A weakness with words which saw a quarry operator win a planning appeal against a local authority has been met with anger.
Members of Fife Council’s Glenrothes area committee criticised council officers following the decision of the Scottish Government to uphold appeals by the operator of Lomond Quarry, near Leslie,
Councillors were looking at a report into enforcement action at the site, launched following numerous complaints from local residents.
However, it emerged Fife Council were unable to enforce the conditions on working hours placed on the quarry operators due to the imprecise nature of wording used in the original planning conditions.
Angry at what he saw as a basic failing in council procedure, Councillor Ross Vettraino said: “You write what you mean and if we say that there can be no working between such and such a time, then that means that no work can take place. If it said maintenance, we mean maintenance.
“Why complicate matters? We have got ourselves into trouble here.”
The quarry operators, Skene Group, appealed to the Scottish Government last year after Fife Council tried to prevent work at the site from starting before 8am.
The government reporter upheld the appeal, allowing work at the site to begin at 7am instead.
Jim Birrell, Fife Council’s senior manager for development and buildings, said: “Every complaint that has been made to us we have followed up.
“Random surveys have been carried out, along with random and unannounced site visits.”
Neil Skene, managing director of Skene Group, said: “We will always strive to be good neighbours and will abide by the decisions of the reporter.”