Development At Loch Lomond

EDM number 760 in 1994-95, proposed by John McFall on 08/03/1995.

That this House applauds the acquisition of Drumkinnon Bay, Loch Lomond, by Dunbartonshire Enterprise; notes that almost ú3 million of public money is being used to secure this 76 acre site from the Drumkinnon Development Company, chaired by Dr Michael Kelly before a brick has been laid; notes the inflated price paid; welcomes the recognition that there is a place for intervention to secure public ownership in the public interest; deplores the decision by the Secretary of State for Scotland in ignoring his own inquiry by giving the scheme approval with only minor conditions; is dismayed at the apparent gullibility of the Secretary of State in making this decision without seeking a business plan from the developers, which they refused to provide to Dumbarton District Council, despite several requests, on grounds of commercial confidentiality; is alarmed at such a situation since this provides the go-ahead for developers such as Drumkinnon to make considerable amounts of money without having the funding necessary to carry out their proposals; applauds Dumbarton District Council for being aware of this situation at the outset; deplores Dr Kelly's unwarranted outbursts against the Council in the past; urges the Secretary of State to heed the lessons of this fiasco which might not have occurred had he responded positively before now to Sir Peter Hutchinson's report and accepted the recommendation that the developers should demonstrate economic viability before any planning consent is considered; and calls on the Secretary of State at this belated hour to make a positive response to the entire Hutchinson Report.

This motion has been signed by a total of 9 MPs.