ISS304 Development Land : Mull
S320 - Calgary, Mull Reporter: PDA 6/11 - Craignure - Java S317 - Between Salen and Fishnish, at Forestry Pier Development plan PDA 6/23 - Salen Pier reference: S329 - Tobermory S316 - Kinloch, Mull H4014 - Tobermory
Body or person(s) submitting a representation raising the issue (including reference number):
Mr And Mrs A Kelsey (00643) Mr And Mrs Bowman (01838) TSL Contractors Ltd (01903) Torrgorm Developments LTD (01927) Ms Aileen Thomson (02086) Mr John Purvis (02064) Mr Norman MacDonald (02133)
Provision of the development plan to which the issue relates: Planning authority’s summary of the representation(s): S320 - Mr And Mrs A Kelsey (00643) The objectors request that the settlement zone at Calgary be extended (Production XXX ) to permit development of 1 or 2 dwellinghouses. They state that this would not involve a large extension, more a rounding off, adjoining the existing residential properties and this would have a minimum impact on the character of the settlement and the surrounding landscape.
PDA 6/11 - Mr And Mrs Bowman (01838) The objectors request that a site at the western end of Craignure (Production XXX ) be allocated in the LDP to permit development, as they are of the view that the land at Java is largely free from constraints. They state that the site is already well connected in terms of services and transport links between the ferry terminal and Tobermory and could easily be incorporated into the existing roads network with minimum expenditure. The objectors, who run a business on the island, state that they are only too aware of the difficulties in getting new staff to come to the area due to a lack of appropriate affordable housing. They therefore wish to have part of their land allocated for housing including an appropriate percentage of affordable units. The objectors go on to state that their land would offer an excellent and natural mixed use community facility, housing and tourism development given its excellent public transport links and sustainable location.
S317 - TSL Contractors Ltd (01903) The objectors request the designation of a new PDA for marine related business / industrial use development at disused Gravel Quarry, Nr. Fishnish, Isle of Mull ( Production XXX ). They are currently constructing a commercial pier facility at the site for the export of timber and the import of various other bulk commodities by sea. The objectors state that it has become apparent that there is a significant requirement for further marine infrastructure such as a large commercial slipway that would allow boats in the 10-25m size range to be removed clear of the water; a small workshop for the repair and overhaul of mechanical components under cover; and a covered storage facility for providing controlled dry storage of perishable commodities being shipped on or off the island, as at present there are no facilities on Mull for commercial boats to be removed from the water meaning that locally based vessels in the 10-25m size category have to travel to slipways as far afield as Girvan or Bute for annual maintenance. This obviously increases costs to the operators and means the island loses out on a potential revenue stream and the opportunity for employment in this industry. The objector envisages a direct skilled employment generation level of 5 persons would result from this development. The objector is of the view that this site is suitable for such a use as it is fairly discreet from the public road A849 and it is in a remote area well away from any centre of habitation with the nearest dwelling house approximately 1 km. to the south west.
PDA 6/23 - Torrgorm Developments LTD (01927) TorrGorm developments are requesting that PDA 6/23 at Salen, Mull ( production XXX ) is extended to allow for the development of a touring campsite. The objector is of the view that the village of Salen is struggling economically following the closure of two of its main employers and subsequent loss of 31 jobs. The objector claims that they have a development plan for PDA 6/23 which is based around a 40 pitch campsite and also a later development of pontoons, slipway and moorings with both developments sharing a hub building which would have office accommodation, toilets, showers and washing/ drying facilities. They state that conservative figures, taken from Visit Scotland national occupancy information, indicate that the campsite would attract around 12,000 visitors per season and if a spend of £75 was achieved per visitor this would introduce £ 0.9M into the local economy. However, they are of the opinion that PDA 6/23 has been created with insufficient ground to fully enable the Development of a Campsite, as a large part of the proposed Camping ground is currently out with the PDA.
S329 - Ms Aileen Thomson (02086) The objector is concerned with the size of development sites in Tobermory (production XXX ) and believes that there are no people currently on the waiting list on Mull, so questions why there is a need for 120 new houses. She claims that there are no jobs here except summer tourist employment; the capacity of the school is almost at its limit and to build these houses and transfer people from other places in Argyll and Bute would be madness for these reasons. The objector notes that a site in Salen has been prepared for development and the school there has extra capacity so suggests that development should take place there.
S316 - Mr John Purvis (02064) The objector requests that the boundaries of the proposed Rural Opportunity Area (ROA) at Kinloch, Pennyghael, Mull be amended ( Production XXX ) as the proposed ROA in this location has, in the objector’s opinion, been incorrectly identified as suitable for development in the Argyll and Bute Landscape Capacity Study – Mull (Core Doc XXX ). The objector is of the view that the proposed Rural Opportunity Area (ROA) is an area of good quality grazing and has a beneficial agricultural use and is a prominent site on higher ground, is visible from the road to both north and south and the trees only provide shelter/screening for a few hundred meters when passing directly west. Whereas the objector considers that the land to the west should in fact be designated as an ROA in the Proposed Local Development Plan as it is of no agricultural use nor is it designated as of special environmental significance.
H4014 - Mr Norman MacDonald (02133) Fully supports the allocation of this area (H4014 – Production XXX ) for housing as the owner of the land. He states that it will encourage development in a new area that will not put any pressure on the historic infrastructure of the village of Tobermory.
Modifications sought by those submitting representations: S320 - Mr And Mrs A Kelsey (00643) The objectors request the extension of the settlement zone at Calgary.
PDA 6/11 - Mr And Mrs Bowman (01838) The objectors request the designation of a new mixed use allocation for Community Facilities/Housing (affordable and other tenures)/Tourism.
S317 - TSL Contractors Ltd (01903) The objectors request the inclusion of a site at Fishnish Gravel Pit as a PDA for Business / Industrial use.
PDA 6/23 - Torrgorm Developments LTD (01927) The objector requests that additional ground to be included within PDA 6/23 to enable the development of a touring campsite.
S329 - Ms Aileen Thomson (02086) The objector would like to see the development scaled down to meet forecast housing needs.
S316 - Mr John Purvis (02064)
The objector requests that the current proposed ROA designation is transferred to land to the south west.
H4014 - Mr Norman MacDonald (02133) N/A
Summary of responses (including reasons) by planning authority: S320 - Mr And Mrs A Kelsey (00643) It is the Council’s view that the extension of the Settlement Zone at Calgary proposed by the objectors would be detrimental to the landscape character to the Calgary Bay area as it would introduce development creep into the landscape above the beach area of Calgary Bay where at present there is limited visual evidence of development. In addition, there is adequate undeveloped land located within the existing Settlement Zone at Calgary to enable windfall development to take place. Accordingly, the Council is of the view that the Settlement Zone boundary at Calgary should remain as detailed in the proposed LDP.
PDA 6/11 - Mr And Mrs Bowman (01838) It is the Council’s view that the designation of a new mixed use Allocation for Community Facilities/Housing (affordable and other tenures)/Tourism at Craignure proposed by the objectors cannot be justified at the present time as there is adequate undeveloped land located within the existing Settlement Zone and PDAs at Craignure to enable windfall development to take place. This includes a small part of the site proposed for development by the objector which is currently proposed to remain part of PDA 6/11 which can still be developed. Accordingly, the Council is of the view that this site should remain as Countryside Zone and PDA 6/11 at Craignure should remain as detailed in the Proposed LDP.
S317 - TSL Contractors Ltd (01903) The Council only became aware of the potential of this site at the Proposed LDP stage. This site was not put forward through the call for sites or at the Main Issues Stage of the LDP process. This site is one of the few on the island that is considered suitable for such future development. It lies in a location adjacent to the main road network between the principle island entry point and Tobermory the principal settlement on the island. It has a consented pier immediately adjacent to the site and is a former industrial site (quarry). The proximity of the pier and the road, combined with the Council’s view that the site has the potential to assimilated future development successfully, both in terms of the function of this area and in terms of landscape impact. Accordingly, the Council would be content, if the Reporter is so minded, to consider that this site be designated as a Potential Development Area in the LDP for Business / Industrial Development purposes, focusing on marine related activities, in an effort to support the overall vision and key objectives of the plan by assisting the socio economic issues of the Island of Mull, subject to satisfactory completion of a SEA assessment.
PDA 6/23 - Torrgorm Developments LTD (01927) It is the Council’s view that the extension of the PDA 6/23 at Salen proposed by the objectors would be detrimental to the landscape / seascape character of the area around Salen Pier as the topography in this location would lead to any caravans / tents to be sited in a somewhat elevated position. This would lead them to be prominent and out of character particularly when viewed from the sea. In addition, there is adequate undeveloped land located within both PDA 6/23 and PDA 6/18 (which are both within the objector’s ownership) and the other PDAs and the existing Settlement Zone at Salen to enable development of the scale and nature proposed to take place. Accordingly, the Council is of the view that the boundary of PDA 6/23 at Salen should remain as detailed in the proposed LDP.
S329 - Ms Aileen Thomson (02086) The Council believes that the objector is particularly concerned with the proposed housing development levels indicated in the LDP for Tobermory. With regard to the housing supply levels detailed in the proposed LDP, the Council has taken the view that for Mull, the Argyll and Bute Housing Needs and Demand Assessment (HNDA) 2009 ( Core Doc. XXX ), indicated that over a 10 year period there was a requirement for an additional 1,500 homes. This was symptomatic of the high house prices, and high levels of demand, and high levels of need for affordable accommodation in the years just prior to the assessment. With the financial crisis of 2008 the Council suspected things might have changed, particularly on Mull as it had the highest average house prices in Argyll and Bute and also high levels of second home ownership / purchasers from outwith Argyll and Bute. Additionally 64 new build affordable housing units had been completed and a further 3 were due for commission since the original survey work was undertaken. We therefore commissioned an update of the HNDA for Mull in 2012, which whilst not available in time for the consultation on the Proposed Local Development Plan, is now published ( Core Doc. XXX ). The updated HNDA for Mull indicates that the need for affordable (social rented) housing is more or less balanced with supply of social rented properties. In terms of market housing the HNDA calculation estimates that, in total, around 42 households per annum will have an unmet requirement or aspiration for market housing across Mull. This would equate to a demand for 210 new market homes over the next five years. The biggest demand for market housing appears to be for lower quartile homes, with the upper market more or less in balance. In order to help meet the requirement for lower quartile market homes, the affordable housing requirement on Mull would be best met by smaller first time buyer homes. Accordingly the higher density levels for development sites on Mull are supported by the updated HNDA. In addition, the Council considers that the projected decline in total population is a real threat to the viability of the area (including Mull) with a potential to adversely impact on the economy/wealth creation, workforce availability and efficient service delivery. The overall objective of the Council’s Single Outcome Agreement/Community Plan (SOA) ( Core Doc Ref. xxx ) that has been approved by the Scottish Government for the 10 years to 2023 is “Argyll and Bute’s economic success is built on a growing population.” (See page 12 of the SOA). This outcome is in turn entirely supportive of the 6 national policy priorities set out in the national guidance on community planning and will also see Argyll and Bute contribute to the national outcomes for Scotland. The LDP can assist this overall outcome in a number of ways including providing for a generous supply of land for new housing sites in places where people want to live. The Council contend that the Housing Allocations and PDAs proposed in the LDP are the best sites for the delivery of such development in the settlement of Tobermory a Key Settlement in the plan where larger scale development supports the plan’s settlement strategy.
S316 - Mr John Purvis (02064)
The boundaries of the Rural Opportunity Areas Development (ROAs) Control Zone were originally identified in the Argyll and Bute Local Plan ( Core Document Ref XXX ). The intention of this zone was to identifying areas outwith the settlements within which there is a general capacity to successfully absorb small scale housing development. This includes open countryside locations where appropriate forms of small- scale housing development will be in tune with landscape character and development pattern. The ROA Zone was the subject of objections and dealt with at the public local inquiry into the local plan. The Reporters recommended the removal of the Rural Opportunity Areas in National Scenic Areas and Areas of Panoramic Quality, due in part to the lack of a landscape assessment by a qualified landscape architect. ( Reporters Findings Chap 3.3, Core Document Ref XXX ). The Council did not agree with the Reporters Findings in this instance and proposed a way forward to assess and retain some capacity for open countryside development in these sensitive areas (Statement of Decisions on Reporters’ Findings : Committee Report, Core Document XXX) . The Adopted Local Plan states “…. Development proposals located in the open countryside within Rural Opportunity Areas positioned within National Scenic Areas and Areas of Panoramic Quality will be considered premature until a Landscape Capacity Study covering the relevant Rural Opportunity Area has been completed and approved by the Council. Thereafter, development proposals will be expected to be consistent with the findings contained within the Landscape Capacity Study.” Gillespies were commissioned to undertake the Landscape Capacity Studies in the Rural Opportunity Zones that lay within National Scenic Areas and Areas of Panoramic Quality. The proposed Local Development Plan has taken into account the findings of the Gillespies reports by including the majority of the areas identified with ‘potential to absorb development’ as Rural Opportunity Area Development Management Zone and those identified as ‘not recommended for development’ as Countryside Development Management Zone ( PLDP Proposals Maps, Core Document Ref XXX). The site referred to by the objector is located within the wider area detailed as ML3 in the Argyll and Bute Landscape Capacity Study – Mull (Core Doc. XXX ). The Council is of the view that this document accurately reflects the development capacity of this area and so recommends that the proposed LDP remains unaltered on account of this objection.
Reporter’s conclusions:
Reporter’s recommendations: