Contents Business development (BD) SG Bus1: Development of business land 1 SG Bus2: Office development 2 SG Bus3: Working from home 3 SG Bus4: Tourist facilities and accommodation 4 SG Bus5: Development in the Energetica Framework Area 5 Town centres and retailing (TCR) SG Retail1: Town centres and retailing 1 SG Retail2: Retail development in the countryside 4 Develoment in the countryside (RD) SG Rural Development1: Housing and business development in the countryside 1 SG Rural Development2: Wind farms and medium to large wind turbines 3 SG Rural Development3: Other renewable energy developments 5 SG Rural Development4: Minerals 6 Special types of rural land (STRL) SG STRLtype1: Development in the coastal zone 1 SG STRLtype2: Greenbelt 25 Housing land supply (HLS) SG Housing1: Housing land allocations 2007-2016 1 SG Housing2: Housing land allocations 2017 to 2023 and early draw down 2 Affordable housing (AH) SG Affordable Housing1: Affordable housing 1 Other special housing needs (OSHN) SG SHN1: Development for particular needs 1 SG SHN2: Residential caravans 2 SG SHN3: Gypsies/travellers 3 Layout, siting and design of new development (LSD) SG LSD1: Masterplanning 1 SG LSD2: Layout, siting and design of new development 3 SG LSD3: House extensions 5 SG LSD4: Infill development 6 SG LSD5: Public open space 7 SG LSD6: Public access 9 SG LSD7: Community facilities 10 SG LSD8: Flooding and erosion 11 SG LSD9: Hazardous development 16 SG LSD10: Contaminated land 17 SG LSD11: Carbon neutrality in new development 18 ABERDEENSHIRE LOCAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN 1 Developer contributions (DC) SG Developer Contributions1: Developer Contributions 1 SG Developer Contributions2: Access to new development 2 SG Developer Contributions3: Water and waste water drainage infrastructure 3 SG Developer Contributions4: Waste management requirements for new development 5 SG Developer Contributions5: Methodologies for the calculations of developer contributions 7 Enabling development (ED) SG Enabling Development1: Enabling development 1 Natural heritage (NH) SG Natural Environment1: Protection of nature conservation sites 1 SG Natural Environment2: Protection of the wider biodiversity and geodiversity 3 Landscape conservation (LC) SG Landscape1: Landscape character 1 SG Landscape2: Valued views 7 Protecting, improving and conserving the historic environment (HE) SG Historic Environment1: Listed buildings 1 SG Historic Environment2: Conservation areas 2 SG Historic Environment3: Historic gardens and designed landscapes 6 SG Historic Environment4: Archaeological sites and monuments 7 Safeguarding of resources and areas of search (SR) SG Safeguarding1: Protection and conservation of the water environment 1 SG Safeguarding2: Protection and conservation of agricultural land 3 SG Safeguarding3: Protection and conservation of trees and woodland 4 SG Safeguarding4: Safeguarding transportation facilities 5 SG Safeguarding5: Safeguarding employment land 6 SG Safeguarding6: Safeguarding oil and gas sites 7 SG Safeguarding7: Areas of search for minerals 8 SG Safeguarding8: Areas of search for waste facilities 48 2 ABERDEENSHIRE LOCAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN SG Bus1: Development of business land industrial, business, and other employment uses, normally Classes 4, 5 and 6 of the Use Classes Order, We will approve new employment uses, subject to and other employment uses where appropriate other policies, on land allocated or identified on This is one of the key factors in sustaining a the proposals maps, or most recently used for this vibrant, effective and sustainable economy for purpose. Aberdeenshire The Action Programme will identify the means by which this established land supply will be made effective so as to meet the Structure Plan Reasoned Justification targets for the marketable land supply The aim of this policy is to ensure allocated For clarification this policy does not apply to employment sites, shown on the settlement farmland, shop, hotel or retail office developments, proposals maps, are developed for suitable even though they may employ people It applies to employment purposes A separate statement of land that was last, or is currently, used for business supplementary guidance (“SG Safeguarding5: purposes Safeguarding employment land”) protects these and existing sites from non-employment development Integrating new employment generation with Removal of employment land allocations, or supporting infrastructure and housing development proposals for the comprehensive redevelopment is an important means of achieving sustainable of land currently used for business to another use communities For this reason provision of should only be undertaken following due process as marketable employment land will be a requirement part of a review of the Development Plan for any development that seeks to create a new neighbourhood These sites are specifically identified In accordance with the Structure Plan, the Local within the proposals maps Development Plan maintains a supply of land for ABERDEENSHIRE LOCAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN 1 SG Bus2: Office development Reasoned Justification We will approve new office development, subject The aim of this policy is to encourage office to other policies, if: development to locate on sites appropriate to the scale of the proposal in terms of, for example, 1) it is located on land allocated in the plan for traffic impacts or neighbouring uses This helps to employment use; or uses existing derelict, maintain a diversity of use as well as maintaining despoiled, unused or underused land or and enhancing the vitality and viability of each buildings; AND settlement and its town centre 2) the applicant demonstrates that the Adequate accessibility is measured by comparing development will be adequately accessible by the number of households that will be within a public transport where available, or by walking 15 minute travel distance by walking or public or other non-motorised means of travel, or transport with the predicted number of employees would deliver improvements to public transport Measures may be required to ensure that under services in scale with the development; AND no circumstances is the number of households within this travel distance less than the number of 3) in the case of offices that fall within Class 2 of predicted employees the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Use Classes Order 1997, the proposal meets the Class 2 of the Town & Country Planning (Scotland) sequential approach to site selection under the Use Classes Order 1997 includes financial, terms of policy relating to retail uses, where professional and other services such as accountants, they will be considered as though they were banks, estate agents, doctors and dental surgeries shops. and betting shops These are services which should be located in town centres’ main retail areas The Council may waive the sequential approach requirement for community medical facilities, where appropriate 2 ABERDEENSHIRE LOCAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN SG Bus3: Working from home Reasoned Justification We will approve home based employment, subject The aim of this policy is to encourage small to other policies, if: businesses at home, while maintaining control over their impact on the surrounding area 1) it does not cause significant loss of amenity to neighbouring properties through noise, traffic A recent trend has been the growth of small movements or other nuisance; AND businesses being carried out from home This is likely to continue, particularly with advances in 2) it does not change the overall character of the communications As working from home reduces the property’s use as a single dwelling; AND need for travel it is a good example of sustainable development It is therefore encouraged, although 3) any building extension proposed for home some control must be exercised to ensure that the based employment purposes retains the operation of these businesses does not have an appearance and perception of the property as a unacceptable adverse impact on the surrounding private dwelling house. area Not all instances of working from home require planning permission Proposals that result in a substantial part of the house or of its curtilage being unavailable for domestic use are likely to require planning permission In all cases the potential impacts from the business use on neighbouring properties, its scale, and the need to employ non-family members on site will be used in this judgement ABERDEENSHIRE LOCAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN 3 SG Bus4: Tourist facilities and Tourism is essentially a sustainable industry and is accommodation of considerable value to Aberdeenshire, as long as it is not overdeveloped Tourism is one of the region’s A. We will approve new or improved tourist largest sectors, and it is an important economic facilities or accommodation, subject to other driver As such, tourism developments should be policies, if: promoted Facilities for sport and recreational activities requiring unimpeded access to remote 1) they are well related to existing settlements and open country will normally be accepted on avoid dispersed patterns of development; OR appropriate sites in the countryside under the rural development policy However, tourism must not 2) the developer has demonstrated a locational destroy the qualities that bring tourists to the area requirement based on the need to be near to in the first place Tourist related development should the specific tourist attraction being exploited, be carefully located, sited and designed to provide and that the facility will not damage those