First Minister

BISHOPTON ACTION GROUP

"Kilallan"

Sachelcourt Avenue

Bishopton

PA7 5AA

Thursday 10th August 2006

Dear Mr. McConnell,

Objection to the Glasgow and the Clyde Valley Joint Structure Plan 2000 - Third Alteration 2006 - Proposed Bishopton ROF Development

We are writing to you as the leader of the Scottish Parliament on a matter of the greatest importance and urgency. Our previous efforts to bring our community's valid objections to the above proposals to the attention of senior planning officials have so far failed. In addition, following a local surgery held by Trish Godman, our MSP, at Bishopton library on 31st March 2006, our Group's Strategy Manager wrote letters to her dated 31st March and 15th June 2006 outlining the concerns of Bishopton residents regarding the ROF proposals (copies attached). Apart from an acknowledgment to the first letter, we are extremely disappointed that she has not yet responded.

We enclose a copy of our objection to the Third Alteration to the Structure Plan ("SP"), which, if approved, would permit the designation of rural Bishopton as a Community Growth Area/ Urban Expansion Area. As you know the SP is currently being considered by the Scottish Ministers, and at the same time the developers BAE/Redrow have submitted an Outline Planning Application to Renfrewshire Council. We feel that it is premature and improper for this application to be processed before the Ministers have reached their decision.

We urge you to read our detailed objection submission and accompanying letter, so that you are fully aware of the legitimate complaints and real fears that our entire community has continually expressed with regard to the proposals to develop the largest contaminated brownfield site in the country. Following the developer’s first exhibition in February 2005, when the plans for the ROF site became known to the public, our Community Council ("CC") held a referendum and the result was a massive 92% vote "NO" to the proposals. Following a second exhibition in May 2006 when the plans were further progressed, the CC recently conducted a further survey of local opinion and the result was a staggering 94% against the development. In addition, during the three rounds of consultation to the Alteration to the Structure Plan, the Bishopton Action Group has personally delivered to the SP Manager and recently to Dr. Graeme Purves, a total of just under 7,000 letters of objection on behalf of Bishopton residents. This is an incredible and unprecedented response from a tiny community of approximately 2,000 households.

In the introduction to the White Paper on Modernising the Planning System you state that "no development will go ahead where community voices have not been fairly heard". We feel that the voices of Bishopton residents have not been heard in this instance. Despite the very valid objections that we have continually expressed throughout the formal planning process, the SP has proceeded unaltered to the Scottish Executive. We have raised many important issues, such as lack of consultation and incorrect recording of representations, as well as fears for the health and safety of our community, and yet none of our questions have been answered.

The issues that we have raised in the attached objection submission call into question the validity of the entire SP consultation process, and the new evidence we have presented merits an Examination in Public so that, in the interests of openness and transparency, the true facts surrounding the proposed ROF development may be publicly presented.

We hope that you will spare the time to read the attached documents, and we appeal to you to intervene in this highly contentious matter. From reading our objection submission, you will see that the planning assessment relating to the development has been totally inadequate in every aspect and provides no data to justify the designation of rural Bishopton as a Community Growth Area/ Urban Expansion Area. We therefore request that Bishopton be removed from Schedule 1c in the Third Alteration to the Structure Plan 2006.

We look forward to hearing from you in the near future.

Yours sincerely,

Stewart Ferguson Tony Sowersby

Chair – Bishopton Action Group Vice-Chair – Bishopton Action Group

Enclosures:

Letter to Trish Godman dated 31st March 2006 and response received dated 11th April 2006

Letter to Trish Godman dated 15th June 2006

To:

Mr. Jack McConnell MSP

First Minister

The Scottish Parliament

Edinburgh EH99 1SP

Bishopton Action Group

www.bishoptonactiongroup.org.uk

Email: bishoptonactiongroup@gmail.com