Clovenfords campaigners reject council leader's apology

David Knox • Published 16 Jul 2010 10:11 Comments 1 Comment

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COUNCIL leader David Parker has made a public apology to Clovenfords campaigners after a confidential decision was leaked.

Furious residents from the Old Vineries have fought for over two years against an access road for the village's planned new school being built through their amenity land.

Their campaign and refusal to sell the ground to the local authority led to the Scottish Government holding a public enquiry.

The dozen households involved in the school road stand-off were promised by Reporters at the meeting that they would learn of the decision over the Compulsory Purchase Order at the same time as all other interested parties.

But almost a week before the official letters from Holyrood dropped through their letter boxes in Clovenfords - the decision had spread through the grapevine.

The Border Telegraph and local radio stations also announced the decision days before formal notification was received by the residents.

Tony Birch, who lives on the Old Vineries, told us: "We were promised that when a decision was reached we would all be told on the same day.

"It seemed everybody knew except us."

The decision was passed to council leader David Parker in strict confidence from the Scottish Government department on Friday, July 2.

After notifying his deputy leader, Neil Calvert, Clovenfords councillor Gavin Logan was drawn into the ring of confidence. But the Tweeddale East member alerted the village's community council and also the media.

Mr Parker said: "We are genuinely sorry for the way this information came out and I whole-heartedly apologise to the residents of the Old Vineries.

"Confidential information is provided to us from time to time so that we can be prepared for Government announcements. Unfortunately nobody told Councillor Logan that the information was confidential - it was a genuine mistake on his part and there are no conspiracies going on."

The leader telephoned the Clovenfords campaigners at the end of last week to apologise. And Councillor Logan visited some of the householders to express his own regret.

He said: "Scottish Borders Council omitted to tell me the information was confidential. It is now time to move on and for the village to pull together and rejoice in the fact that we are getting a new school."

But the livid landowners are far from forgiveness. And they maintain that the new school access road will be used as a link road to the proposed new Barratt Homes development, which was granted planning permission three years ago.

Mike Stanley from the Old Vineries explained: "We have been made out to be the bad ones throughout all of this. The only reason we all objected, and continue to object, is because the access road to the school is also being used as a link road through a new housing development.

"Instead of amenity land, which we have all looked after with pride, we will have a road servicing 70 new houses at Meigle Farm. At the end of the day it doesn't matter who told who, someone leaked the information in the first place which says to me none of them can be trusted."

It is believed angry exchanges have also taken place between the Scottish Government's Directorate for Planning Appeals department and the local authority about the leak.

Sandra Stanley lives just yards from where the new access road will be built. She said: "The children need a new school and we didn't have an issue with where it is being built - but they way the council have gone about things is deplorable. They have constantly denied that the access road is being used for the Barratt Homes estate - we have been lied to all the way through this and the final insult came right at the end."

Despite repeated requests to Scottish Borders Council for information about work beginning on the new Clovenfords school and access road, nobody returned our calls.

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VineriesResident
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Oct 26, 16:54
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Well SBC started the work anyway, and CPO'd the land, but have so far omitted to pay us residents for it...!!!! Oh and then threatened us for not maintaining the 'amenity land' they now own...

Scottish Borders Council - inept, unfit for purpose and no 'customer management skills' whatsoever!

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