SNP and Labour have clashed over plans to overhaul Fife’s planning process.
Opposition planning spokesman John Beare said community councils across the region opposed proposals to deprive area committees of local development decisions.
Fife Council’s Labour administration intends to shrink the current system by forming centralised planning committees. Leader Alex Rowley said six of the seven area committees had backed the option of three Fife planning committees. North East Fife area committee wanted to see the current system retained.
Mr Beare said the local authority’s planning committee did not share the same view.
”We currently operate a system of local planning committees based on the area committees of Fife,” he said. ”This works very well and I welcome the support of the planning committee for that view.
”The setup we have had for the past five years means that almost all planning applications requiring a committee decision went to the appropriate area committee for a decision.
”A major advantage of this system is that local members, with local knowledge, can determine applications which affect their communities.
”The moves by the Labour administration to create three regional planning committees will only centralise decision making and remove the valuable input of local members.
”It also flies in the face of the stated ambition of the administration to decentralise decision making. I know that community councils the length and breath of Fife are opposing this centralisation.
”The committee were advised that overnight a further seven community councils had written to the planning service expressing their opposition to these plans.
”Despite the assertions of the Labour administration, they were unable to provide a single shred of evidence that their wish to move to three regional committees will bring any employment opportunities or provide any more affordable housing for the people of Fife.
”In fact, only one of their members spoke in favour of any change at all.
”The options paper will now be discussed at a future meeting of the Labour dominated executive committee, who will make recommendations to full council.
”I urge anyone interested in retaining the responsibility for planning at a local level to make their opinions known.”
Because North East Fife councillors accepted a three-committee system as a second-choice option, the council maintained there was unanimous support for the proposals.
Under the current system, the seven area committees can make local decisions, with some developments referred to the planning committee.
Mr Rowley said: ”The move to three planning committees from the current eight planning committees is now a move in the right direction.
”This would mean a more efficient use of resources within the planning service and would result in more knowledgeable and skilled councillors in the three new planning committees.”
A full report on the review process is set to go before full council later this year.