 Rydwg yoursll. Okay. The final item of business is a members ribbon on motion 1071 In the name of Maggie Chapman in a just transition for Tori This debate will be concluded without any questions being put. Will those members who wish to speak in this debate please press the request to speak buttons now, or place an hour in the chat function. I call on Maggie Chapman to open the debate for around seven minutes, Ms Chapman. Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer. I thank Mercedes Villalba, Audrey Nicholl and the other MSPs who supported this motion. I am very pleased to have lodged this motion today, not just because this is my first ever member's motion and the first Scottish Greens member's business session of the Parliament, but because I think it highlights so much of what we need to consider as we design and build a better, fairer, greener world. The campaign to save St. Ffittig's Park in Doonies farm speaks to fundamental issues of power and democracy. It speaks to issues of inequality and deprivation. It speaks to challenges to the status quo, to business as usual, and to the neoliberal economic model that has created both the climate emergency and the nature emergency. In short, it speaks to the inextricable links between social, economic and environmental justice, and it is this interconnected understanding of what justice is that must be at the heart of a just transition, for Tory, for the north-east and for Scotland. St. Ffittig's community park, for those who do not know it, is an award-winning wetland and reed beds in the south of Aberdeen. The brainchild of SEPA as a way of making space for biodiversity and supporting local people, the park is a relatively small urban green space in Torrey. The community neighbouring the park is one of the 10 most deprived in Scotland with a life expectancy 12 years lower than elsewhere in Aberdeen. Squished between industrial land and a sewage works, the park is the only accessible green space for this community. It is well loved and well used by people who live locally, mostly in tower blocks and flats. Dunes Farm, or Dunes Rare Breeds Farm, to give it its full name, is just a bit further down the coast road from St Ffittig's. It is nationally recognised having one of Scotland's largest collections of rare and endangered farm animal breeds. It is a favourite place for family days out, where children and young people can learn about farming, about different animals and so much more. Together, those two sites are the lungs of Torrey. In stark contrast to the greyness of the heavy industry around them, including the current harbour development at Nick Bay, St Ffittig's park and Dunes farm are vibrant varied places with a range of habitats, species, facilities and amenities for all to enjoy. Dunes Ffittig's has what you might expect from a community park, play areas for children, a skate park, accessible paths for walking, wheeling and cycling. That is what makes it so special. It also boasts areas of woodland, wet meadow, reed bed and diverse dry grasslands. Then there is the staggering biodiversity. Over 40 species of breeding birds including nine red list species and eight amber list ones. Over 115 plant species, including a wonderful array of orchids and hundreds of invertebrates, many of which are still being documented. As well as the great variety of dogs that have regular walks in the park, otters, deer and other mammals can be spotted in the reeds and woods. As we come into autumn, we will start to see some of the tens of thousands of migratory birds that stop over at the green spaces. Over winter, we will see a substantial snake population. All the work done a decade ago by the Aberdeen ranger service and SEPA has really paid off. What was a polluted, poor quality and inaccessible area is now an award-winning, bi-diverse wetland with which just last year won the biodiversity and climate change category in the RSPB's NatureScot awards. There really isn't anywhere else like it in the city of Aberdeen. Why are we even contemplating destroying it? Because that's exactly what's happening. Aberdeen City Council has proposed rezoning those areas as opportunity sites for industrial development in the city's new local development plan. Specifically, there are proposals for an energy transition zone, or ETZ, to be cited on this urban green space in Greenbelt land. The proximity to the south harbour development at Nigg, the sewageworks and other encircling industrial estates mean that developers like ETZ Ltd want to use this land for industrial purposes, and that appears to be the settled will of the council too. I want to be very clear. My opposition to the rezoning and development of both St Ffittig's Community Park and Dunes Farm in no way diminishes my passionate support for energy transition. I and everyone I know campaigning to save St Ffittig's Park and Dunes Farm are only too well aware of the need for an energy transition. Tory has suffered, as other communities have, as the oil and gas industry has declined. We get that the climate emergency is affecting people and nature all over the world, but we also know that we can get the energy transition that we need without destroying valuable community green space. Other sites, brownfield sites, are available, and other options are possible. We must not concrete over the lungs of the community. That would result in poor air quality, pollution and noise, not to mention the loss of amenity and valuable nature. We know that we face a climate emergency. We know that we also face a nature emergency. This motion and the community campaign are very clear that urgent action is needed, but we cannot tackle the climate emergency by compromising the health and wellbeing of biodiverse habitats, never mind the health and wellbeing of communities, some who live within metres of proposed industry. That would be directly affected. We understand that climate justice cannot happen without environmental and social justice. Destroying nature cannot be the cornerstone of the energy transition that we so desperately need. We must encourage plans for the development of wind turbine manufacture, for a wind turbine parts assembly area and for decommissioning, but this work—it is vital because of the jobs that come with it—must be developed on sites that are not green space or green belt. There are brownfield sites available at East Tullis and Alton's, less than a kilometre away. With rail and road access, I will give way. That goes to Lumson. Thank you for giving way. You mentioned there are other brownfield sites nearby. When we talk about the energy transition zone, we are often talking about large wind turbines. Jenkins would be feasible for them to be transported to other sites that are maybe half a mile away from the harbour. Thank you. As I have just mentioned, sites that are possible at East Tullis and Alton's are on good road and a rail link, less than a kilometre away. Such brownfield site development will also have lower carbon emissions than ripping up wetlands, because we know that wetlands act as carbon sinks. Secondly, communities should be involved in the decisions about the sighting of this kind of development. Their voices have not been heard up until now. That must change. Because if we are serious about a just transition underpinning Scotland's future, we need to not only recognise the connections between environmental, social and economic justice, but we must act accordingly. I ask the Scottish Government to listen to the people of Tory, to listen to the experts at Scottish Wildlife Trust who support the aims of the campaign and to make any Scottish Government support for the energy transition zone conditional on both the use of brownfield sites and genuine community engagement, because only then can we deliver a genuinely just transition for Tory. I thank Maggie Chapman for bringing this motion today, and I draw members' attention to my register of interests. I am a councillor for the Tory Ferry Hill ward in Aberdeen, in which Synthetic Park is located. It is also in my constituency. When I put on my record my support for a just transition, we are at a point of urgency in climate change. Synthetic Park, as Maggie Chapman described, is like the mothership of Tory. Generations of families have gone there to play, exercise, just hit the reset button. It hosts cultural heritage and supports carbon sequestration and flood control, an important local asset restored and valued by the community. It is bounded by a harbour under construction, a wastewater plant and an energy from waste plant under construction, so it is a precious green space to many. In February 2020, Synthetic's found itself included in the draft Aberdeen City local development plan just weeks before approval as an area supporting energy transition. I put on record that I supported an amendment proposing the sites being removed from the LDP and alternative sites found. That was defeated at vote. Hundreds of emails followed, literally hundreds. Did I realise that this was the last green space in Tory? Where are we supposed to go now? What is an 80Z? Friends of Synthetic's and others have made a powerful case to save the park, and I pay particular tribute to Dr Isabel Shand, Leslie-Anne Mulholland, Ian Baird and others in their campaigning efforts. Media coverage created some confusion. The project was described as shath already, yet other coverage quoted local politicians reassuring the community just because it's part of the local development plan doesn't mean it will happen. The LDP is not the end of the line for the Tory green space campaign, so which was it? Where are we now with Synthetic's park? The proposed development plan currently sits with the independent reporter, and it will be for Aberdeen City Council to consider any forthcoming planning application. In the meantime, there is a wider context to the issue. The north-east is rightly positioning itself as a centre for energy transition. However, to date, the debate on energy transition has derived from an industry context. Professor Tavis Potts, interim director of the Centre for Energy Transition at the University of Aberdeen, highlights that there is now a need for a community-orientated perspective where areas are developed in a consensual way, meeting both community and industry needs. In a Tory context, Professor Potts observes his research has uncovered a strong feeling of dispossession in Tory that the community has had development imposed on it. The Scottish Government response to the next zero nation engagement strategy identified that participation should be inclusive and reflective of all parts of society and not tokenistic. An ETZ is an important economic opportunity for diversification from fossil fuels and could have real value for the workforce in Aberdeen. However, it must be underpinned by broader just transition policy principles, where communities such as Tory are genuine partners and derive real and meaningful benefit. I welcome the commitment of ETZ Ltd to community engagement and constructive dialogue. I very much hope that all the decision makers involved in the project embrace the principles of strong partnership, not just consultation, community wealth building and creative approaches that genuinely benefit the people of Tory. To conclude, there are options available in this regard. However, there is only one Synthetic Park. I thank Maggie Chapman for inviting me to second the motion. I am grateful for the opportunity to speak on the issue in the chamber. This summer, I visited Tory, where I met campaigners from the Friends of Synthetic Park. As Audrey and Maggie have already said, they should be commended for fighting to protect a community green space for all residents of Tory. As has already been said, it is a well-loved and well-used space. I find Aberdeen City Council's decision to rezone both Synthetic Park and Dunes Rare Breeds Farm as opportunity sites for industrial development to be clearly short-sighted. As has been said, Synthetic Park is an award-winning, biodiverse area of woodland, wetland and recreational grassland, and it is also currently designated as urban green space. Dunes Farm is a key conservation site that houses 23 rare breeds. The Covid-19 pandemic has surely demonstrated the value of such assets to our communities. They are vital for mental and community wellbeing, and they ensure that local people can exercise their right to a healthy environment. The energy transition zone project brings with it the risks of over-industrialisation for Tory, which can lead to poor air quality, and it can also create various forms of pollution such as noise pollution. It can lead to the loss of green space, leading to severe environmental and community wellbeing consequences. With all of that in mind, it is unsurprising that Tory residents and campaign groups such as the Scottish Wildlife Trust are opposed to the ETSE project. Local opposition to the ETSE is not purely motivated by the environmental and community wellbeing concerns. Tory residents and campaigners are rightly frustrated by the lack of meaningful consultation. The Scottish Government on this issue says that it is for Aberdeen City Council and the developers, the ETSE Limited, to engage with the community. The Aberdeen City Council and the ETSE Limited say that a statutory consultation will be driven by the Scottish Government. This game of shifting responsibility is unacceptable. The people of Tory should have been proactively engaged with from the start of the ETSE project. Residents feel the lack of meaningful engagement reinforces their concerns that the decision has already been made to proceed with the project. The Scottish Government seems unwilling to engage with the concerns of residents. I asked the cabinet secretary to outline how the proposed site for the ETSE was chosen given the significant public investment that the project is receiving. He was quick to pass responsibility on to Aberdeen City Council and the developers. When I pushed him on what the benefits would be for the people of Tory, he said that the ETSE should offer benefits such as providing open space for residents and improving biodiversity. I do not think that any Tory resident or campaigner believes that the ETSE can deliver those benefits. It is important to note that nobody who is opposed to the ETSE project is refusing to recognise the need for us to transition away from fossil fuels, but we should not do that by sacrificing existing biodiverse green spaces with strong community support such as St Fittrick's Park and Dooney's Farm. Those two sites are of great value to the local community and are really worthy of protection, which is why I supported the motion and I urge all members to do the same. I am pleased to speak in this debate. Having lived in Aberdeen and Central Aberdeen for nearly two decades now, I am very aware of the area and the facilities. I have also spent many afternoons at Dooney's with my family and readily acknowledged the importance of those to the local and wider community. The motion also rightly mentions the importance of our transition from fossil fuels, something that, in this afternoon's debate, speaker after speaker recognised. That is why I am particularly pleased that ETSE had limited the not-for-profit business that was launched earlier this year to focus on the transition zone, as its core aim is to economically reposition the north-east by reducing its reliance on oil and gas. A delicate balancing act and the local community and friends of St Fittrick's Park are to be commended, as Mercedes Valbers said, for standing up to be counted when their green space and facilities appear to be threatened. In the earlier local development plan consultation stage, a great many people submitted representations to the council. Having been done, there will be a formalisation of a proposal for an energy transition zone. Just last week, what is described as a multiple award-winning environmental consultancy, Ironside Farrow, was engaged to lead the work on a master plan for the energy transition zone. Only once they have drawn up detailed proposals will there be an application for planning permission in principle. I hope that the community is encouraged by that because I understand that bids for the master plan contract that the Ironside Farrow had won were evaluated on the basis of 70 per cent quality and only 30 per cent cost. I understand that they are backed by a Queen's Award for Enterprise for sustainable development. They have also apparently won awards for environmental improvements in Fiti and Cincard and O'Neill. I thank Liam Kerr for taking an intervention. Will he not agree with me, however, however great the master plan might be, that it still represents a loss of green belt land and a loss of urban green space, if developed at all? Potentially, yes. That is exactly the point why I am encouraged that the very people who are being appointed to assess this and to build the master plan have this pedigree. Perhaps most importantly, according to ETZ Ltd, Ironside Farrow will, quote, play a key role in engaging with the local community and other stakeholders through the various stages of the master planning process. Neil Hanford, the ETZ's development and infrastructure developer, says that Ironside's, quote, have a proven track record of finding creative and sustainable solutions and prioritising community participation as a key element of project delivery. He goes on to say that critical to the project's success is ensuring that the local community is listened to throughout the process. I think that that is hugely encouraging that the very people who intend to make the proposals recognise how important it is to listen to the community. Hanford is also committed to exploring the community ideas around a number of specific projects and initiatives that would have the aim of developing local amenities, although paying heed to the importance of local biodiverse areas. Coupled with all that, Aberdeen City Council is on the record as recognising the climate and biodiverse city emergencies. It was one of the first local authorities to sign the Edinburgh Biodiversity Declaration, which committed their support for local action on conservation of biodiversity. The aim is to send a strong message that supporting local action is key to protecting the natural environment on which, as you rightly pointed out, members pointed out, we all depend. It should further be recognised that the natural environment is one of the six themes in the city-wide net zero plan that the city is developing. It is perfectly understandable that the community is concerned. We all understand that, but this whole process is at a very early stage. I believe that it could be around a year before the master plan is to come together. Safeguards for the environmental, biodiversity and community protections appear to be in place. I look forward to seeing how those plans develop. I thank Maggie Chapman for bringing this debate to the chamber today and congratulate her on securing our first member's debate in Parliament. I am sure that all of us who have served as members of this Parliament for some time have experienced many cases like that in their own areas where the interests of communities and planned developments can at times appear to conflict with each other. It is part of our duty as parliamentarians to highlight such local campaigns and to give them a national platform. Again, this is an important debate to have in this Parliament. I will address the question of the development of the energy transition zone shortly. I want to set out what I see as a context for this debate and highlight some aspects of the member's motion that I agree with and I am sure that we all agree with. First, it is important to recognise that Scotland has already undergone and started what is an impressive energy transition over the past decade, which we can all see as the first phase of the energy transition that we have to go through. For instance, emissions from our electricity system have reduced by over 70 per cent since 1990, and that is a world leading achievement that we can all be proud of, but we do know that there is still much more to do if we are to end our reliance on fossil fuels in the decades ahead as the motion tabled by the member notes. There are lots of other things happening to give one example, which is very relevant to this debate. Our offshore wind policy statement sets out the ambition of developing between 8 and 11 gigawatts new offshore generation capacity by 2030, and I am sure that we all appreciate how vital that is that we continue our energy transition if we are to meet our climate change targets and avoid the damaging consequences of the climate emergency. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind—this gets to the heart of this debate again—that Aberdeen and the North East of Scotland can lead this transition. The components are there. We have a skilled workforce, a vibrant private sector and infrastructure that can be repurposed to drive our transition to net zero. We have all the ingredients for Aberdeen and Scotland to show global leadership when it comes to the energy transition and indeed the just transition as well. With this context, the backdrop of the debate, I also want to say a few words in support of the aspects of the member's motion that I again wholeheartedly agree with in terms of the importance of delivering a just transition. That is why we were the first country in the world to enshrine in law our commitment to the principles of just transition. It is both the outcome that we want to see, a fairer, greener future for everyone in Scotland but also the process that must be undertaken in partnership with those most impacted by the transition to net zero. It is about how we get to a net zero and the climate resilient economy in a way that also delivers fairness and tackles inequality and injustice. It is essential that this process is co-designed and co-delivered and I can point to lots of examples of where we are putting this into practice but our groundbreaking just transition commission was set up to engage people widely through the transition and travelled the country for over two years listening to communities that will be affected by net zero transition. Indeed, just to put on record that earlier today I announced a new commission will be formed and with Professor Jim Ski remaining as chair who was chair of the previous Just Transition Commission. I expect that the new group will continue to engage broadly through the courses of their work. I am quite enjoying the minister's speech but I am not sure that Maggie Chapman has brought a very relevant motion to the chamber. With respect, I am not sure that the minister is directly addressing some of the key points that have been made by Ms Chapman. Thank you very much, Mr Kerr. I have been listening to the minister's contribution. It has spanned more broadly but that is not unheard of for ministers. I would encourage the minister to make sure that he addresses the motion. As I said, I do not think that this was necessarily out of order but thank you, Mr Kerr. With all due respect to the member, I have got the motion in front of me and there are many references to the points that I have just made my own remarks about the context of this debate and the Just Transition and the factors that we have to take into account as we go in this journey and the impact that it has on communities over the coming decades. The motion also asks, we recognise the importance of green space for communities and the importance of tackling the biodiversity crisis. Again, that is something that we agree with the member on. The impact of Covid, as some members have highlighted, has led to a renewed appreciation of green space. As we move towards recovery, the healing and rest of power of nature should not be forgotten. Again, that is the message of our statement of intent for biodiversity, which recognises the increasing urgency of tackling the challenge of biodiversity loss. In terms of the proposed site of the energy transition zone in Torrey, I am grateful again to the member for bringing this debate to our attention. Of course, it has to be stressed. It is inappropriate for ministers to comment on the specific case at this stage. However, as Minister for Just Transition, I think that there are many powerful points made during the debate that I would want to reflect upon as we move forward, because we are at an early stage of developing the Just Transition Scotland. Something that is going to be here with us for decades. There are some balances that have to be sought that we should reflect upon. Thank you very much for taking the intervention, minister. Could I invite you to visit Synthetix Community Park and Doonies-Roe Breeds Farm at some point, as in your ministerial role, to have a look and see exactly what the community of Torrey is at risk of losing here? Thank you, Mr Chapman. I assume that you were extending the invitation to the minister rather than myself as Presiding Officer. I was indeed, although you would be very welcome to. I am very grateful, minister. Presiding Officer, you are most welcome to join me on that visit. I was going to mention that I would look forward to having the opportunity to visit Synthetix at some point in the future as well. I know that local members would also like me to do that as well. I understand that there is a clan lighthouse at the Torrey battery, not too far away, which my wife is desperate to see. I am keen to visit at some point. However, the Just Transition issues are very important in that regard, so I will certainly reflect on the timing of a visit soon. However, the Scottish Government and the planning authority both have statutory roles and any proposals have to follow due process. Although I cannot give a direct view on the planning issue, I want to say that our national planning policy is under currently review, and the energy transition zone was received as one of approximately 250 suggested national developments. We are all considering what the suggested national developments should be going forward with a view to laying a draft national planning framework number four in the Scottish Parliament in the autumn. I want to reiterate that there are very important messages today and important issues raised about some of the balances that we have to achieve with the Just Transition. There are planning policies in place at the moment that have to take into account green spaces and biodiversity and make sure that we are consulting local communities about that. Of course, I would expect all that to be followed by the local planning authority in terms of taking into account any application. I want to thank the member for bringing that to the attention of the Parliament. Highlighting the concerns of the local community regarding it, I recognise many of the points that have been made in relation to a Just Transition by diversity loss and the importance of green space. I will reflect on all that, even though that is a separate issue than the direct planning application that we are discussing today. I am sure that there will be many more issues like that as we go forward to make sure that we go through a productive, fruitful energy transition that helps Scotland to play a leading role in the world's efforts to tackle the climate emergency. Thank you very much. That concludes the debate, and I close this meeting of Parliament.