Scotland round-up: Cockenzie cruise ship terminal plans, Cromarty Firth harbour plan rejected

Cruise ship terminal plan unveiled for power site north of Edinburgh

Proposals have been unveiled for what would be Scotland’s first purpose-built cruise ship terminal on the mainland at the site of a decommissioned coal-fired power station.

The Planner

Lib Dems make pledges on affordable housing and planning improvements

The Liberal Democrat Party has committed to creating affordable homes for all and improving the planning system.

The Planner

UKIP would incentivise brownfield development

The UK Independence Party says it will prioritise development on brownfield land and scrap the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).

The Planner

Making the most of town centres

A new online toolkit that will give communities information and advice on how they can make their town centres more attractive, active and accessible has been unveiled by the government as part of its so-called Town Centre action Plan initiative.

Scottish Government

Conservation ‘is like the Highland Clearances’

A prominent SNP politician has complained that conservation concerns are jeopardising developments that would provide jobs for local people and help offset declining human populations in the Highlands.

The Scotsman

Cromarty Firth harbour plan rejected by government

Plans by Global Energy – which owns the huge Nigg Fabrication Yard - to create its own harbour at the entrance to the Cromarty Firth have been thrown out by the Scottish government following a spat with the Cromarty Firth Port Authority.

BBC News

Orkney wind turbine spins into record books

A wind turbine on Burgar Hill in Orkney has spun its way into the record books – becoming the first in the UK to generate more than 100 million kilowatt hours of electricity.

The Scotsman

Group want end to Loch Ness and Great Glen wind farms

A new campaign group has been set up to fight the spread of wind farm developments around Loch Ness.

BBC News