Software security breach shuts down planning debate at West Lothian Council

A national computer security breach has shut down online access to planning portals across Scotland – and stalled progress on a controversial Bathgate housing development.

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The Scottish Government advised local authorities to shut their online planning portals because of software issues this week.

West Lothian Council’s Head of Planning Craig McCorriston explained the advice had been to shut the portals because of potential security breaches.

He added: “It is a national problem. There is no statutory requirement for information to be provided online but it is something we take very seriously and we are working with the Scottish government and software supplies to resolve this and provide the information as quickly as possible.”

A spokesman for the council said after the meeting that there had been no hacking on the portal, or loss of data.

He added: “A potential security issue was identified with the planning portal software used by a number of Scottish local authorities and other planning authorities, including West Lothian Council.

“The portal was taken offline for a day to investigate this issue, and has now been restored.

“The map search facility remains unavailable, while the software provider undertakes further work.”

The issue was raised when Bathgate councillor Willie Boyle said that, as a result of the shutdown, he did not have access to all the information he needed to make a decision on the plan to build 189 homes on a site off Sibbald’s Brae in the town.

Detailed plans for the site lack clarity because they have been reduced in size and scale for printing purposes.

Taylor Wimpey’s proposal to build on the 34 acre site on the fringe of Bathgate has met with sustained criticism and objections from local members.

It was rejected by the Development Management Committee, but the developer had that rejection overturned on appeal to the Scottish Government.

The committee was due to debate conditions that would be attached to the plans and see detailed development proposals for the site at the final Development Management Committee meeting of the year this week. The paper faced objections from 146 people as well as the town’s community council.

Committee chairman, Bathgate Conservative councillor Charles Kennedy, told the committee he would vacate the chair to hear the application as he was opposed to the development and had made that position clear.

Mr McCorriston said the decision on whether the members had enough information to debate the plan was down to members of the committee.

Councillor Boyle proposed a motion delaying debate on the Sibbald’s Brae plan until councillors could get full access to all the information they needed.

Taking the chair at the meeting Provost Tom Kerr said the committee could follow advice from officers and hear the proposals before deciding whether to delay a decision or go on. In a vote the committee decided to delay without debate for at least one month.

Mr McCorriston told the meeting he wanted to bring the application back to committee as quickly as possible.

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