Have our politicians funded Salmond?

Alex Salmond has made a messy mistake by using the social media of crowdfunding, which normally evokes pangs of sympathy for the distraught or charitable causes, to fund his legal costs.

The historical allegations are Salmond’s personal problem and his alone.

He should deal with them without enlisting the help of the diehards of the SNP.

Crucially, his problem has nothing to do with the elected remit of SNP politicians, who should totally disassociate themselves from it.

Many voters in Perth and Kinross would find it very sad if local SNP politicians contributed to the controversial fund of this well-heeled and affluent individual.

So this point should be cleared up: did any of them donate to his fund?

Voters should be told. Complete silence may speak volumes, though I leave your readers to draw their own inference. Peter Stuart address supplied above the number contained within the LDP, are not “overdevelopments” of this site.

We know the situation in relation to the adopted LDP confuses people. It is a common misunderstanding that the number of units identified in the plan is the maximum number which can be built.

That is not the case. The numbers given are indicative and intended to indicate how many houses an area may accommodate.

The reality will vary widely depending on the style and density of housing proposed. This is all taken into account as planning applications are submitted for consideration.

The council decided in November 2017 to adopt a new approach by indicating a density range which may be acceptable on individual sites. It was believed this would provide clearer guidance for both communities and developers.

However, the decision taken by the council last week means that we are now proposing that the updated LDP2 indicates that the higher end of the range be treated as a maximum figure.

However, we cannot start implementing this change. First the LDP2 has to be considered by the Scottish Government reporter.

One of the issues the reporter will consider is the reasonableness of the proposals to restrict sites to the maximum number identified in the LDP, regardless of options put forward for house type and layout. It is likely to be spring 2019 before we get the outcome of the reporter’s deliberations.

I hope this clarifies the situation. In the meantime it is important to remember that all existing and upcoming planning applications will be considered against the current LDP. Murray Lyle Leader, Perth and Kinross Council