The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Business success for pupils
YOUNG ENTERPRISE Scotland helped high school pupils across Fife establish 12 business companies over the last academic year.
Pupils elected a board of directors, raised share capital and marketed and financed a range of products and services.
The YES programme helped pupils learn about all aspects of business whilst being mentored by local business people.
Woodmill, Inverkeithing, Waid Academy, Balwearie, Madras College, Kirkland, Bell Baxter, Dunfermline and St Leonards high schools were all involved.
The companies traded on a part-time basis for around three months — with average revenues of £486 per company and total sales for allyes enterprises of £5,835 — the full-year trading equivalent of more than £233,000.
Fife’s overall 2012 winners were Balwearie High School with their c o m p a ny Limitless, whilst Inverkeithing High School were runners up with Intensity Enterprise.
Madras College scooped two awards with their company Veg from the Hedge which worked in collaboration with local farms to produce and sell veg boxes.
The Madras College pupils scooped the best green business and best exhibition prizes. PROPOSALS TO streamline Scotland’s planning system were welcomed by the property and construction trade yesterday.
Planning Minister Derek Mackay yesterday launched consultations aimed at improving the efficiency of the system and removing unnecessary obstacles.
Proposals include linking planning performance with fees in a system which will charge greater sums to determine complex cases and less for ruling on more routine applications.
Mr Mackay said: “I do not want to dispense with essential procedures or appraisals, but ensure that those in place are an aid, not a barrier to better informed discussions, with individuals, developers and communities.
“Planning has an impor- tant role to play in delivering sustainable economic growth. Developers and communities have told me that they are not solely concerned about the speed of planning decisions, but also with the certainty of timescales and the predictability of outcomes.
Scottish Property Federation director David Melhuish said: “While it will be important to have as competitive a fee structure as possible, we welcome the strong emphasis on linking any increase in planning fees to a significant improvement in the performance of the planning service.
“In addition, our members have consistently raised concerns with ministers that we need to see progress on limiting or making more proportionate the cost of up-front reports, multiple consents and appraisals which can be a severe cost to applicants.”
Allan Lundmark, planning director of building industry body Homes for Scotland, said the greater speed and efficiency promised by the changes of the 2006 Planningact have not yet materialised.
“So, whilst we welcome the suggestion of a betterfunded planning system through higher fees, this must be on the strict understanding that it results in a step-change in performance,” he said.
“Strategic and local plans are also no quicker than under the previous system and this is a further area of concern. High-quality plans, produced quickly but subject to full and open scrutiny, remain an important tool for promoting growth. Thereafter, more eff icient processing of planning applications and related consents is crucial for investor confidence.”