Correspondence between the Scottish Government and Highland Council related to Masterplan Consent Areas (MCAs): EIR release

Information requested

You asked for all the correspondence between the Scottish Government and Highland Council related to Masterplan Consent Areas (MCAs). In particular:

a. Letters, emails and other correspondence to/from Dr Fiona Simpson (Chief Planner and Director of the Planning, Architecture and Regeneration Division at the Scottish Government) and the Highland Council

b. Letters, emails and other correspondence to/from any member of the Planning, Architecture and Regeneration Division at the Scottish Government and the Highland Council

c. Letters, emails and other correspondence to/from Mr Tim Stott Development Plans Manager at Highland Council and anyone in the Scottish Government

d. Regarding Masterplan Consent Areas it would include but not be limited to:  their governance, applicability and suitability for use for areas outside of the Local Development Plan.

e. Correspondence from August 2024 until the current day

Response

As the information you have requested is ‘environmental information’ for the purposes of the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (EIRs), we are required to deal with your request under those Regulations. We are applying the exemption at section 39(2) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA), so that we do not also have to deal with your request under
FOISA.

This exemption is subject to the ‘public interest test’. Therefore, taking account of all the circumstances of this case, we have considered if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exemption, because there is no public interest in dealing with the same request under two different regimes. This is essentially a technical point and has no material effect on the outcome of your request.

The following correspondence is enclosed:

1. Email correspondence relating to draft project milestones.

2. Grant Offer Letter.

2. Email and Microsoft Teams Correspondence between Planning, Architecture and Regeneration Division and The Highland Council on MCAs.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at https://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.

EIR 202600504333 - Information Released - Annex

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