SNP Support For Banknock Community In Quarry Public Enquiry

The SNP is throwing its weight behind the Banknock community as the Public Local Enquiry into the controversial quarry expansion gets underway on 14 August.

Falkirk West MSP, Michael Matheson and local SNP Councillor, Martin Oliver are just two of the individuals who will give evidence against the appeal lodged by Skene Engineering against the decision of Falkirk Council while SNP run to refuse their application to extend their quarry works in the village.

For years the company had ignored existing planning conditions to the detriment of the local community. They paid a heavy price for this when their application to extend operations in the village of Banknock was rejected by the council after a well orchestrated campaign by local community groups backed by Mr Matheson and Martin Oliver.

Speaking to the SNP website Cllr Oliver said,

"The decision by Falkirk Council's Planning Committee to refuse this company the right to extend quarry works at their site just outside Banknock was the correct decision.

For too long the company believed they had the right to walk all over local concerns and their presence in the area has been an environmental disaster for the village.

For once we believe that the community were listened to by John Constable's committee and now the challenge is to convince civil servants and planners from Edinburgh that they were right to do so."