Agenda item

Two deputation requests have been received in relation to item 9.6 (Land Options Within the Energy Transition Zone), who wish to speak with reference to matters pertaining to governance, land options and St Fittick’s Park:-

·         Torry Community Council

·         Mr Simon McLean

The Council received a deputation from Mr Simon McLean on behalf of Torry Community Council with regard to agenda item 9.6 (Land Options within the Energy Transition Zone).

Mr McLean spoke in the following terms:-

“Councillors - communities welcome change; change that benefits their community; change that benefits their environment. Following the methodology of the electoral commission on referendum and referendum questions - the voluntary Community Council in Torry polled the community - carrying out, in part, its statutory role on planning. 100%, yes 100%, of valid votes cast of approximately 200 people made it clear that “I want St Fittick’s Park to remain a green space as a community park.” None wanted, in part or whole, for the last large accessible green space to be made into an industrial site.

Of a population of around 10,000 people, the people of Torry should as an average have about 0.2% of the Control of Major Accident Hazards (COMAH) sites in Scotland in or around our area - yet we have over twenty times that number. Torry is already surrounded by industrial and or contaminated land. Taking a further large accessible green space will continue to add to the poor rates of health.

In 2021, local medical practitioners wrote advising that building on the park would ‘permanently undermine’ efforts to tackle health inequality. Men living in Torry have on average 13 years less life expectancy than wealthier parts of the city and residents of Torry have on average 20 years less healthy life expectancy.

Based on information in the public domain and speaking with ETZ Ltd, no health impact assessment has happened and already the protective status of the park was taken in December 2022 - it is concerning what access, information and its tone and presentation is being given to Councillors from different quarters.

No one is doubting climate change, yet taking needed green space from a community while speaking about helping the environment is projecting greenwashing to both residents and you city Councillors alike.

Jobs are repeatedly claimed perhaps to sweeten the deal and ease conscience when voting on such plans while at the same time perhaps deflecting further harm is risked to our community and environment. What is certain is that homes in Torry and across the North East need to insulate all homes to EPC C standard in ten years.

Are you aware of a draft plan to insulate all homes to EPC C standard in Torry for an estimated £38million? This and the wider area WILL result in real and needed jobs.

Councillors, no doubt Council officers have made you aware of HMRC’s Green book 2022 ‘how to appraise policies, programmes and projects’. It also provides guidance on the design and use of monitoring and evaluation before, during and after implementation. Appraisal of alternative policy options is an inseparable part of detailed policy development and design.

With this in mind and the knowledge that local people and doctors state the need to keep the park and the need to look at alternatives.

Let me submit to you an outline strategic alternative plan that visually creates a way to protect the park, create thousands of jobs, improve health - taking pressure off the NHS, improving our energy security and lowering energy bills for residents of Torry primarily, and beyond in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.

Aberdeen City Council has conflicts of interest being one of the parties that created a business case with three other parties and resulted in ETZ Ltd; Aberdeen City Council has control of the land and is likely to make money from the rent or sale of the land plus is the planning authority.

Defer further plans before the one-sided planning appeal kicks in favouring speculators over communities and indeed the City Council (who no doubt won’t want to pay for legal costs), and review the land use situation - ETZ Ltd themselves acknowledge they are unclear of the use.

Apart from personal data, publish the whole business case for scrutiny, including appendices, if the evidence is overwhelming to validate removing part or all of the park, allow people to see the documents.

Fund the community of Torry a fully funded referendum on the future of the park - each tier of government has conflicts of interest - use the evidence of the referendum to demonstrate the public sentiment and assist on its future planning.

It must be very difficult for ward Councillors - with the adversarial nature of politics, dependency on Council officers and their sometime questionable advice - especially when a narrative is perhaps repeatedly given over and over again over time.

Do consider this and allow us to make the voice of the public heard in Torry, it is clear it is about keeping the park.”

Members asked questions of Mr McLean and thanked him for his contribution.