Peter Drummond

Comment on: What would independence mean for Scottish architects?

Peter Drummond's comment 18-Jan-2013 3:42 pm

Independence raises a lot of questions, but scaremongering about border controls and whether there would remain a UK single market aren't among them. The question for me, as a practicing architect, is whether independence - or even Devo Max, if it came to it - allowed the Scottish Goverment greater flexibility on issues such as capital expenditure. At present UK economic policy is driven by the south, and the southeast in particular. One-size-fits-all simply doesn't work. A significant amount has been devolved, either within the last 15 years or even longer. We have our own planning policy framework, our own building standards, our own construction contracts. The Treasury's own figures say we might be £1/year each worse off after independece. Fees may be tight, but that's not enough to get me packing the bags. Westminster austerity, on the other hand.....