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Bid for Kingston flood barrier dismissed |
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Sunday, 26 February 2006 |
A call to protect a Moray village has been dismissed as premature and based on a false premise.
James Mackie, who was brought up in Garmouth, called for steps to be taken to protect the neighboring village of Kingston from erosion.
Last year he told MSPs the village was in danger of becoming an island if the sea broke through a shifting shingle bank at the mouth of the River Spey.
Mr Mackie, who now lives in Alloa, wanted action at Spey Bay to form the basis of a national scheme on costal and river erosion.
The Scottish Executive told Holyrood’s public petitions committee it had not received any proposals from Moray Council to tackle coastal erosion, or any grant application to its £89 million coastal protection fund.
Moray Council informed the committee that in October 2005 its environmental services committee agreed to appoint consultants to look at the case for protecting the village.
It is estimated the cost of protecting the 250 residents could be £6million.
Moray chief executive Alastair Keddie said in a letter to MSPs that the executive’s
£89 million funding is available until 2008, but moray’s scheme will not be completed in that timescale, by when new arrangements will be in place.
“Clearly the council cannot apply for a grant before a scheme is confirmed by ministers,” he said.
“Mr Mackie’s comment that the council has applied for funding for some schemes but is delaying further action because of limited funding is without foundation.”
Dunbarton Labour MSP Jackie Baille told the committee yesterday that she made the point when Mr Mackie presented his petition that it was “ahead of its time and based on false premise.”
“That has been confirmed by the executive who had indicated they have not had any application and there is substantial funding there and from Moray Council indicating the action they are appropriately taking,” she said.
The committee decided to send Mr Mackie the responses from the executive and Moray Council.
Tim Pauling P&J
The Petitions Committee did not dismiss the Petition as this article states but decided to write to Mr Mackie asking him for his comments about the responses from the Scottish Execrative and Moray Council
A full transcript of the report is available from the Scottish Parliament web site at
http;//www.scotish.parliament.uk/business/committees/petitions/papers-06/pup06-04-current1.pdf
( you will require Adobe reader 7.0 available free from their web site). A hard copy will be available shortly from Mss C Mackie on 870074.
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 26 February 2006 )
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