Planning permission for Sanquhar Common Good lands acquired by Buccleuch Estates.

Fiona Cameron made this Freedom of Information request to Dumfries and Galloway Council This request has been closed to new correspondence. Contact us if you think it should be reopened.

Dumfries and Galloway Council did not have the information requested.

Dear Dumfries and Galloway Council,

This request under The Freedom of Information Act is a follow up to an earlier request as shown here:

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/f...

It has been noted that the lands which Buccleuch Estates acquired unlawfully from Sanquhar Common Good holdings, have been destined for development. This is one example:

http://www.buccleuchruralsolutions.com/c...

Please provide the following information concerning these lands which were acquired by Buccleuch Estates:

1) Were there any applications for planning permission made subsequent to the lands being sold on by Buccleuch Estates?

2) Did Buccleuch Estates make any applications for planning permission, or change of use for these lands?

3) Given the potential for development, was this considered when valuing the lands as being for agricultural use only?

4) What planning applications have been made in respect of these lands, including outline applications?

Yours faithfully,

Fiona Cameron

Dumfries and Galloway Council

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION (SCOTLAND) ACT 2002

Thank you for your request for information which was received on 28/10/2016 which we are dealing with in terms of the above legislation. We have given your request the unique reference 220913 and we would appreciate it if you could quote this on all correspondence to us.

Under the terms of the legislation, we have an obligation to respond to your request within 20 working days from the day after your request was received. We will therefore aim to respond to your request by 25/11/2016.

Please be aware that, in some circumstances, a fee may be payable for the retrieval, collation and provision of the information you have requested. If this is the case, a fees notice will be issued, which would need to be paid in order to progress your request.

If your request for information is considered and deemed as a 'business as usual' request, it will be responded to by the appropriate Service within the Council.

If you have any queries in the meantime, please contact [email address].

Kind Regards

FOI Unit
Dumfries and Galloway Council

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Dumfries and Galloway Council

Please find below the Council's response to your request 220913 which was received on 28/10/2016.

Details of request: This request under The Freedom of Information Act is a follow up to an earlier request as shown here:

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/f...

It has been noted that the lands which Buccleuch Estates acquired unlawfully from Sanquhar Common Good holdings, have been destined for development. This is one example:

http://www.buccleuchruralsolutions.com/c...

Please provide the following information concerning these lands which were acquired by Buccleuch Estates:

1) Were there any applications for planning permission made subsequent to the lands being sold on by Buccleuch Estates?

2) Did Buccleuch Estates make any applications for planning permission, or change of use for these lands?

3) Given the potential for development, was this considered when valuing the lands as being for agricultural use only?

4) What planning applications have been made in respect of these lands, including outline applications?

Response:

In relation to points 1, 2 and 4, there are no records on our planning system which show planning applications or permissions concerning these lands. Therefore in accordance with Section 17(1)(b) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, Dumfries and Galloway Council advises you that it does not hold the information you have requested.

In relation to point 3, the answer is no.

Please be aware that the Council holds the copyright, where applicable, for the information provided and it may be reproduced free of charge in any format or media without requiring specific permission. This is subject to the material not being used in a misleading context. The source of the material must be acknowledged as Dumfries and Galloway Council and the title of the document must be included when being reproduced as part of another publication or service.

If you require any further clarification, please contact us. However, if you are not satisfied with the way in which your request has been dealt with, you can request us to carry out an internal review of the decision by emailing [email address] within 40 working days of receiving this response. Thereafter, if you remain dissatisfied with our review decision, you can appeal in writing to: The Office of the Scottish Information Commissioner, Kinburn Castle, Doubledykes Road, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 9DS.

Kind Regards

FOI Unit
Dumfries and Galloway Council

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Council may require to be disclosed by the
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Dear Dumfries and Galloway Council,

Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.

I am writing to request an internal review of Dumfries and Galloway Council's handling of my FOI request 'Planning permission for Sanquhar Common Good lands acquired by Buccleuch Estates.'.

You state that you do not have any applications for planning permission on your system but there is one property that has been built (and is occupied) on some of the lands in question. This property is modern and can only have been constructed recently. It is called Millbank. The site at Lawyer's Brae, advertised for sale for a large scale residential development, is also included in the lands acquired unlawfully by Buccleuch Estates. This must have had planning permission as the advertisement states it is due for completion in 2014. Please investigate and explain the circumstances in which these properties have been developed in the absence of planning permission if you contend this is not shown on your system.

The response you have provided is at odds with the facts unless the properties, or proposed development, have been constructed without planning permission. The site at Lawyer's Brae has been cleared and appears to have been made ready for construction of a property, or properties. It is in the public interest to clarify this matter.

A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/p...

Yours faithfully,

Fiona Cameron

Dumfries and Galloway Council

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION (SCOTLAND) ACT 2002

Thank you for your request for a formal review which was received on 12/12/2016 and is being dealt with. We will respond within 20 working days from the day after the request was received. A response to your request will be sent promptly, and in any event not later than 11/01/2017.

If you have any queries in the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact [email address].

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Council may require to be disclosed by the
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FOI, Dumfries and Galloway Council

1 Attachment

Dear Ms Cameron,

 

Please find attached a letter of response to your request for a Review of
FOI 220913.

 

Regards,

 

Aaron

 

 

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Any email message sent or received by the
Council may require to be disclosed by the
Council under the provisions of the Freedom
of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.