Council to carry out investigations on land

When asked about the current situation at Scott Way, a PKC spokesperson said the authority had been contacted by a member of the public about an issue regarding verification of a planning condition.

The spokesperson added:“In the course of our investigation over the last six to eight months, the developer has been unable to offer independent verification as required by the condition.

“As the local planning authority we therefore consider it necessary to determine if there is a risk from contamination in the interests of public health and safety.

“To achieve this, breach of conditions notices have been issued to the developer requiring the investigation to be undertaken to verify if the original conditions have been met.

“Alongside this, we are very aware of the sensitive and concerning impact that this possible breach of condition has on the affected residents, and have been in regular contact with them; initially to make them aware of our concerns and advise that we would need to carry out appropriate investigation first and, if necessary, remedy any breach identified.”

Asked why completion certificates were signed off for the houses in Scott Way the spokesperson added:“Regarding the completion certificates, these were accepted by building standards on the basis that the consulting engineer’s requirements had been, to the best of our knowledge, undertaken by the developer, in a manner acceptable in terms of technical standards.

“Planning and building standards are two separate processes under differing legislation.

“There is no provision in the Building Scotland Act to withhold completion certificates for matters outside the scope of the Act.”