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To pick up on that point, what will be the process that generates the independent analysis of the consultation?

This issue is familiar to the committee because petitions that address it come to us from time to time. Work is supposedly under way but it is not yet crystallised into a formal date.

Do we have any proposals from the committee about how we might proceed?

That is the easiest thing for us to consider doing. How old is Callum now?

Are there any other suggestions from committee members?

I think that we have done that.

In light of the Government’s commitment to taking forward actions at this stage, that will be the principal way forward.

Are members prepared to support Mr Torrance’s proposal?

Members indicated agreement.

That final point reflects the point in the petitioner’s latest submission, which is that they feel that the deck is still stacked. As Mr Lumsden and Mr Whittle said, the developers have much deeper pockets than the individuals in the community who might want to contribute to the process but who find themselves in what has been described as a David versus Goliath position, which makes it hard to do so. Mr Golden’s suggestion therefore seems to me to be an excellent one. Are there any other thoughts from the committee or are we content to keep the petition open and proceed on that basis?

Yes, we could also do that. We will keep the petition open and seek to find out what progress is being made on the effective community engagement proposals that have been promised.

Members indicated agreement.

Are members content to do that?

Members indicated agreement.

Thank you. David Torrance will lead on the second theme, which is the drivers for designating more national parks and alternative approaches.