIE, he needs to question his future.”

The investigation, which will be overseen by Audit Scotland, is looking at 14 contracts awarded to Rocket Science after the company was accused of using plagiarised material in one of its reports for HIE.

Rocket Science repaid an £8,000 consultancy fee after it came to light that the consultancy had allegedly used information from two academic studies in this consultancy report.

Only two of the 14 contracts now under investigation were by competitive tendering against other firms, according to HIE documents.

The remainder were awarded through the “negotiated procedure”, which is used for all contracts below £10,000. Under this process, the contract is not advertised for tender.

According to HIE, all contracts worth more than £10,000 and less than £50,000 are “presumed” to be put out for tender.

However, a contract worth £26,085 was awarded to Rocket Science in 2005-06 without being tendered, seemingly against HIE’s rules.

The HIE documents show that this contract was for work on HIE’s Integration of Quality Plan, including development of e-scorecards used for monitoring business performance.

HIE said on the procurement process: “Rocket Science UK Ltd was the only supplier with the skills and knowledge to deliver service.”

The company also won a £15,450 contract in 2005-06, when the firm was up against four other companies for the tender. The work involved analysis of best practice following a defence base closure.

The other contract won by this method was for business workshops in Moray. It was worth £8,351 and Rocket Science was up against another four companies for the work.

The other non-tendered contracts were worth between £666 and £8,693 and included work for Careers Scotland, HIE’s Big Lottery Project and speed networking events.

Mrs Scanlon said it was “premature” to call for Mr Roe’s resignation, but said: “It may be in light of this experience that more openness is required, particularly in terms of board members benefiting from contracts.

“It is only fair to go through the normal internal audit by HIE and review by Audit Scotland. It is appropriate that is done thoroughly and openly, then any further action will be considered.

“This is important because just one of these contracts could keep a small business going for a year in these difficult times.

“What had not instilled confidence were stories that Rocket Science lifted university research and passed it off as their own to gain a contract.

“They have paid the money back, but that sort of thing has not engendered confidence.”

Rocket Science managing director Richard Scothorne said: “I very much welcome the opportunity the inquiry provides to show that our work was carried out to the highest professional standards.”

********************

William Roe, chair

Willy Roe has been Chair of Highlands and Islands Enterprise since September 2004. He also chairs the board of the new government agency, Skills Development Scotland; and is Scotland Commissioner on the UK Commission for Employment and Skills. He is a member of the Innovation Programmes Committee of NESTA, the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts.

Mr Roe is Chair of Rocket Science UK Ltd, a company that provides consulting services and solutions for national and local government in economic development, lifelong learning, welfare to work, regeneration and innovative financial partnerships to support sustainable growth.  He has advised many government departments and public agencies in Scotland and England and financial services and technology companies both in the UK and North America.

His international experience includes: Former director of first EU programme to combat long-term unemployment – ERGO;  former adviser to government of Bulgaria on development of civil society.  Former adviser to government of Poland on labour market reforms.  Former adviser on local enterprise development in Atlantic Canada.  Adviser and facilitator to Futures Ireland programme for the government of Ireland.  Board member, Training and Development Corporation, Maine, USA.

By Jonny Muir Press and Journal

Highlands and Islands Enterprise is to carry out an internal audit of contracts worth almost £100,000 that were awarded to a consultancy firm run by the agency’s chairman.

The investigation will examine 15 contracts awarded to Edinburgh-based Rocket Science, which is run by William Roe, who is also the chairman of HIE.

The announcement of the audit, which will be overseen by Audit Scotland, comes a month after Mr Roe’s company repaid HIE an £8,000 consultancy fee following an allegation that Rocket Science plagiarised information from two academic studies.

The audit will establish whether there was any further plagiarism in another 14 contracts – worth a combined £95,494 – that were awarded to Rocket Science between 2005 and this year.

The decision to investigate was revealed in a letter from Audit Scotland to Highlands and Islands MSP Mary Scanlon, who has lobbied for an audit.

Last night, Mrs Scanlon said she was pleased the audit would be carried out but called on Audit Scotland to carry out a further inquiry into the number of contracts awarded to Rocket Science that did not go through a tendering process.

She said an investigation was necessary to reassure the public that “contracts awarded by any quango are completely transparent”.

In the letter to Mrs Scanlon, Audit Scotland portfolio manager Bob Leishman said: “Contracts should only be awarded following appropriate procedures, including tendering action, and approval.

“In response to inquiries from other elected representatives, HIE has asked its internal audit team to review the contracts awarded to Rocket Science. Audit Scotland will monitor the outcome of that review on behalf of the auditor general.”

Conservative MSP Mrs Scanlon said: “Concerns were raised with me when it was discovered that Rocket Science had received some £117,000 of contracts from HIE while both organisations had the same chairman in William Roe.

“Not only were concerns raised about the propriety of these transactions, it has now been revealed that one of the reports dealing with skills utilisation was full of plagiarised comments from two other reports.”

She added: “Audit Scotland state in their response that there are no specific restrictions in terms of bidding for contracts but they say, ‘Contracts should, however, only be awarded following appropriate procedures, including tendering action’.

“The fact is that of the 15 contracts Rocket Science won from HIE, only two went to tender. I have now written again to Audit Scotland to ask if this additional information will lead them to investigate the situation with HIE and Rocket Science.

“The public must be sure that contracts awarded by any quango are completely transparent. Stricter guidelines may be a way of restoring public confidence.”

An HIE spokeswoman said: “As soon as plagiarism of the skills-utilisation study was identified, Rocket Science notified HIE and refunded our fee.

“In the light of this, our head of internal audit and compliance is now reviewing all previous reports submitted to HIE from Rocket Science to ascertain whether the example recently publicised is a one-off occurrence.”

The audit is expected to be completed by the end of the month.

The farce recently attracted headline TV and Press comment following the approach to MSP’s at Holyrood Parliament for funding guarantees off the back of a grossly misleading brochure produced by its organisers claiming that substantial community facilities were in place when in actual fact the only community facility for the existing development of around 600 properties was a single post box.

Time for Housing Fair chairwoman Jean Urquhart to face up to the reality that the whole process has been flawed from start to finish and provides no community benefit whatsoever.

A building society has offered £15,000 to support a controversial show of innovative housing.

The fair organisers claim The Development is being organised to showcase innovative designs

Scotland’s Housing Expo – The Highland Housing Fair is to be held at Balvonie Braes, Inverness, in 2010.

Dunfermline Building Society’s offer of sponsorship was announced at the latest meeting of the fair’s board of directors in Inverness.

Complaints about how Highland Council handled the project were rejected by the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman.

In April 2008, two members of the public raised concerns with the SPSO about how outline planning was dealt with.

They said there had been inadequate consultation and permission for the site should not have been granted.

The SPSO declined to uphold 11 complaints and concerns about the council’s handling of the application.

Housing Fair chairwoman Jean Urquhart said: “This is a great indication of the kind of support within the private sector for such a ground-breaking project.

“Dunfermline Building Society are one of the first to come forward showing great foresight to give money and support to the Housing Expo.”

BBC original article link

Copies of the 26-page booklet, showcasing the Highland Housing Fair, were distributed at the Scottish Parliament in a move by the organisers to secure £4.75 million of public money for the event, due to be held next year at Balvonie Braes.

The brochure clearly stated that the site was chosen because it is close to Milton of Leys which has a primary school, church hall, local shops and public house, surgery, day care facilities and playing field.

However, after angry local residents and community leaders pointed out that the only community facility in the area is a postbox, housing fair organisers were forced to acknowledge their error.

A spokesman said that 500 copies were printed in time for a reception held at the parliament on 13th January.

Some had been handed out to those present, including MSPs, but the rest will now be withdrawn and destroyed.

“There was no intention to mislead anyone,” the spokesman said. “It was an error made in the haste of getting the booklet ready for the reception. The error in the booklet will be corrected for future print runs.”

Barrie Haycock, a local resident and chairman of Planning Watch UK, described the document, which contains the Highland Council logo, as “greatly misleading”.

“It is a complete fabrication of reality,” he said. “There are no community facilities with the exception of a postbox at Milton of Leys.

“It is an absolute disgrace that Highland Council could put its name to a document which is misleading to any person who takes the time and trouble to read it.”

The brochure at the centre of the controversy. Alasdair Allen

Bob Roberts, chairman of the Inverness South Community Council, was equally bemused by the publication, which states: “The site is well-located next to the Milton of Leys local centre which is easily accessible on foot.”

The council gave an additional £40,000 to the housing fair’s board last year. The money was to be used for a range of things including ticket and brochure printing plus advertising and promotion of the fair.

“Is this what they are using the money for?” Mr Roberts queried.

“I am absolutely outraged at this. The community at Milton of Leys has been totally misled by this. We have been promised these facilities for years and years and still they never appear — yet they seem to say they exist in this publication. We would love them to exist.”

Such was the concern about the lack of facilities in the rapidly-expanding suburb that a steering group, including Highland councillors, community councillors and other community representatives, was set up last year. A wish-list of priorities included a school and a multi-purpose community hall with sports facilities.

The housing fair, based on a Finnish model, is due to showcase 55 eco-homes which will be sold afterwards. The event, billed as the first of its kind in Scotland, had been due to be held in August but was postponed until 2010 due to the economic climate.

v.sweeney@inverness-courier.co.uk

A new dawn for the Housing Fair at Milton of Leys looks increasingly unlikely. Gary Anthony

But unless the Scottish Government now agrees to underwrite the project to the tune of £4.75 million, and persuades banks to provide development funding, it is unclear how the event will proceed at all.

It comes amid further disarray after it transpired hundreds of brochures — designed to attract government support — are to be destroyed because they contain inaccurate information. And with time running out for work to start, this latest twist has prompted furious opponents to demand sackings at the highest management level.

The financial difficulties facing the housing fair are contained in the minutes of a meeting of the Scottish parliamentary cross party group on architecture and the built environment at which there was a presentation by housing fair representatives including the board’s chairman, Councillor Jean Urquhart, and Susan Torrance, chief executive of the Highland Housing Alliance.

The December meeting also included discussion on the economic requirements for the fair to proceed.

Although the cost of the affordable houses will be met from housing association grants, the current economic climate has resulted in a reluctance from banks to fund individual private developers.

“Currently, plan A is to ask the Scottish Government to underwrite the costs and encourage the private finance sector to support the developers,” the minutes state. “No official application has been submitted to the government in this respect at present. It was not clear how the fair would proceed without this support.”

The minutes also summarise comments made by Ms Torrance. “The key message from her team is that they need some serious influence and support to persuade the banks to provide the development funding and allow the project to proceed,” it is reported.

Yesterday, however, she insisted the housing fair was going ahead and that infrastructure was already in place. “We are not applying for public money,” she said. “We are asking the government to steady the nerves of the banks.”

But opponents of the project, which has been dogged by controversy from the start, think the government should not support it, while some queried whether it would now go ahead. There was also continuing anger about a brochure showcasing the event which wrongly claimed the nearby Milton of Leys area had an array of shops, a school, pubs, church and sports facilities.

Councillor John Holden (Inverness South) described the brochure as “absolute fiction”.

“Heads should roll over this,” he declared. “This has to go to the top of the tree in relation to the Highland Housing Fair.”

He said the event, which was to be developed on designated green belt land, was tainted from day one. “I can never see a situation where I personally would support one more penny going to the housing fair,” he said. “I can never see it taking off.”

Mary Scanlon, Highlands and Islands Conservative MSP, who was present at last month’s parliamentary presentation, also questioned the management of the project.

“They have not worked with the community and their recent charm offensive at the Scottish Parliament was based on a brochure of lies and untruths,” she said. “I think the management of this project is rapidly losing credibility and trust from funders.

“The management of this housing fair is highly regrettable because I have not met anyone who does not support the idea of the housing fair of environmentally-friendly sustainable houses.”

v.sweeney@inverness-courier.co.uk

Gordon Banks MP has been supporting residents in their dispute with Greenbelt.

CAMPAIGNERS on a Menstrie housing estate have welcomed support from the Scottish Government in their bid to oust land management company Greenbelt.

Angry residents say the company is not doing its job properly and recently 251 of the estate’s 300 residents signed a petition to get rid of Greenbelt.

However, the petition was rejected by the firm who said it would carry on to maintain the land around the estate, as was agreed with developer Gladedale.

But an email from the Scottish Government has now been sent to a homeowner on an estate in Livingston, also managed by Greenbelt, stating that under the Title Conditions (Scotland) Act 2003 owners within an estate can “dismiss a manager and appoint another” without applying to a Lands Tribunal.

Mike Marriot, who is leading the Menstrie campaign, welcomed the support from the Scottish Government saying it proved the residents were well within their legal rights to submit their petition.

He said their ultimate goal was for Clackmannanshire Council to take over the maintenance of the land.

“We signed the petition in March and, since then, homeowners have been bombarded with letters and demands from Greenbelt Group, saying they don’t recognise this,” said Mike.

“We very much welcome the Scottish Government’s backing in this situation, and hope it will encourage both Gladedale and Greenbelt Group to see sense.”

The email also informed homeowners that Government guidance on the management of open spaces was republished last month and now no longer names Greenbelt Group as a suitable provider for the long-term care of open spaces in Scotland.

Gordon Banks MP has been supporting the residents in their dispute with Greenbelt and has been heading an All Party Working Group in Westminster looking at land management companies.

He said, “It is good news that the Scottish Executive confirmed that the action the residents took in their dispute with Greenbelt has been confirmed as the correct course of action.

“Up until now Greenbelt has tried to ignore the actions of the residents at Menstrie Mains and I hope that it will now take on board the strong legal footing on which the residents have based their campaign, and understand that they no longer want Greenbelt to supply land management services.

“I hope that both the Greenbelt and Gladedale can find a constructive way to bring this long standing problem to a solution which meets the aims and objectives of Menstrie residents.”

However, Greenbelt says that the information on the email from the Scottish Government is out-dated and that the Title Deeds Act is a complicated piece of legislation which residents do not necessarily understand the full implications of.

Managing director of Greenbelt, Alex Middleton, told the Advertiser that following the petition a circular was sent to all residents to give them help and guidance, and that Greenbelt has never purported to offer legal advice to residents but said they should seek independent legal advice.

He went on, “Greenbelt has never considered itself to be a manager of the land but, in fact, the owner of the land, which is a significant difference to what is being said by other parties.

“Soundbites have been taken from a very complicated piece of legislation which needs to be understood as a whole and is very technical.

“There is an agreement in place between ourselves and the developer and that will continue.

“We are obliged to manage and maintain the land and residents are obliged to contribute fully and equally.”

A spokesperson for Gladedale added, “We are aware of the issues between the residents and Greenbelt and are hopeful that an amicable solution can be reached between the two parties.”

Link to original article

Housing fair faces delay of 12 months

By Lorna Paterson – Inverness Courier

Published: 22 July, 2008

The site of the Highland Housing Fair at Balvonie Braes.

THE controversial Highland Housing Fair is facing another major blow — it is set to be delayed for a year.

The exhibition of sustainable housing, billed as the first of its kind in Scotland, had been scheduled to take place in August 2009 at Balvonie Braes in Inverness.

However, it emerged yesterday that growing financial pressures and a downturn in the housing market meant the event will not now be staged until 2010.

Architects and developers from the south were briefed on the latest developments in Perth last week, while developers from the Highlands will be informed on Friday at a meeting in Inverness.The board will then meet to make a final decision although Councillor Jean Urquhart, chairwoman of the Highland Housing Fair board, admitted delaying the event was already looking like the most likely outcome.

She confirmed some developers involved with the project were facing financial difficulty and rather than putting pressure on them, the board would be making the recommendation to its partners.

In the worst case scenario she anticipates the delay to be for 12 months.

However, an on-line architects’ website said there were fears the project, led by Highland Housing Alliance, would lose momentum, particularly if it was postponed for more than a year.

Barrie Haycock, chairman of campaign group Planning Watch UK, while criticising organisers for not forecasting the impact of a declining housing market, also remained sceptical over whether the fair would now go-ahead.

For the event to take place in 2010, he said, the new homes would still need to be built next year, but with experts predicting it to be two years before the housing market recovers he sees this as unlikely. “It was obvious that any downturn in the housing market would put the project at risk,” he said.

He claimed it had collectively landed the tax payer with an enormous bill out of the rush to force it through the planning process.

Inverness MP Danny Alexander said it was a reminder of what impact the global credit crunch was having on the Highlands. “This is very disappointing,” he said. “The fair would have made a great contribution to the Highlands in terms of leading new ideas on how homes can be developed.

Councillor Urquhart (Wester Ross, Strathpeffer and Lochalsh) explained there had been no public announcement about the delay because it was still in consultation with developers and architects.

The housing fair, on an area of green-wedge land, will showcase the best in housing design, innovation and technology.

It has been dogged with controversy with allegations over the conduct of planning officers and unacceptable land deals playing their part but Councillor Urquhart stressed the event would go ahead.

“It makes me angry that people see this as some kind of trumped up nonsense that doesn’t need to happen. There is absolutely no suggestion this will be a cancellation,” she added.

l.paterson@inverness-courier.co.uk

Wilson’s Weekly Wrap

27 Jun 2008

Highland Housing – Fair?

On the surface, things seem to be going not too badly at the moment for the Highland Housing Fair, given the perverse local opposition encountered at the outset of the project and the high drop out rate of developers who found innovation and profit on a single house plot to be incompatible concepts. Down at the coalface, however, a number of the selected architects are finding the going considerably tougher.

Time is flying, and deadlines for Building Warrant applications, for example, are being missed due to the shifting economic times in which we live. Several of the projects are still without either client or developer, never mind a contractor, and with building work for most projects scheduled to be on site by late Autumn, some critical decisions need to be made at a more strategic level if we are not to see a half-constructed built landscape when the Fair opens its doors to the public next August.

A number of the project designs are predicated on imported components such as massive timber panels, now made infinitely more expensive by the £’s poor showing against the €uro and without significant alteration at this late stage, the houses may simply fail to emerge. Obviously the credit crunch was not on anyone’s radar when the idea of the Fair was first mooted, but life is not as it was a year ago and the project sponsors need to radically – and rapidly – revise the business plan if the Fair is to be a success.

In Finland, the first Housing Fairs were publicly-funded with small towns competing for the privilege to build: the model used here presumed that developers could be encouraged to innovate (without subsidy) and even profit from the construction of a single housing unit, a questionable approach anyway given the concept’s first outing in Scotland.

Now that the tectonic plates of banking have shifted inexorably to a position of financial denial to housing developers, the Fair’s initiators at government and public agency level need to dig deep into their pockets to make sure the project does not become an architectural disaster zone: should the project fail, there will be no second chance to learn from the experience. And, be assured, as the various previously-interested parties cover their tracks, it will be the architects that will end up carrying the can for their supposedly un-fundable designs. The reputational damage to the profession just doesn’t bear thinking about.

Wilson’s Weekly Wrap

http://www.architecturescotland.co.uk/news/685/Wilson’s_Weekly_Wrap.html

4 Jul 2008

Highland Housing Fair, Part Two

It’s not often I get to see such immediate impact from something I’ve written and in truth it was probably more serendipity than prescience on my part, but following my ‘warning light’ comments last week about next year’s Highland Housing Fair in Inverness, the organisers seem to have taken my advice to heart and moved with commendable rapidity to postpone the event by a year. This is far from being a bad thing – the number of developers unable to raise bank finance for their individual projects was reaching a dangerously high level and the people responsible for the Fair have made the only prudent move possible in the circumstances. Far better to delay than to fail ignominiously and in any case the reasons for the postponement can be readily understood by all. What developer was going to proceed – even had they been able to secure the necessary funding – with construction at current Inverness price levels when the bottom is dropping out of the housing market and likely to pummel the post-Housing Fair sales values?

That said, invoking Plan B can only be seen as a necessarily reactive move and the need for a well thought through Plan C is now pressing. With a shade more time on the delivery side of the project, the need to reduce construction costs without diminishing the design quality of the individual houses needs some real creative thinking. Consideration could, for example, be given to the implementation of a professional sponsorship programme focused on in-kind provision of materials and products for all of the houses planned for the site. Hardly complicated, it is one of the few routes to overall cost reduction that are available in the current economic climate, but it will require co-coordinated – and speedy – action rather than allowing the projects to individually stand or fall. 2010 is not that far away.

Highland Housing Fair Postponed for a Year

4 Jul 2008

steven.raeburn@carnyx.com

The Highland Housing Fair, billed as the first event of its kind in Scotland to showcase house designs of the future, has been unexpectedly postponed.

The event, scheduled to kick off in Inverness in a year’s time, was intended to be a showpiece event where over 50 conceptual, sustainable houses would be on display, will now take place in August 2010.

The downturn in the property market, the poor prospects for the resale of the homes to be constructed, and a lack of finance have been blamed for the postponement.

“A recommendation will be made to the Highland Housing Fair board to delay the Fair from August 2009 to August 2010, in recognition of the economic climate and the shortage of finance available to realise the ambitions of the developers who are committed to the project,” the organisers said in a statement.

“The recommendation will be made at the meeting of the Highland Housing Fair board which will take place in August 2008.”

It had been planned that the houses constructed for the fair would be available to buy, to become a “living community” once the fair ended.

Writing exclusively for architecturescotland.co.uk, Peter Wilson speculated that fear of the declining property market may have prompted the postponement.

“Far better to delay than to fail ignominiously and in any case the reasons for the postponement can be readily understood by all,” he writes.

“What developer was going to proceed – even had they been able to secure the necessary funding – with construction at current Inverness price levels when the bottom is dropping out of the housing market and likely to pummel the post-Housing Fair sales values?”

AUDITORS are to investigate the use of public money to establish the controversial Highland Housing Fair planned for former greenbelt at Balvonie Braes on the south side of Inverness.

The accounting watchdog Audit Scotland has asked the local auditor to assess Highland Council’s contribution to starting up the not-for-profit development company the Highland Housing Alliance (HHA), which is now deemed a private operation despite substantial funding from the public purse to establish an expo at which a fundamentally private housing development will be exhibited.

Prompted by public concern, including that of various Inverness councillors, SNP MSP Dave Thompson wrote to Audit Scotland requesting an investigation into the sale of land by construction giant Tulloch to the HHA.

Audit Scotland has said it is unable to audit the HHA because it is “not within its remit”. But it is able to instigate an audit of the council, which part-funded the project.

Mr Thompson told the Press and Journal: “I support the fair and wish it well, but I am pleased that my concerns over the land transactions have been taken seriously.

“Audit Scotland has contacted the council’s external auditors so that they are aware of our concerns, and they have been asked to establish the background and to assess whether there are any issues arising from the council’s involvement which require further investigation.

“Of course, the auditors will not consider planning-related matters and those issues reportedly under consideration by the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO). But I very much look forward to hearing the outcome of their investigations."

A spokeswoman for Audit Scotland said: “An audit of HHA is not within our remit. However, we do audit Highland Council and have an interest in the council’s arrangements for monitoring how its money is used to support other organisations.

“With this in mind, in line with our routine procedures the correspondence has recently been passed to the council’s external auditors and they will seek to establish the background and assess whether there are any issues arising from the council’s involvement which require further investigation.”

She added: “The correspondence that we received refers to planning concerns and to consideration of issues by the SPSO. We have advised Mr Thompson that the auditors will not consider planning related matters and those issues reportedly under consideration by the SPSO.”