Autumn News from APRS

Autumn News!

Dear <<First Name>>

Today we are launching a new campaign on data centres. You might be wondering why a countryside charity is campaigning on data centres... so I have written a blog to explain. Read on to find out more about the campaign.

The Plan for our Winter Webinars is also starting to take shape so please book on to the first two which are ready to go - on historic monuments and planning and the launch of our report on battery storage and planning.

We have news on the Natural Environment Bill, our Manifesto for the Holyrood elections and the appeal on the Europark development as well as other news.

If you enjoy our e-bulletin please do consider joining APRS or making a donation - we only have three part-time members of staff and we raise most of our money from supporters, members and donations, so even small amounts of money make a big difference to us!

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I took the header photo in Dunkeld last year and am planning a visit to the Hermitage again next week. I hope you are all getting out to enjoy the autumn colours. All the best!

From Kat, Laura and Nikki

Ps please do pass onto others if you think they will enjoy the newsletter.

This Year's Winter Webinars!
In November we will start the webinar series with a look into the historic environment and the planning system. And we'll also be looking at battery storage, environmental justice and judicial review - we'll be holding another in-person event at the end of April.

Book now

Our New Campaign!
Did you know that one data centre uses as much energy as all the households in a city the size of Glasgow? Read about our new campaign on data centres which are the biggest threat to both our net zero targets and our countryside and landscapes.

Natural Environment Bill Update

The Stage 1 Committee report on the Natural Environmental Bill is out. We are particularly working on the section on National Parks, and were pleased to see that the committee supports a stronger duty on public bodies to support the aims of National Parks.

Energy Project Update

Our volunteers Katie and Cameron are nearing the end of the policy analysis and data collection for our Battery Storage research. Cameron has looked through the paperwork of 76 consented projects and we will report on the findings and our recommendations both for campaigners and for Government at our 3rd December webinar.

Cochno Battery Project Consented
A Battery Storage facility on a 29 Hectare Green Belt site near to the famous Cochno Stone in Faifley has been consented by Scottish Government. The same week Scottish Government approved seven battery energy storage system (BESS) projects representing over 2.3 GW of energy storage capacity.

Read our reactions

Our Changing Landscapes
Back in the Spring we asked people to photograph views from spots documented in a 1936 APRS photo publication we found while looking through our archive. I stopped off at a few sites on the way to Glenelg last month and have updated the website. If you'll be in the areas marked by the map - do get your camera out!

Find out more

Read our response

Forth Land Use Strategy
We have responded to the consultation on the next iteration of the Land Use Strategy. We are concerned that Regional Land Use Partnerships are only mentioned in passing in this consultation and there is a lack of any levers or processes by which the vision in this document can be realised. Land Use Planning could be a powerful tool to help manage the land use change needed due to climate impacts - planning out the best places to deliver land-based adaptation and mitigation, realise the potential of multi-functional land use and to guide the places where renewables and energy infrastructure should be located and which areas should be avoided.

Catch-up Online

Our bonus webinar with Planning Democracy exploring how Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS) can do far more than manage rainwater and prevent flooding is online to watch again.

Watch the webinar

APRS Manifesto
We are starting the campaign to get APRS priorities into the manifestos for the Holyrood Elections in May. This includes Land Use Planning, guidance on Battery Storage, measures to reduce litter and promote the circular economy, and an equal right of appeal for communities. Read our full asks below and please write to your candidates to let them know what you would like to see in their manifesto.

Europark Appeal
We have been keeping you updated on the application for nearly 1000 houses, business premises and associated infrastructure in the Green Belt between Calderbank and Coatbridge. After a short celebration of planning refusal we are now working with the community to fight an appeal from the developers. I am sure all APRS supporters send wishes to the Save Woodhall and Faskine local action group as they continue this 9 year fight.

Read our appeal submission

Who are Environmental Standards Scotland (ESS)?
ESS were established post-Brexit to ensure environmental law in Scotland is effective and is being complied with by public bodies. We asked them to tell us a bit about what they do and how their work can support campaigners working to protect Scotland’s countryside, biodiversity and landscapes.

Read about ESS

New Guidance -

RSPB has published a useful guide to the Scottish Planning System on their website. We highly recommend these resources to compliment our recent Joint Biodiversity and Planning webinar series.

We have also added resources on Common Good from the Scottish Land Commission and ERCS guidance on Planning Conditions to our webpages.

Other News

Circular Economy

We are very disappointed in a lack of progress in dealing with waste and litter since the government passed the Circular Economy Act last year and we demand that more action be taken. The Global Plastics Treaty negotiations in Geneva were a global moment calling for governments to step up their action and ambition. APRS signed an open letter to the Scottish Government calling on them to do more to protect people and nature from plastic pollution.

Other Manifestos

A few manifestos have caught our eye over the last weeks - LINK launched their Manifesto which has had input from all their members, including APRS. We are especially interested in their section on Land Use and Nature Networks, including Regional Land Use Partnerships. Other manifestos we have been excited to read, and which cross over with some of our own passions and asks are: ERCS, Ramblers and Planning Democracy

Happy Birthday ERCS

We were delighted to be asked along to the Environmental Rights Centre Scotland (ERCS) fifth birthday party. ERCS have been so important to APRS in offering legal advice to us, and the communities we work with and support, in areas of complex planning law. We are looking forward to running a joint webinar with them in January on Judicial Review and Freedom of Information.

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