A recent clear out of the Speer Dade archives turned up an old copy of ‘Planning’ magazine dated 8th January 1999.
Fascinating to see what has changed over the last 14 years but a quick scan of the mag reveals the answer is ‘not a lot’. A selection of headlines include ‘Minister to shame dawdling councils’, ‘New homes figures spark rural protest’, ‘Local solutions to local problems’ and ‘Offshore wind farms address objections’.
Clearly not much is new with identical issues still preoccupying the planning world today.
That said, the announcement of the end of feudal planning powers in Scotland, as recently as 1999, comes as something of a surprise. Previously home and business owners on rural estates were at the mercy of the whims of the Laird, to whom they had to apply for planning permission.
Mind you, with the rise of localism, the scope for powerful individuals to influence their communities’ development and planning permission remains to this day.