MINISTERS said yesterday they were ready to publish all correspondence surrounding their involvement in an £80 million expansion plan for a hotel resort run by an SNP donor.
The Aviemore Highland Resort has been at the centre of controversy since it emerged that ministers met Donald Macdonald, the developer, shortly before environmental objections were withdrawn.
Sir Ken Collins, the former chairman of the Scottish E
nvironmental Protection Agency (Sepa), was yesterday reported to have claimed that ministers put pressure on his organisation to withdraw its objections.
But he later appeared to contradict himself when he said he did not know if ministers had been involved in the process.
However, Campbell Gemmell, Sepa's chief executive, said: "Our minister put us under no pressure to withdraw our objection."
As confusion mounted over the extent of ministerial involvement, Mike Russell, the environment minister, said he had asked parliamentarians for permission to publish correspondence on the matter, so "everyone can judge the issue for themselves".
The furore surrounds plans for a major redevelopment in Aviemore by Mr Macdonald's company, which owns the Aviemore Highland Resort.
Sepa raised concerns about possible flooding problems for homes in Aviemore if the 140-house development went ahead, and asked for a flood-risk assessment from the developer.
There was a delay which threatened to derail the development, and it was at this point MSPs got involved. Fergus Ewing, the SNP MSP for the area, along with other Highlands representatives, took up Mr Macdonald's case, worried hundreds of jobs might be at risk if the development was axed.
Mr Macdonald – who gave the SNP £30,000 last year – also met at least two ministers at the SNP conference last year, held at his firm's Aviemore resort. Alex Salmond, the First Minister, has also acknowledged he called Jim MacKinnon, the chief planner, over the issue, while Mr Russell contacted Mr Gemmell to raise concerns about the delay caused by Sepa's demands.
After ministers became involved, Sepa withdrew its objections, apparently before receiving the full flood-risk assessment from the developer.
In a letter to Mary Scanlon, the Tory MSP for Highlands and Islands, Sir Ken said Sepa had "unusually" withdrawn its objections over flooding concerns.
But asked if ministers were involved in the process, Sir Ken said: "I know as much as you do. No minister phoned me, and neither did the developer."
Mr Gemmell went on: "Our decision was made purely on environmental grounds."
TRUMP PLAN SPLIT PLANNING AUTHORITYTHIS is the second major planning issue to have caused problems for the Scottish Government since the SNP won the election last year.
Alex Salmond has been questioned by a powerful Holyrood committee twice over his role in the decision to 'call in' the massive Trump golf development in Aberdeenshire.
Donald Trump's plans were approved, then rejected, then backed by various bodies on Aberdeenshire Council before John Swinney, the Finance Secretary, called in the development, giving ministers the final say.
As the MSP for Gordon, Mr Salmond is the constituency MSP for the area which Mr Trump wants to develop and is on record as supp-orting the development. He has insisted he'd no idea the application would be called in.
The full article contains 541 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
