How to write a response to the periodic review of current planning conditions – deadline 12th June 2025
The planning conditions strongly influence how the Quarry operates and therefore how it can affect people who live nearby. The current review of planning conditions is called the ROMP.
The process of commenting may seem complicated but it is quite easy once you are familiar with it and if you are prepared before you start.
To find the current planning conditions and the new ones proposed:
• Type “Fife Council planning portal” in Google
• It will come up as: Fife Planning Portal – view, track and comment on line Click on that
• Scroll down to the tab Fife Council On line Planning system Click on that
• Scroll down to the Search and type “Balmullo Quarry” Click Search
• At the top you will find: EIA application for the First Periodic Review of Planning Conditions of Mineral Permission 05/00835/EEIA – ROMP application under Section 74 of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 Click on that
• Just below the “Back to Search” tab there is a heading “Documents (XX)” Click on that
Don’t panic! Lots of these documents are not relevant to the current review of planning conditions (ROMP) and many are maps and drawings. Here is a guide to the ones that matter most for the ROMP:
Scan down the Dates on the left to find these documents and download them onto your computer so you don’t need to keep finding them on line.
- 01 May 2025 60 – BLAST VIBRATION MONITORING SCHEME
- 01 May 2025 61 – DUST MONITORING SCHEME
- 01 May 2025 62 – NOISE MONITORING SCHEME
- 31 Mar 2025 52 – EXISTING PLANNING CONDITIONS – 05/00835/EEIA DECISION NOTICE
- 13 Mar 2025 06 – PERIODIC REVIEW BOUNDARY
- 12 Feb 2025 28 – PLANNING STATEMENT Scroll through this document until you come to Appendix PS-01 Schedules of Proposed Planning Conditions. A.1 Schedule of Proposed Planning Conditions – Periodic Review (Only 2.5 pages)
These are the most important documents to read before responding to the ROMP. The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) has to be produced for the ROMP even though most of it is about the extension proposal.
Next go back to the headings that included Documents (XX) and click on “Comment”. Scroll down. If you are not already registered you need to do that (name, email etc and password setting).
Once registered you can log in BUT there is a timeout on the Planning Portal so it is better to read the documents, decide what you want to say and write that in a Word document. There is a character limit of 5000 characters on the planning portal. Once you have finished writing your comments in Word, go back to the Planning Portal and to the Comment tab and scroll down to Log In. Now you can complete the comment form by cutting and pasting from your Word document and you will avoid being timed out.
If you want to write more than 5000 characters, email your comments to development.central@fife.gov.uk and be sure to put the reference 25/00417/EIA in the subject line.
Clearly state that you are objecting to the proposed changes to the planning conditions. They will confirm that they have received your comments by email.
It might take a couple of hours to read the documents, decide what you want to say and put that on the Planning Portal or in an email. The noise, dust, blasting and lorries from the Quarry will continue until at least 2029, even without the approval of the planning extension, and so your views will be important for many years to come. Time well spent!
Thank you.