Legal action against Faslane Peace Camp looks set to be considered by councillors next week.
As revealed here, Argyll and Bute Council has been urged to act after residents at the anti-nuclear site started work on a permanent building.
And on Thursday councillors will discuss the issue both in public and behind closed doors.
A brief agenda item for the public part of the full council meeting in Lochgilphead gives background information, while another report will be discussed in private because it includes counsel’s opinion about legal proceedings.
The public report, by executive director for customer services Douglas Hendry, gives the site’s history – it is has been owned by Argyll and Bute since 1996, when it was passed on by the former Strathclyde Regional Council.
The regional council entered into a lease agreement with ‘Faslane Peace Campers’ in 1992, says Mr Hendry, adding: “This lease remains the basis on which the camp is currently occupied and sets out inter alia the conditions with which the occupants must comply and the notice required to terminate the occupation.”
The site was given planning permission for ‘retention of peace camp’ in the same year, and in 1985 was given a caravan sites licence which allows up to ten caravans or tents.
In 1998 Argyll and Bute was granted a warrant to evict the peace campers, but this was never implemented.
Residents and Rhu and Shandon Community Council complained about the new building some weeks ago, accusing planners of having ‘double standards’, and Councillor George Freeman took up the case at last month’s meeting in Lochgilphead.
The background documents can be seen by following these links: site licence; lease; planning permission; warrant.
They are also available as PDFs to download from this site: Appendix 1 – Lease; Appendix 2; Appendix 3; Appendix 4
What’s the point A&BC talking about it? They spent a fortune getting the eviction notice and never bothered doing anything.
I agree they wasted money 15 years ago, but what’s the price of fairness? If you built something without planning permission Gavin they’d tell you to knock it down. Why should the peace camp be different?
I wonder if there are more than 10 caravans there nowadays??????
The links to the documents are now inactive. The agenda for the meeting next Thursday has been removed from the A&B website. Second attempt at sending this message. First generated a response that I should “slow down”; suspect it is the broadband speed in North Shandon!
Can anyone explain why part of the discussion has to be held behind closed doors ?
There are certain type of issue which always have to be behind closed doors – in this case details of legal advice, perhaps.