logo
Google Earth images used as evidence to reject planning appeal

Google Earth images used as evidence to reject planning appeal

BBC News6 days ago
A planning appeal has been thrown out after Google Earth satellite images were used to disprove claims by the company making the application. RCR Limited said the former gasworks site they had taken over in Innerleithen about three years ago had been used as storage for more than 30 years.Earlier this year, their plan to turn the gasholder site into a storage yard was rejected by the Scottish Borders Council, a decision which they appealed for the Scottish government to overturn.That appeal has now been rejected after the Google Earth images from 2007, 2014 and 2022 showed no sign of storage on the land.
RCR Limited bought the site from gas distribution company SGN on 2 November 2022. Their plans to turn the site into an "excellent storage space" was dismissed by the council on the grounds of a flood risk. The company appealed against this decision, claiming the site had been used as a storage area by the previous occupiers.RCR said SGN and other suppliers had used the Princes Street space to store waste, signs, barriers and other materials.They said that turning the site into a storage yard was just a continuation of what had gone on before. However, in documents related to application, SGN said: "While the site may have been used by the local depot as a storage area, officially, the site was classified as vacant with access for maintenance purposes only."SGN said that it would be an overstatement to say the site was used for storage.
'Heavily overgrown'
In his appeal decision notice, the planning reporter appointed by Scottish ministers, Malcolm Mahony, said aerial imagery from Google Earth in July 2022, showed the site as overgrown, with blocks at the entrance.Further images from 2007, 2014 and 2022 do not show reasonable evidence of storage use, he said.Storage containers only appear in the Google Earth search in the year 2025.However, three years before that, the satellite images show trees and greenery around the site area. Locals from the nearby small town in Tweeddale had also disagreed with RCR's storage claims. In a written letter to the Scottish government planning appeal, Aileen Logan who has lived near the site for about 45 years, said: "At that time there was a working gasometer on the site."This was subsequently removed and the site was locked up and abandoned becoming heavily overgrown.""At no time did the Gas Board use this site for storage."She said the street leading to the site is extremely narrow and would be unsuitable for works traffic. Ross McGinn, who has lived near the site for more than 30 years and is part of Innerleithen Community Trust, said that RCR's claims were "totally false".After reviewing the evidence, Mr Mahony said that on the balance of probability there was insufficient evidence of continuous use throughout the 10 year period required and the appeal fails.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Lloyds Bank profits rise as mortgage lending and savings balances swell
Lloyds Bank profits rise as mortgage lending and savings balances swell

The Independent

time2 hours ago

  • The Independent

Lloyds Bank profits rise as mortgage lending and savings balances swell

Lloyds Banking Group has unveiled a higher-than-expected profit for the first half of 2025, as it benefited from a jump in lending and savings balances. The group, which incorporates Lloyds Bank, Halifax and Bank of Scotland, reported a pre-tax profit of £3.5 billion for the first six months of the year – 5% higher than a year ago, Earnings for the first half also came in ahead of the £3.2 billion analysts had expected. Lloyds said total lending to customers increased by £11.9 billion over the period, or 3%, driven by UK mortgages with some 33,000 first-time buyers borrowing on a home. Customer deposits also grew by £11.2 billion, or 2%, following a strong season for ISAs, while more people moved money out of current accounts and into savings. Meanwhile, Lloyds confirmed there had been no change to its motor finance provision, having set aside £1.2 billion to cover potential costs and compensation related to commission arrangements. The group is exposed to the motor finance market through its Black Horse business. Charlie Nunn, the group's chief executive, said: 'We continue to make great progress in our purpose-driven strategy, building differentiated customer outcomes and delivering growth across our business as we build towards our ambitious targets for 2026.'

Whisky tariffs to be halved by ‘fantastic' India trade deal
Whisky tariffs to be halved by ‘fantastic' India trade deal

The Independent

time2 hours ago

  • The Independent

Whisky tariffs to be halved by ‘fantastic' India trade deal

Tariffs on whisky being exported to India are set to be halved as part of a trade deal with the UK. Sir Keir Starmer will welcome his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on Thursday to sign the deal, which will see tariffs on whisky cut from 150% to 75%, and potentially dropping to 40% in the next decade. While tariffs on soft drinks will drop gradually from 33% to 0%, the UK Government estimated a £190 million boost for Scotland as a result of the deal. Speaking ahead of the signing, Scottish Secretary Ian Murray said: 'This is great news for Scotland and Scottish jobs. 'Our trade deal with India is fantastic news for Brand Scotland, with our goods, businesses and services gaining access to what is projected to be the world's third-largest economy by 2027. 'From food, drink and textiles production, to clean energy, advanced manufacturing, life sciences and financial services, Scotland has so much to offer India. 'It's fantastic news in particular for the world-famous whisky industry, with Indian import tariffs slashed on Scotch having the potential to be transformational for the industry. It's also good news for our other national drink, with tariffs on soft drinks cut. 'As the UK Government delivers our Plan for Change, we are also bringing inward investment to Scotland to create jobs, boost economic growth and improve living standards right across the UK.' Scotch Whisky Association chief executive Mark Kent said the industry had 'long championed' a deal with India, adding: 'The signing of the FTA is an historic moment and is an important milestone to reducing tariffs on Scotch whisky in a growing market. 'This will contribute to the Government's growth objective, by laying the foundations for further investment and jobs.'

Campaigners walk 185-miles across Scotland for land justice
Campaigners walk 185-miles across Scotland for land justice

Scotsman

time3 hours ago

  • Scotsman

Campaigners walk 185-miles across Scotland for land justice

The walk covers a varied range of landownership from community ownership to venture-capital owned places. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Dozens of campaigners for land justice are set to walk across Scotland for their cause. The 185-mile trek will see participants march between the Isle of Skye and Glasgow in September in a mission called 'Just Walk.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Organisers behind the event, Grassroots to Global, a Scotland-based group campaigning for political change and community empowerment, said the walk will 'rekindle the spirit of those who resisted The Clearances, and who fought for Land Justice during the Crofters Wars.' David Lees or Grassroots Global which is behind the Just Walk event | David Lees The three-week-long excursion is also aimed at bringing conversations of land ownership in Scotland more to the fore. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The campaign group points to the increasing number of private companies buying up large swathes of land in Scotland. David Lees, from Grassroots to Global, said: 'We see this very much in the footsteps of The Jarrow March in the '30s and the Marches for Jobs in the 1980s. Five views in one: Knoydart, Sleat, Eigg, Rum, South Uist | Andy Tibbetts 'Despite past campaigns, there are still huge land ownership issues and we now see venture capital companies buying up huge estates in Scotland. 'The march will allow us to highlight injustices, by drawing attention to a system where communities are often excluded from decision-making about the land they live on.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Covering almost 200 miles, the walkers are set to cross different types of land ownership, from community owned to venture-capital owned, Forestry Land Scotland property to private land. 'We will be holding up a magnifying glass to these different places as well as testing the right to roam,' Mr Lees said. He said while traversing Loch Lomond, the walkers hope to speak to nearby communities about the Flamingo-land controversy. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Community Land Scotland (CLS), the main organisations behind community ownership in Scotland, supported the project. Dr Josh Doble, CLS's director of policy and advocacy, said: 'We welcome this walk as a great opportunity to raise awareness of the archaic and deeply unjust issues around land ownership in Scotland. 'It's a long walk, through an area where there is a wide variety of land ownership from corporate, to public, to various levels of private. 'There are also some community owned landholdings en route, which we hope will provide inspiration for what is possible in terms of local economic, social and environmental development if more communities take ownership of land. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'The over-concentration of land in so few private hands is highly unusual globally and Just Walk can help raise public awareness of the need for radical change.' The Land Reform (Scotland) Bill is currently being debated in the Scottish Parliament and is at stage two, where it has seen more than 500 amendments. It has faced major criticism from rural organisations, including estates membership organisation Scottish Land and Estates (SL&E) which claimed some measures, including the breaking up of estates, will result in lasting damage to Scotland's rural economy. Others have argued the paper does not go far enough in splitting large land holdings. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad According to a blog post written last year by land campaigner and former Scottish Greens MSP Andy Wightman, 433 landowners owned 50 per cent of the privately-owned rural land in 2024 compared to 440 in 2012. The 'Just Walk' walkers will leave from Broadford on Skye on September 17 across the hills out of Knoydart and on to Glenfinnan. After crossing the Corran Ferry, the marchers head for Ballachulish and Glen Coe, before following the West Highland Way to Carbeth and finishing at the Broomielaw in Glasgow on October 7.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store