Tributes have been paid to a popular community council campaigner who passed away suddenly.
Dave Sutton died in Hairmyres Hospital, East Kilbride, aged 67, after a short illness last month.
For many years he was involved with Cambuslang community council, particularly relating to planning issues.
He was recently featured in the Reformer when he raised concerns about South Lanarkshire Council’s planning processes during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Cambuslang community council chairman John Bachtler said: “Dave was a man of principle who believed in social equality and fighting injustice, particularly where the rights of individuals or the community were under threat.
“Ever generous with his time, he’d take up any cause where people were in trouble or struggling to have their voices heard.
“Dave was particularly passionate about planning democracy, believing that many planning processes and decisions were not fair, transparent or locally accountable.
“Indeed, he felt strongly that the past decade had seen the balance of influence in planning tilt away from citizens and communities to serve the interests of developers and government authorities.”
Dave’s principled stance on the developer-orientation of planning led him to freeze his Royal Town Planning Institute membership in protest at their unwillingness to support Equal Rights of Appeal for those affected by development as well as those proposing development.
As a member of Cambuslang community council, Dave provided advice and practical support to local residents in both Cambuslang and Halfway on contentious planning issues.
He was also an advisor to Planning Democracy, a charity set up to campaign for a fair and inclusive planning system in Scotland, where he mentored a number of groups and individuals, helping them understand and navigate their way through the Scottish planning system.
Born in 1952 in Northern Ireland, Dave qualified as an architect in Sheffield and had an MA in Regeneration Studies.
He worked as a design and heritage officer in Kingswood and South Gloucestershire Councils, ran housing and building cooperatives, and was a director at Bristol Airport.
Moving to Scotland in 2007, Dave took on the post of strategic planning manager with North Lanarkshire Council, where he worked on design and heritage issues, town centre regeneration and the Local Plan.
Retirement in 2013 saw no slowing down in Dave’s contribution to his field.
He was director and then secretary of Glasgow Building Preservation Trust, a member of the Scottish branch of the Institute of Historic Building Conservation, and a board member of Friends of Douglas Park (set up in Cambuslang to prevent local greenspace from being sold by the council).
Mr Bachtler added: “ Albert Einstein said that ‘only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile’.
“Dave always lived for others, and many have benefited from his truly worthwhile life. He will be sorely missed.”
A spokesperson for North Lanarkshire Council said: “Dave brought a wealth of knowledge, experience, commitment and energy to historic environment causes.
“His passion and insight will continue to be an inspiration to many that worked with him.”
Dave is survived by his wife Nancy, daughter Jessica, sister Valerie and brother Kenneth.
