TARVES COMMUNITY ACTION PLAN 2019 1 Location Community Action Plan Fig 1. Map of Tarves Community Council Area Reproduced by permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of HMSO. © Crown copyright and database right 2014. All rights reserved. Licence number 0100020767 Tarves is a village, parish and Community Council area in the Formartine Area of Aberdeenshire in North-east Scotland, located approximately 18 miles NNW of Aberdeen. It is irregular in shape, about 11 miles across at its greatest extent east- west, and 6.5 miles north- south. It has an area of 16,310 acres. The main settlement with a population of 953 (2016 est.) is Tarves, an extremely attractive village, focussed on its Square, the central feature of a 19th Century “designed village”. The older part of the village has been designated a “Conservation Area” by Gordon District Council in 1976. Other settlements in the area include Barthol Chapel, a small settlement grouped around its school and 1875 church, and Craigdam, which spreads along the road to Oldmeldrum but no longer retains its school, village hall, nor Scotland’s earliest established Seceder meeting house, dating from 1752. Section 2. TARVES AND THE ABERDEENSHIRE LOCAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN (LDP) 2017 A Local Development Plan (LDP) is map-based and concisely links Council Planning policies and proposals to locations. It is regularly updated. The current Aberdeenshire LDP was adopted in April 2017. The current LDP follows the Aberdeen City and Shire Strategic Development Plan 2014, in identifying two broad policy areas: a) Strategic Growth Areas, which will absorb 75% of the anticipated growth, follow the main transport routes out of Aberdeen: A90 to Peterhead; A96 to Huntly; and A90 to Laurencekirk; 2 Introduction Community Action Plan b) Local growth and diversification areas where growth will be matched to local needs. This designation is further divided into a more accessible or pressured area adjacent to the city and a less accessible area further out. Because of the different development pressures in the latter two areas, local needs are viewed as requiring more restrictive or more encouraging planning policies respectively. In Formartine, the Turriff and Fyvie areas are located in the less accessible area; Tarves is located in the pressured area. Here, allocations to meet these pressures are often limited by their available infrastructure. Thus, Tarves, and many of these settlements, are designated for small-scale organic growth to meet their individual needs, for example, by sustaining the school roll, facilities or local employment. In addition to settlements, the LDP permits development in the countryside, if it: refurbishes or replaces an existing or disused building; is on a previously developed site now redundant; or is a dwelling house associated with the retirement succession of a viable farm holding. Fig 2.1 Tarves LDP 2017 3 Tarves Community Action Plan 2,1 Settlement Statement: Tarves LDP 2017 For full details see: www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/media/20615/appendix-8c-settlement-statements-formartine.pdf 2.1.1 Vision “Tarves has a distinctive character with the village square, arterial street pattern and traditional Victorian architecture all of which are key to the settlement’s sense of place. This has been recognised in its designation as a conservation area. Consequently, development in Tarves must be carefully managed to remain sympathetic to the historic village core. Tarves also provides services to the surrounding rural communities, including the primary school and shops. The planning objectives for the settlement are to meet the local need for homes in the Aberdeen housing market area, to meet local employment needs and to support local services. This will be achieved through the existing allocations and through a new employment land allocation in the west of the village.” 2.1.2 Protected Land “Playing fields (P1); Cemetery (P2); Recreation Ground & School playground (P3); Bowling Green, Village Square and Recreation ground (P4) and the Open space at Mackie Avenue/Duthie Webster Road corner (P5). Tarves Conservation Area [shown in green] (CA).” Allocated Sites OP1 The Grange: 100 homes (25 affordable), community facilities and 3 ha employment land. Masterplan approved 2015, Planning permission for 113 (28 affordable) homes refused 16/11/18; granted on appeal 27/8/2019 OP2 Braiklay Park: 10 homes (2 affordable) (18 houses (indicative) approved on appeal on 19/09/07). OP3 Land at Braiklay Croft: 1.3 ha employment land: (19 houses approved (including 3 affordable) with the Employment condition overthrown on 9/09/16). 2.1.3 Services and Infrastructure “Further conditions were specified relating to: Local transportation; Strategic drainage and water supply; Community facilities; Sports and recreation facilities; Health facilities; and Open space.” Section 2a. BARTHOL CHAPEL AND THE ABERDEENSHIRE LOCAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN (LDP) 2017 Fig 2.2 Barthol Chapel LDP 2017 4 Tarves Community Action Plan Vision “Barthol Chapel is a small rural community close to Oldmeldrum. The settlement is characterised with its woodland setting and prominent, raised Church and churchyard around which the settlement is clustered. Barthol Chapel is the location of the local primary school, but it has no other services. Due to its secluded location, there is little development pressure in Barthol Chapel and the key planning objective is to preserve the amenity of the settlement.” Settlement Features Protected Land P1 To conserve the playing fields as a local amenity. P2 To conserve the Church, churchyard and landscape setting of the village. Services and Infrastructure “Further specified conditions related to Community facilities and Sports and recreation facilities.” Section 3. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT 3.1. Tarves Place Standard Survey Tarves CC carried out an online survey during September 2016 to ascertain the needs and wishes of Tarves residents. Also, hard copies were available from the shop. It used the fourteen standard questions from Place Standard, a tool for evaluating the quality of a place, and Survey Monkey was used for collecting and analysing the data. Fig. 3.1. Tarves Survey: Ranking of General Questions (Score out of 7). Tarves Topic Place Standard Question Score Rank E. Community and Do I feel safe? 6.31 1 B. Quality of Do buildings, streets and public spaces create an attractive 5.69 2 environment place that is easy to get around? E. Community and Does this place have a positive identity and do I feel I belong? 5.69 2 B. Quality of Are buildings and spaces well cared for? 5.65 4 B. Quality of Can I regularly experience good quality natural space? 5.44 5 E. Community and Do I feel able to participate in decisions and help change things 5.00 6 belonging for the better? C. Facilities Do I have access to a range of space and opportunities for play 4.73 7 D. Planning and Does housing support the needs of the community & contribute 4..65 8 economy to a positive environment? C. Facilities Is there a range of spaces and opportunities to meet people? 4.38 9 A. Transportation Do traffic and parking arrangements allow people to move 4.28 10 C. Facilities Do facilities and amenities meet my needs? 4.12 11 D. Planning and Is there an active local economy and the opportunity to access 3.69 12 economy good quality work? C. Transportation Can I easily walk and cycle around using good quality routes? 3.47 13 C. Transportation Does public transport meet my needs? 3.21 14 5 Tarves Community Action Plan Transport Easily walk & cycle Participate in decisions & Public transport Community & help change things for ... belonging Do I feel safe Traffic & parking Positive identity - do I Buildings, streets & feel I belong public spaces make... Building & spaces well Housing cared for Planning & Quality of Economy Active local economy & Good quality natural Environment access to good quality... space Space & opportunities to Space & opportunities for meet people play & recreation Facilities and amenities meet my needs Facilities Fig. 3.2. The Place Standard compass diagram for Tarves Fig 3.1. shows a high degree of satisfaction with both the Tarves community and its quality of life. The Place Standard method grades satisfaction from 1 (much room for improvement) to 7 (very little room for improvement). The question ‘Do I feel safe’ was ranked highest, six of the fourteen questions were graded above 5.0 and twelve of the fourteen questions were graded in the top half of the scale. Only two questions had a satisfaction rating below the half-way point, and both are related to Transportation. 3.2 Tarves Public Meeting on 3rd October 2016 Each of the Place Standard Questions had open-text boxes where responders could make comments, explain their rating of the Questions and highlight specific issues. These issues were reviewed, grouped together into five related “Tarves Topics” (see Fig. 3.3.) and presented on 3rd Oct 2016 at a public meeting. Each attendee was given an opportunity to add further issues, which they thought important and had been missed, and then to indicate which issues had their support or opposition. The results were collated and ranked (see Fig 3.3. below): 6 Tarves Community Action Plan Fig. 3.3. Tarves Survey: Ranking of Issues at the Public Meeting on 3rd October 2016. Tarves Topic ISSUE Rank Cross country routes: Ellon, Inverurie, Meldrum for jobs, train A. Transportation 1 etc. A. Transportation Footpaths/cycle routes, particularly for Haddo and the Prop 2 A. Transportation Later bus from Aberdeen 3 A. Transportation Zebra crossing between school and hall 4 A. Transportation Electronic speed signs 5 A. Transportation Resolve parking issues at school/hall/pharmacy 6 A. Transportation Bus stop/route for Barthol Chapel 7 B.Quality of environment Prevent dog fouling outside school 1 B.Quality of environment Prevent dog fouling in playparks 2 B.Quality of environment Improve appearance/maintenance of poorly kept properties 3 B.Quality of environment Sort smelly drains in Square 4 C.