Parliament Workbench
Data: Official Report to 12 Nov 2026

Official Report · Committee

Current Petitions

Plants (Complaints) (PE984)

Tuesday 21 April 2009 Public Petitions Committee Petitions 13 contributions · 4 speakers

Speakers

Choose an MSP to read only their contributions

The record

13 contributions
Frank McAveety Lab The Convener · Glasgow Shettleston
link

PE984, by Dr Colin Watson, on behalf of Scothedge, calls on the Parliament to introduce legislation to provide local authorities with the power to deal with complaints about vigorous growing trees, hedges, vines or other plants. Again, the petition has been in front of us before. I understand that the Minister for Community Safety met the petitioner in early April. We seek further information on that meeting from the Government. Given our timescale today, I suggest that we consider the petition at a future committee meeting, when we have information about the detail of the petitioner's discussion with the minister. Do members have anything to add?

John Wilson SNP Central Scotland
link

We can ask what the proposed outcomes were from that meeting. We can get a note of the discussion, but it would be useful to get information on the minister's proposals for progressing the issue.

Frank McAveety Lab The Convener · Glasgow Shettleston
link

The hedges are twice the size they were when we started.

Robin Harper Green Lothians
link

Indeed. If we still do not have proper responses from the local authority, surely we should think of asking another set of questions.

Frank McAveety Lab The Convener · Glasgow Shettleston
link

Yes. We will bring the petition back to consider—I hope—further information. We will then determine the next stage. The petition should be kept open for that process. Is that okay? Robin Harper looks sceptical. Has it just been a long day?

Robin Harper Green Lothians
link

We know that a fair amount of common good land has already disappeared under development—there is evidence for that. That process could be continuing without people even knowing that it is happening.

Frank McAveety Lab The Convener · Glasgow Shettleston
link

I think that that issue concerns another petition.

Frank McAveety Lab The Convener · Glasgow Shettleston
link

I was getting confused there.

Frank McAveety Lab The Convener · Glasgow Shettleston
link

Now we know what you think about the other petition, we will not need your contribution when we discuss it.We will keep the Scothedge petition open until we get further information, then we will determine what to do. I am sorry about the slight uncertainty there.

In this meeting

Everything on 21 Apr 2009 →
  1. Scottish Parliament Public Petitions Committee Tuesday 21 April 2009 Petitions · 1
  2. Petitions Process Inquiry Petitions · 63
  3. New Petitions Petitions · 25
  4. New Petitions Petitions · 5
  5. Current Petitions Petitions · 4
  6. Current Petitions Petitions · 13
  7. Current Petitions Petitions · 3
  8. Current Petitions Petitions · 4
  9. Current Petitions Petitions · 8
  10. Current Petitions Petitions · 4
  11. Current Petitions Petitions · 3
  12. Current Petitions Petitions · 6
  13. Current Petitions Petitions · 3
  14. Current Petitions Petitions · 4
  15. Current Petitions Petitions · 5
  16. Current Petitions Petitions · 13
  17. Current Petitions Petitions · 5
  18. New Petitions (Notification) Petitions · 3

The type of each item (debate, statement, questions, members’ business and so on) and the times shown are worked out by this site from headings, the chair’s opening words and the Official Report’s running timestamps. They are not the Parliament’s own classification. Text: the Scottish Parliament Official Report.