Directorate for Planning and Environmental Appeals abcdefghijklmnopqrstu TOWN AND COUNTRY PLANNING (SCOTLAND) ACT 1997 REPORT TO THE HIGHLAND COUNCIL DEVELOPMENT PLAN EXAMINATION: SUTHERLAND LOCAL PLAN Reporters: Allison Coard MA MPhil MRTPI Richard Dent BA(Hons) DipTP FRTPI Date of Report: January 2010 CONTENTS Issue No Subject Page No 1. Dornoch - Prospects/General Comment 1- 3 2. Dornoch - General Comment 4- 6 3. Dornoch - H1 Bishopfield 7- 9 4. Dornoch - H2 Earl’s Cross 10 - 11 5. Dornoch - H3 Sutherland Road 12 - 14 6. Dornoch - H4 Meadows Park Road 15 - 18 7. Dornoch - MU1 Dornoch North 19 - 23 8. Dornoch - LT Dornoch North Expansion 24 - 25 9. Dornoch - C1 Meadows Park 26 - 27 10. Embo Settlement Development Area 28 - 32 11. Golspie Settlement Development Area 33 12. Golspie - H3 Adjacent Macleod House 34 - 35 13. Golspie - MU1 Mackay House Hotel Site 36 - 37 14. Golspie - MU2 Drummuie 38 - 40 15. Pittenrail - MU1 Mart and Adjoining Land 41 - 42 16. Brora Settlement Development Area 43 17. Brora - Prospects 44 18. Brora - Development Factors 45 19. Brora - H1 East Brora Muir 46 - 47 20. Brora - H2 Tordale, & H3, West of Masonic Hall, 48 - 50 Settlement Development Area (H5, South of Academy Street (deleted)) 21. Brora - H4, Rosslyn Street; MU4, Former Mackays 51 - 53 Yard 22. Brora - MU1 Former Radio Station 54 - 55 23. Brora - MU2 Scotia House 56 - 58 24. Brora - MU3 Carrol House 59 - 60 25. Brora - I1 Adjoining Industrial Estate 61 26. Helmsdale - North of Rockview Place & I1 North of 62 - 64 Industrial Estate 27. Helmsdale - MU1 Shore Street 65 28. Helmsdale - LT North Helmsdale/West of Primary 66 - 67 School 29. Edderton - Settlement Development Area 68 - 70 30. Edderton - Development Factors 71 31. Edderton - H1 West of Station Road 72 - 74 32. Edderton - MU1 Adjacent to Glebe Cottage 75 – 76 CONTENTS Issue No Subject Page No 33. Ardgay - General Comment - Settlement 77 Development Area 34. Ardgay - General Comment - Settlement 78 Development Area 35. Ardgay - H1 North of Manse Road 79 - 81 36. Ardgay - H2 Adjacent to Primary School 82 - 83 37. Ardgay - B1 Ardgay Railway Station Yard North 84 - 85 38. Ardgay - B1 Ardgay Railway Station Yard South 86 - 87 39. Bonar Bridge - Settlement Development Area 88 40. Bonar Bridge - General Comment 89 - 90 41. Bonar Bridge - Development Factors 91 - 92 42. Bonar Bridge - MU1 Cherry Grove 93 - 94 43. Bonar Bridge - LT1 South of Cherry Grove 95 - 97 44. South Bonar Industrial Estate - I1, South Bonar 98 - 100 Industrial Estate 45. Rosehall - Settlement Development Area (H2 101 - 102 Opposite the Post Office (deleted)) 46. Rosehall - H1 Rear of the Post Office 103 - 104 47. Invershin Settlement Development Area & H1 105 - 107 Former Balblair Workings 48. Lairg - C1 North-West of Ferrycroft 108 - 109 49. Lairg - H1 South-West of Main Street 110 - 112 50. Lairg - North of Manse Road 113 - 114 51. Lairg - North of Milncairn 115 - 116 52. Lairg - North-West of Lochside 117 - 118 53. Lairg - Former Hotel/Outbuildings 119 54. Lochinver - Settlement Development Area 120 - 122 55. Lochinver - H1 Sheep Pens North of Inver Park 123 - 124 56. Lochinver - H2 Cnoc A Mhuillin 125 - 127 57. Lochinver - H3 Glencanisp 128 - 130 58. Lochinver - I1 Culag Harbour 131 59. Point of Stoer - West of the School 132 - 133 60. Point of Stoer - H2 South of the Radio Mast 134 - 135 61. Scourie - Settlement Development Area 136 62. Scourie - General Comment 137 - 138 63. Scourie - West of the School 139 64. Kinlochbervie - LT1 North of Innes Place 140 - 142 CONTENTS Issue No Subject Page No 65. Kinlochbervie - South of Mackenzie Square 143 - 144 66. Kinlochbervie - Land at Cnoc Ruadh 145 - 146 67. Kinlochbervie - Land South East of Kinlochbervie 147 - 148 Hotel 68. Kinlochbervie - I1 Reclaimed Land at Lochbervie 149 Harbour 69. Durness Settlement Development Area 150 - 151 70. Durness - MU1 Adjacent to the Shop and Across 152 - 154 Road Adjacent to the War Memorial 71. Tongue - Settlement Development Area 155 - 156 72. Tongue - West of Varich Place 157 - 159 73. Tongue - South of Loyal Terrace 160 - 162 74. Tongue - West of the Manse 163 75. Tongue - North of St Andrews Church 164 - 165 76. Melness - Melness General Comment, Settlement 166 - 168 Development Area and Policy 17 77. Melness - H1 West of Joseph Mackay Court 169 -170 78. Melness - West of Craggan Hotel 171 - 173 79. Bettyhill - Settlement Development Area 174 - 175 80. Bettyhill - West of the School, H2 West of Munro 176 - 178 Place 81. Bettyhill - North of Gordon Terrace 179 - 180 82. Strathy - Strathy West 181 - 182 83. General Policies – Introductory Paragraphs 183 - 184 84. Settlement Development Areas 185 - 186 85. Wider Countryside 187 - 192 86. Natural, Built and Cultural Heritage 193 - 198 87. Designing for Sustainability 199 - 200 88. Water Waste Treatment 201 - 204 89. Waste Management 205 - 207 90. Flood Risk 208 - 211 91. Physical Constraints 212 - 215 92. Developer Contributions 216 - 218 93. Housing in the Countryside 219 - 223 94. Design Quality and Place-Making 224 - 225 95. General Policies: Omission on Policy on Protection 226 - 227 of the Water Environment 96. General Policies: Omission of Policy on Air Quality 228 - 229 Issues CONTENTS Issue No Subject Page No 97. General Policies: Omission of Policy on Renewable 230 - 233 Energy Development Issues 98. General Policies: Omission of Policy on Open 234 - 236 Space Issues 99. General Policies: Omission of Policy on 237 - 238 Contaminated Land Issues 100. Minerals Extraction 239 - 241 101. Transport 242 - 249 102. General 250 - 261 103. Housing Land 262 - 268 Appendix 269 SUTHERLAND LOCAL PLAN Reporter: Issue 1 DORNOCH - Prospects/General Comment RICHARD DENT Development plan Prospects/General Comment reference: Text MB 5 – Map 1.1 MB 7 Organisations or persons submitting representations: Mr P. Higgins (23) G. A. Marshall (255) A. M. A. Bagott (380) J Robertson (650) Mr H. Lane (175) Provisions of the development plan to Settlement development area; housing which the issue relates: allocations Summary of representations: Mr P. Higgins, G. A .Marshall, A. M. A. Bagott, J Robertson Scale of the proposals would have an unacceptable impact on the established character of the town. Extra housing will have an effect on demand for already overstretched social resources, especially social functions. Present facilities are already inadequate. Developers should donate/contribute to provision of a new/refurbished village hall. Lack of employment opportunities for incomers who will occupy the new houses. A greater volume of traffic will be generated through the new housing proposed to be built, probably higher than average for most towns. Question capacity in the secondary and primary schools. Mr H. Lane Need a small but appropriate gymnasium in Dornoch. Modifications sought by those submitting representations: Mr P. Higgins, G. A. Marshall, A. M. A. Bagott, J Robertson Reduction of overall allocations level (assumed). Mr H Lane Provision of community recreational facility. Summary of responses by THC: Dornoch has an identified housing need, with a significant waiting list for affordable homes. The settlement has a high average house price that may be driven by purchases from outwith the Highland area, the East Sutherland and Edderton Ward has one of the highest levels of sales to outwith the area. The provision of a larger and more varied housing stock will assist in the ability of the local population to access the housing market. In relation to the provision of business and industrial opportunities these have been identified within the plan through an extension to the business park, in order to facilitate the growth of local 1 SUTHERLAND LOCAL PLAN employment opportunities. Both the Dornoch Primary and Academy have experienced falling school rolls in recent years, event with a significant growth in house construction this is likely to steady the existing school rolls. Proposals to upgrade the level of facilities available for the primary and secondary school are under consideration. The development of a sports barn at the school will offer facilities for the wider public. The local community association are pursuing the potential for the refurbishment of the existing or the delivery of a new community centre. The provision of adequate infrastructure is an issue that is the subject of consideration when allocating land. Further detail on improvements that require to be undertaken or contributed to by developers will be the subject of more detailed discussion when proposals are formed and submitted for consideration. These issues relate to all factors that are required to facilitate a development to proceed, ie adequacy of roads, pedestrian access, water and drainage provision, flood risk, service provision etc. The preparation of the plan involves discussion with other agencies to allow consideration of the impact on services and allow for the programming of adequate provision. Any further plan changes commended by THC: None. Reporter’s conclusions: 1. Although it has been claimed that the scale of development proposed in Dornoch would have an adverse impact on the character of the town, this is not a matter that has been addressed by THC. 2. It cannot be denied that the local plan proposes a large number of new houses for a town the size of Dornoch. Sites H1 - H4 and site MU1 have an estimated capacity of 444 housing units. Some of the sites have been granted planning permission and are already under development. Each of the sites has been the subject of representations and these have been assessed under Issues 3 – 7. In each case I have concluded that the principle of the development of the site is acceptable. Although site MU1 is a particularly large site with a capacity of 250 units along with other uses, I believe that the development could be accommodated within the urban framework. This development is likely to be undertaken throughout the plan period and beyond.