West Highland and Islands LDP Examination
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Planning and Environmental Appeals Division Telephone: 01324 696455 Fax: 01324 696444 E-mail: [email protected] Mr T Stott Highland Council Sent By E-mail Our ref: LDP-270-6 10 May 2019 Dear Mr Stott PROPOSED WEST HIGHLAND AND ISLANDS LOCAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN THE TOWN AND COUNTRY PLANNING (DEVELOPMENT PLANNING) (SCOTLAND) REGULATIONS 2008 SUBMISSION OF THE REPORT OF THE EXAMINATION We refer to our appointment by the Scottish Ministers to conduct the examination of the above proposed plan. Having satisfied ourselves that the planning authority’s consultation and engagement exercises conformed with their participation statement, our examination of the proposed plan commenced on 7 August 2018. We have completed the examination and now submit our report. In our examination, we considered all 28 issues arising from unresolved representations identified by yourselves to the Proposed Local Development Plan. In each case we have taken account of the original representations, as well as your summaries of the representations and your responses to such, and we have set out our conclusions and recommendations in relation to each issue in our report. We undertook a comprehensive series of unaccompanied site inspections. In addition we made six further information requests from the council and representees and the responses to these have been taken into account in making our findings. We did not require to hold any hearing or inquiry sessions. Strategic environmental assessment We have reviewed the environmental report which accompanies the proposed plan. This provides an assessment of the vision and spatial strategy and policies including alternative approaches as well as an assessment of site allocations and alternative sites. We note that comments by Historic Environment Scotland, Scottish Natural Heritage and Scottish Environment Protection Agency have been taken forward in the revised report and that the council has responded to all the issues raised and the outcomes recorded. 4 The Courtyard, Callendar Business Park, Falkirk, FK1 1XR DX 557005 Falkirk www.dpea.scotland.gov.uk= abcde abc a www.gov.scot/Topics/Planning/Appeals Subject to the limited exceptions as set out in Section 19 of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 (as amended) and in the Town and Country Planning (Grounds for Declining to Follow Recommendations) (Scotland) Regulations 2009, you are now required to make the modifications to the plan as set out in our recommendations. You should also make any consequential modifications to the text or maps which arise from these modifications. Separately, you will require to make any necessary adjustments to the final environmental report and to the report on the appropriate assessment of the plan. All those who submitted representations will be informed that the examination has been completed and that the report has been submitted to yourselves. We will advise them that the report is now available to view at the DPEA, and that it will also be posted on your website. The documents relating to the examination should be retained on your website for a period of six weeks following the adoption of the plan by yourselves. It would also be helpful to know when the plan has been adopted and we would appreciate being sent confirmation of this in due course. Yours sincerely Trevor Croft Andrew Fleming Dilwyn Thomas Reporter Reporter Reporter 4 The Courtyard, Callendar Business Park, Falkirk, FK1 1XR DX 557005 Falkirk www.dpea.scotland.gov.uk= abcde abc a www.gov.scot/Topics/Planning/Appeals Planning and Environmental Appeals Division REPORT TO THE HIGHLAND COUNCIL ON THE PROPOSED WEST HIGHLAND AND ISLANDS LOCAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN EXAMINATION Reporters: Trevor Croft BSc DipTRP ARSGS FRSA MRTPI Andrew Fleming BA(Hons) BTP MRTPI EDK Thomas BSc (Hons) MBA MRTPI Date of Report: 10 May 2019 CONTENTS Page No Examination of Conformity with Participation Statement 1 Issue 01 Vision and Spatial Strategy 6 02 Settlement Hierarchy and Housing Requirements 16 03 Economic Development Areas 27 04 Transport 35 05 Environment 40 06 Fort William 43 07 Glencoe 80 08 Kinlochleven 85 09 Mallaig 87 10 North Ballachulish, Glenachulish and South Ballachulish 96 11 Spean Bridge and Roy Bridge 116 12 Strontian 126 13 Lochaber Growing and Community Plan Settlements 131 14 Broadford 141 15 Dunvegan 168 16 Kyleakin 171 17 Portree 175 18 Sleat 192 19 Staffin 214 20 Uig 231 21 Skye and Raasay Growing and Community Plan Settlements 233 22 Gairloch 238 23 Kyle of Lochalsh 245 24 Lochcarron 249 25 Poolewe 258 26 Ullapool 263 27 Wester Ross and Lochalsh Growing and Community Plan Settlements 269 28 Other Issues Raised (General Appendices and Other) 277 PROPOSED WEST HIGHLAND AND ISLANDS LOCAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN Examination of Conformity with the Participation Statement Introduction 1. Section 19(4) of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 (as amended) requires the person(s) appointed by the Scottish Ministers to examine the plan: “firstly to examine…the extent to which the planning authority’s actings with regard to consultation and the involvement of the public at large as respects the proposed plan have conformed with (or have been beyond the requirements of) the participation statement of the authority which was current when the proposed plan was published under section 18(1)(a).” 2. In our examination, we considered representations to the Proposed Plan of May 2017 that were not resolved. The participation statement relating to the Proposed Plan 3. The version of Highland Council’s participation statement which was current when the Proposed Plan was published formed part of the Development Plans Newsletter dated January 2017. Previous statements were published in 2014, at the stage of calling for sites and ideas, and 2016 when the main issues report was published. The council’s Statement of Conformity with Participation Statement relating to the Proposed Plan 4. The statement of conformity that the council submitted to the examination stated that the three participation statements were implemented as follows: What our 2014 Participation Statement said What we did Work closely with the local media to let you January to February 2015 press adverts in know about how you can get involved community newsletters for Ullapool, Gairloch, Lochcarron. Local radio, Cuillin FM (covering the Isle of Skye), adverts for a week in January 2015 and a recorded interview aired in February 2015. Press articles in the West Highland Free Press in January 2015, Ross-shire Journal in February 2015, and Press and Journal in February 2015. Press releases start and end of consultation period. Make responses to our consultations available All responses to the Call for Sites and Ideas online stage were published on the Council’s website. Use public meetings and committees to update December 2014 to February 2015 presentation you on how work is progressing and attendance at Ward Forum public meetings (attended by community councils, other community groups and other public agency stakeholders) at Portree, Plockton, Poolewe, Ullapool and Fort William. Work closely with community groups and Emails to all community councils within the Plan volunteers to encourage people to get involved area. The Call for Sites and Ideas included an in planning; invitation to communities to record an interest in producing a community plan. A workshop with each of 3 local high schools during a period of 1 PROPOSED WEST HIGHLAND AND ISLANDS LOCAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN learning about planning and mapping issues with these topics integrated into the curriculum. Work with our service centre to make sure you Prior briefing of the Council’s Service Centre (Call can contact the people producing the plans Centre) including the names and direct dial effectively telephone numbers of the WestPlan team so customers making enquiries can make quick contact with the relevant officers. Provide regular updates by email and post on Regular emails to those who’d recorded an the work that we are doing interest in that part of Highland, updates via the Council’s website. Awareness raising postcard sent to all 23,834 residential and business postal addresses within Plan area in January 2015. Press releases at the start and end of the consultation period. (As the Plan progressed through its stages there was a gradual transition from paper to electronic communication) Provide paper copies of all of our newly Paper copy deposit of Call for Sites and Ideas published and consultation documents in our guide and form. service points and libraries Expand our involvement with the public by using Facebook Promoted Posts 3 times over the Call social media including our blog, Facebook and for Sites period. Use of Twitter and Facebook. Twitter pages Ask you for feedback on how we are getting you Opportunity for general feedback via social involved media, website, phone and email. Make better use of information technology in All Plan information and feedback via Council’s our consultations website. Use of social media. Provide easy-to-understand guides about Plain language Call for Sites Guide produced certain aspects of development planning, and made available in paper and electronic including online videos to explain some of our format. Quick Guide to making online larger pieces of work comments. What our 2016 Participation Statement said What we did Produce interactive online documents that are All documentation available via “Objective” easy to read and comment upon consultation “portal” website. Comments encouraged via direct online submissions. Later Additional Sites Consultation also via portal. Include clear maps and graphics in our Tailored neighbour notification letters including documents “zoomed-in” allocation map(s). Consultation portal with quick links to relevant settlement text and maps. Pop-out higher resolution maps available on consultation portal. 2 PROPOSED WEST HIGHLAND AND ISLANDS LOCAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN Use a range of media to keep you up to date Neighbour notification of every postal address and let you know how and when you can get point within 30 metres of an allocation boundary.