Gospel Trust hopes councillors will 'see the light'

by Morag Ledingham

PETERHEAD Gospel Trust is seeking permission to erect a car park and install lighting on land at the town's Craignabo Road.

Plans for the work will go before members of the Buchan area committee who meet in Peterhead later today (Tuesday).

At present the trust has an existing surfaced car park accommodating around 22 cars located beside its hall at Bellvue, Dales Road. It is proposing to extend its car parking area into a grassed area to the north-west of the hall in order to promote additional parking for around 14 cars.

It is proposed to construct the car park by means of laying down a terrain membrane to be covered by loose 40mm scalpings. Low level flood lighting is also proposed.

The trust says it would be prepared to accept a temporary consent as once their new hall at Waterside is built it will be relocating whereupon the parking needs at Craignabo Road will be much reduced, as that site will serve local needs only.

Councillors will hear that the existing site is located at the end of a small cul de sac at Craignabo Road within a prime residential part of town. The site itself comprises a grassed are to the rear of an existing house.

In a report to members, planning officer Katherine Donnachie says the parking provision is already in excess of that required by current planning policies for the development and within the next two years the applicant will have built a new facility at Waterside.<[> "The maximum standards require a total of six spaces to be provided. The existing spaces, coupled with the proposed spaces, would total 36," she says.

"I have therefore suggested to the applicants that they simply continue in the short-term to use the grassed area beside the hall for overspill car parking until the new facility is built. However, they wish to develop this proposal for a surfaced car park."

Ms. Donnachie adds: "The current hall car parking provision already exceeds the recommended provision and the extension will aggravate this.

"In these circumstances the development fails to comply with planning policies. There are alternatives available in terms of accessing the site, for example the public car park at the Lido. This is within reasonable walking distance.

"Consequently, in order to comply with green transport policies, refusal of this application is recommended."

Blue Toon Baha'is trip

A GROUP of Baha'is from Peterhead and Central Buchan visited Kirkwell on the Orkney Islands to join in the celebration of the 50th golden jubilee for the Baha'is of Orkney.

The event was held at the Quayside suite of the Pickaquay Centre with special guest MSP Jim Wallace. The local community presented a history of the establishment of the Baha'i faith on Orkney during the last 50 years to the audience.

Children, adults and guests attended then enjoyed an evening of fun with a dramatic dance event.

Following is the URL to the original story. The site may have removed or archived this story. URL: http://www.buchanie.co.uk/archived/2003/Week_041/news/plangospel.asp