Auchterless, Inverkeithny & Fisherford Community Action Plan 2015
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Auchterless, Inverkeithny & Fisherford Community Action Plan 2015 Map of Auchterless, Inverkeithny & Fisherford Auchterless CAP Community Council Area 2 Introduction & Background Auchterless CAP 1. BACKGROUND There are frequent small settlements 1.1 Location and regional route-ways following these Auchterless, Inverkeithny and Fisherford valleys. Community Council Area is located • Upland Ridges South of the Deveron at the north-westernmost fringe of This is a sub area of the Agricultural Formartine. It is bordered by three Heartland Landscape Type, which covers of the current administrative areas of half of Aberdeenshire. It comprises Aberdeenshire: Banff and Buchan, Marr broad, rounded hilltops of similar height and Garioch. There is even a short with convex slopes. Despite the altitude, section which abuts directly onto Moray. it is heavily agricultural with large fields, Auchterless in its deep valley It was a borderland in earlier times, few field boundaries and sparse tree- too, abutting onto Banffshire while cover. There are no settlements, just Inverkeithny itself was in that county. scattered farms and steadings nestled against the hill slopes. 1.2 Population & Settlements The whole area is sparsely populated 1.4 Historical Development with a current population of 1186 in Antiquities the two parishes. The few settlements There are a large number of antiquities of are small, the three main ones being various types. Amongst those of note are: Kirkton of Auchterless, Fisherford and • Recumbent Stone Circles at Cairn Riv, Inverkeithny. Corrydown, Mains of Hatton, Pitglassie. 1.3 Topography • Other Stone Circles at Greymuir The area is a cultivated upland lying Cairn, Hare Stanes, Rapplebaum, Upper Auchterless Parish Church between 180m and 200m above sea Third, West Haughs. level but rising to 259m at Kirkhill, the • Roman Marching Camps. At Ythan highest point in the area. It is largely Wells are two superimposed marching drained by two rivers. The River Ythan camps, both believed to be Agricolan flows in its valley through Auchterless and related to the AD 83 campaign Parish in a north-easterly direction then when it is claimed the Roman army briefly leaves, before turning abruptly defeated the Caledonii at Mons Graupius. southwards to form the area’s eastern boundary. Here its altitude is just below Later History 50m. The River Deveron forms the The descriptions of Auchterless parish in northern boundary. Its altitude is just the two Statistical Accounts of Scotland, below 40m. Kirkton of Auchterless is the Old (OSA 1793) and New (NSA 88m above sea-level, Fisherford 154m, 1840) give very clear accounts of the and Inverkeithny 53m. life and appearance of the parish and of the changes over the intervening period The Aberdeenshire Local Development which formed the present character Plan 2012 identifies two Landscape of the parish, and of the Agricultural Character Areas:- Heartland of Aberdeenshire. • Deveron and Upper Ythan valleys An area of shallow attractive valleys Both mention the area’s prehistory, occupied by winding rivers and commenting on the numerous cairns and bounded by broad rolling hill sides, ‘druidical’ stone circles whose stones clothed with mixed deciduous and may have been spared by superstition. Fisherford village entrance coniferous policy woodlands, integrated Also, both give detailed descriptions of with well-maintained agricultural land. the Roman marching camp at Ythan Wells, Cover Photo: River Deveron near Inverkeithny 3 Introduction & Background Auchterless CAP the OSA calling it Castra Agricola following 1360 in 1774 to scarcely 1200 in 1793. Major-General Roy. On one estate several extensive farms and crofts became waste and on several Both describe the land as consisting of other estates farms were amalgamated. light and gravelly soils intermixed with clay which are “early and productive”. The changes continue apace in the NSA. The main crops in the OSA are oats Many farmers now have substantial and barley and much meal is exported. houses of two storeys high with neat Sheep and cattle are reared so there is and commodious steadings. Almost every Auchterless village entrance with Parish Church extensive pasture and hay. Potatoes are farm of 50-60 acres has a water driven grown in great abundance. threshing mill. The general character of the husbandry in this parish also is The agricultural improvements have excellent. Numbers of cattle of the far- already started as early as the OSA for famed Aberdeenshire stock have greatly large quantities of turnips are sown increased to upwards of 2000. The quality and used for feeding young cattle in and numbers of horses, too, have also winter and spring, “which helps them increased to 300-400 and Cheviot Black- put on a good weight”. Clover, too, is face sheep number 600-700, mentioned. The OSA highlights a key change, the introduction on some estates There has been an increase in population of extended leases from 19 years to a too. One of the changes is an increase lifetime plus 19 years, thus enabling the in subtenants or crofters who are useful tenants themselves to benefit from the to farmers as labourers at busy times. improved yield resulting from improving Thus Kirktown has 10 dwellings and 38 the land. This is indicated by the large crofters. It is smaller than Gordonstown, amounts of English shell lime being which is a long straggling village of imported via the ports at Banff and 35 dwellings and a population of 100 Macduff. Sheep numbers at 1600 are crofters. Transport has improved too decreasing but they are now bigger and with the opening of the Aberdeen-Banff give better quality wool. Black cattle turnpike in 1804, which follows the numbers have increased to 1500 and are eastern boundary of the parish. exported south after three years to be fattened for market. Another indication The NSA states that “Few parishes in the Auchterless Old Parish Church of improvement is that horses have country are at the present moment in a increased to 200 and are replacing oxen higher state of cultivation” and summarises for both ploughing and transport. Indeed, the changes thus: there were only 14 oxen ploughs left. The most striking variations betwixt the present state of the parish, and that which existed at the time of Horses are more expensive but more the last Statistical Account, are to be found in the efficient. There are seven corn mills improved mode of laying out and enclosing the fields; and three brand new threshing mills. in the great increase of turnip husbandry and the There are no stone quarries and field consequent fattening of a number of cattle for the home and London markets; in a stricter attention to boundaries are earthen mounds or the rotation of crops; and in the general superiority of ditches sometimes planted with thorn. the various cross-roads, thereby affording increased facilities for agricultural improvements. However life was still precarious and there was a widespread famine in 1782-83: Modern Times “By the famine in 1782 and 1783, the inferior ranks Population continued to increase were reduced to the greatest extremity of want and until 1871. Since then the population many would have perished without extraordinary assistance, which was cheerfully afforded. Happy for has decreased as more powerful and this country, providence brought about a peace; so that sophisticated agricultural machinery has the pease which were laid up for the navy, were sold reduced the employment on farms and, off, which was the saving of the North of Scotland. By unlike parishes nearer Aberdeen, large- large purchases of these and English barley . the lives of the parishioners were preserved.” scale commuting has not affected the area. The OSA for Udny, attributes its cause to Inverkeithny Parish extremely poor harvests resulting from Inverkeithny Parish follows a similar extreme and unusual weather. pattern to Auchterless in its history, Fisherford: Tillymorgan Church population and agriculture. The NSA One of its resultant effects in Auchterless summarises its agriculture as “Conducted was that the population declined from on most approved principles, skilfully applied.” 4 Local Development Plan Auchterless CAP 2. ABERDEENSHIRE 2.1 Designated Settlement Statements (LDP 2016) LOCAL DEVELOPMENT PLANS 2012 AND 2016 KIRKTON OF AUCHTERLESS A Local Development Plan (LDP) is map-based and concisely links Council Planning policies and proposals to locations. They are regularly updated. The current one was approved in 2012 and its replacement, due to apply from sometime in 2016, is well advanced. It was approved as the settled view of the Council in March 2015 and has gone through a period for formal representation. Unresolved issues arising from the representations are currently with Scottish Ministers for public examination which is likely to conclude by August 2016, after which the Plan can be agreed and adopted. Both 2012 and 2016 LDPs follow the Aberdeen City and Shire Strategic Development Plan, in identifying two broad policy areas: Kirkton of Auchterless is an attractive village set within rolling arable farmland. The village is • Strategic Growth Areas which follow the characterised by its historical assets, with the prominent listed church and churchyard forming main transport routes out of Aberdeen: the main feature of the village. The long views of the church from the southern approach are key A90 north to Peterhead, A96 to Huntly to the settlements sense of place. The settlement also has a primary school and public transport and A90 south to Laurencekirk; and links. The planning objective is to preserve the amenity of the village and to sustain the school roll • Local growth and diversification areas through the rural development policy within shaping development in the countryside. where growth will be matched to Protected Land local needs. This designation is further P1 To conserve the setting of the church divided into a more accessible or P2 To conserve the school playing fields and facilities as an amenity for the village.