Save Our Seafront

Text of Press release sent to Largs & Millport Weekly News. 

 

 

24th April 2009

Councillor Alex Gallagher Issues a Call to Protect Largs Seafront From Insensitive Development

 

Local Labour Councillor Alex Gallagher today issued a call for his colleagues to support his plan for more protection for the seafront in Largs.

 

“Given the recent controversy over Moorburn House it has become clear to me that the seafront area, which is a jewel in the crown of Largs, is vulnerable to attempts at insensitive planning. At present the seafront is protected by agreed planning “guidelines”, but these are not the strongest defence that we can envisage.”

 

Stating that the creation of a new Development Plan for North Ayrshire provided a unique opportunity to set the planning rules more tightly and in perpetuity, Councillor Gallagher said, “I believe that, during the previous Development Plan Process a suggestion was made that Largs seafront should enjoy Conservation Area Status, but this was rejected by the Reporter at the time. Now that the Development Plan is being rewritten, we have a real opportunity to reverse this decision,”

 

Calling for the support of all local councillors in this endeavour, Cllr Gallagher said, “We need to be united on this. I believe if all four local councillors can get together to influence the plan and persuade the relevant authorities, we may have a chance of giving our seafront the protection it needs from the type of development which has destroyed so many of our seafront vistas in the last ten years.”

 

Pointing out that there are previous examples of successful seafront campaigns, and that all of the other councillors had been in support of these campaigns, he stated “If we can all be supportive of this idea, it has a chance to work. If we are divided, we have much less chance of success. The alternative, with blocks of flats and other unsuitable developments on the Largs seafront, is too horrible to contemplate”.

 

“To this end I have written to the Assistant Chief Executive (Legal and Protective Services) and the Planning Development Manager to alert them of the need for greater protection for Largs seafront, and to ask them to ensure that it is given proper consideration in the Development Plan Process, and to all North Coast Ward elected members asking for their support for these aims.”

 

 

Alex Gallagher

Councillor Ward Eight

 

 

Moorburn decided at last…?

Moorburn update again

16th April

At a special meeting of the council to discuss the sale of Moorburn the issue was finally rejected by the council. As the matter had been decided by the council less than 6 months ago, it was necessary to suspend standing orders so that the issue could be discussed again, but the necessary two-thirds majority was not reached.

The issue has divided the local councillors, the council itself and the SNP, but it should now be now dead. 

I Don’t Beelieeeeve it!

On the 9th of April at the North Coast Area Committee, Elisabethe Marshall opposed the grants which Largs Viking Festival had applied for: grants which have been applied for successfully over many years, and which are vital for the success of the festival. Since myself and Alan Hill are directors of the Viking Festival Committee and were therefore (rightly) barred from voting on our own grant applications,  the committee could not reach a decision and the grants were refused, at least until some solution is found to the impasse. 

You may ask why a local councillor would apparently want the Viking Festival to fail. I have to say it is difficult to see any defensible explanation for Cllr Marshall’s behaviour.

It can’t be political….. at least I can hardly believe that it the policy of North Ayrshire Conservatives for the Largs Viking Festival to be deprived of money and support…… can you?

continued…over the weekend I attempted to find out if Mrs Marshall was following local Conservative Group Policy. I wrote an email to Pat McPhee, the Conservative Group Leader on the Council. She replied that as she  wasn’t at the meeting and knew nothing of the relationships of the people on the Committee or the details of the running of the festival, it would be wrong to comment.

 However, she did say that there is no Conservative policy on the allocation of such grants.

 I replied that I was not clear what point she was making. The relationships of people on the committee should have no bearing: local grants to local festivals should not be political footballs or due to personalities. The question for me is: is Elisabethe Marshall acting with the support of the Conservative Group or not?

 If Liz is politicising the grants, (and even if she isn’t), the Tories risk ridicule and harm in Largs and beyond because of her behaviour. Ridicule and harm to the Conservative cause would normally be no skin off my nose, but I like to seek co-operation if possible and I have always believed that local issues are solved more easily if we can keep party politics out of it.

 I just thought, as Conservative Group Leader, Pat McPhee might like to talk to Liz and at least try to stop her causing a stink in Largs, and making a fool of herself and of the Tories in the bargain, before the whole thing blows up and becomes an issue in the North Coast Ward, at least. . 

 As of Monday evening 13th April, I have had no response to my second email….

 

More… late on 13th April I got an email from Elisabethe Marshall, although I make the presumption that it was written by  Tom.

 

It said, among other things

 

“Cllr Gallagher fails to make it clear that the Largs Viking Festival (LVF) Grant Applications were continued ( not refused as he states)  to the next meeting as were other grants.”

 

I said, if you read the post, that Liz Marshall opposed the grants at the meeting. She did. The applications were not successful. If they were successful, we would not be having this discussion.

 

“Further information on the operation of LVF has been requested.The grant was delayed last year for other enquiries”

 

Just because the grant was delayed last year doesn’t mean it has to be delayed this year.

 

“To talk of  “failure “of  LVF”

 

No-one has talked of “failure” of the Festival. In any public pronouncement I have been clear that the 2008 Festival was a relative success, and that the new Festival Committee would build on that success. 

 

“The reason  for the delay is that in the last few months according to Companies House  in Edinburgh, 6 Directors of Largs Viking Festival have resigned.”

 

 Liz resigned of her own volition and she knows exactly the circumstances which have seen the improvements in committee membership and attendance.  

 

There are other comments about the LVF committee, but as they are presented without evidence or context, they are IMO unfounded, so I have not reproduced them here.