Councillor slams ‘planning disaster’
BY MARK McGIVERN Chief Reporter
A GANGSTER who threatened to kill his neighbour in a row over a kennels complex on his land has won his bid to keep the building in place.
The move by the Scottish Government planning authorities will let Scott Bennett operate his dog business on green belt land.
But a councillor who has campaigned against the construction last night labelled the decision a “planning disaster”.
Last month, Bennett was fined £1000 and slapped with a three-year non-harassment order at Hamilton Sheriff Court after he admitted threatening to kill next-door neighbour Drew Miller in a row over the kennels.
Bennett told Drew: “You’re getting your cars blown up. I’ll set your house on fire. I’ll batter and stab you myself.”
The 39-year-old, who was jailed in 2016 for dealing cannabis, was brought into court in handcuffs after failing to turn up for an earlier hearing. He claimed he was forced to flee to Spain as a result of being issued an “Osman” threat-tolife warning by police.
The thug previously survived being shot in the face and has a bullet lodged in his neck.
He started erecting the structure at his home without permission and, when planning officials came out and ordered him to stop, he ignored them.
But the Scottish Government’s Reporter has overturned South Lanarkshire Council’s move to reject a recommendation by planning officials, who had granted retrospective planning permission for Bennett’s kennels.
Councillor Graeme Campbell said last night: “This is a planning disaster. It’s the Brae Farm neighbours are who I feel most sorry for.Their lives have been wrecked by the appalling behaviour of Scott Bennett, who cares little for the rule of law.”
Bennett and his wife run an animal fertility clinic in Strathaven. The Scottish Government Reporter wrote: “A range of matters which are unrelated to planning issues were placed before me in this case. However, I should only have regard to material planning considerations in coming to my planning decision.
“The fact that unauthorised development has been carried out, knowingly or otherwise, and changes have been made to the appearance of an area is not on its own a reason to dismiss an appeal.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Planning appeal decisions can only be based on planning grounds.”
The Record attempted to contact Bennett but he did not respond.