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Caithness News Bulletins November 2004

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Water Links Prince Charles Opens Water Treatment Works Caithness Water Items

2 November 04
Gibson calls on underspend to be spent on relieving development constraints
Having visited the major Caithness water treatment plant Rob Gibson, SNP MSP for Highlands and Islands described the new plant at Halkirk as a shining example of what should be on offer to all Scottish Water customers.

On reflection the Highlands and Islands MSP reiterated his call for the Scottish Executive to make far more funding available to Scottish Water to relieve the problem of development restraints he said...
"The plant at Halkirk has the capacity to be extended should more people move into the area, the same cannot be said of many older plants. This development veto, due to lack of available funds from the Minister Ross Finnie, is a real burden to many communities that are blighted by a development veto on new homes and business developments ."

He continued..."Last week I found out in the Rural and Environment Committee that there is a £205 million projected under spend in Scottish Water this financial year. That is money which could begin to alleviate some of the development constraints in our rural water treatment and sewage plants."

He continued..."Where possible the capacity of both reservoirs and sewerage treatment systems should be expanded where there is a desire for people to live, this is one of the important pieces of the jigsaw that will go a long way to regenerating our rural communities be they located in Orkney, the Far North or in rural Perthshire."