HIGHLAND-WIDE LOCAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN MONITORING STATEMENT August 2009 1 HIGHLAND-WIDE LOCAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN MONITORING STATEMENT CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................5 2 SUSTAINABLE HIGHLAND COMMUNITIES ..........................................7 2.1 Housing Market Areas in Highland....................................................7 2.2 Population............................................................................................7 2.2.1 Population change 1998 to 2007 .......................................................7 2.2.2 Components of Change.....................................................................8 2.2.3 Population Change 1998 to 2007 by Age Group .............................11 2.2.4 Population change 1998 to 2007 by Data Zone...............................12 2.3 Housing..............................................................................................13 2.3.1 Housing Stock and Tenure ..............................................................13 2.3.2 Historic Household Projections 1998 to 2007..................................17 2.3.3 Sales and Affordability.....................................................................18 2.4 New House Completions ..................................................................23 2.4.1 House Completions .........................................................................23 2.5 Housing Land Audit ..........................................................................24 2.5.1 Land Supply.....................................................................................24 2.5.2 Future Land Requirement and Comparison with Current Land Availability ..................................................................................................25 2.6 Housing Sites in Inverness ..............................................................27 2.7 Housing in the Countryside .............................................................28 2.8 Housing for Older people and Those with Disabilities ..................29 2.9 Housing Need ....................................................................................32 2.9.1 Homelessness .................................................................................33 2.10 Gypsies / Travellers ..........................................................................34 2.11 Retail ..................................................................................................35 2.12 School Education..............................................................................37 2.12.1 Pre-School Education ..................................................................37 2.12.2 Primary Education........................................................................37 2.12.3 Secondary Education...................................................................39 2 2.13 Higher / Further Education...............................................................41 2.13.1 Sports and Community Facilities..................................................42 2.13.2 Gaelic...........................................................................................42 2.13.3 Highland Priorities........................................................................43 3 SAFEGUARDING OUR ENVIRONMENT ..............................................44 3.1 Strategic Environmental Assessment.............................................44 3.2 Biodiversity........................................................................................45 3.3 Built Heritage.....................................................................................46 3.4 Previously Used Land (Vacant and Derelict Land).........................47 4 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE................49 4.1 Ecological and Carbon Footprints...................................................49 4.2 Renewable Energy ............................................................................49 4.2.1 Highland Renewable Energy Strategy Targets................................50 4.2.2 Wind Power Generation in Highland................................................50 4.2.3 Hydro Power Generation in Highland ..............................................52 4.2.4 Wave and Tidal Power Generation in Highland ...............................55 4.2.5 Barriers to Delivering Renewable Energy Projects ..........................56 4.3 Flooding.............................................................................................56 4.4 Waste .................................................................................................57 4.5 Air Quality..........................................................................................62 5 A COMPETITIVE, SUSTAINABLE AND ADAPTIVE HIGHLAND ECONOMY ....................................................................................................64 5.1 Economy............................................................................................64 5.1.1 Economic Activity ............................................................................64 5.1.2 Skills and Qualifications...................................................................64 5.1.3 Employee Jobs ................................................................................65 5.1.4 Business Base.................................................................................66 5.1.5 Income and Gross value Added (GVA)............................................67 Income. ......................................................................................................67 GVA............................................................................................................67 5.2 Business and Industrial Land ..........................................................68 5.3 Transport ...........................................................................................70 5.3.1 Local Transport Strategy .................................................................70 5.3.2 Road Transport................................................................................71 5.3.3 Freight .............................................................................................72 5.3.4 Public Transport ..............................................................................72 3 5.3.5 Air Services .....................................................................................72 5.4 Crofting and Agriculture...................................................................72 5.4.1 Crofting Activity................................................................................72 5.4.2 Scottish Government Crofting Reform.............................................73 5.4.3 National Planning Framework and Scottish Planning Policy............73 5.4.4 The National Forest Land Scheme ..................................................74 5.4.5 Importance of Crofting to the Highlands ..........................................74 5.4.6 The Link between Housing and Crofting..........................................74 5.4.7 Mapped records of croft land...........................................................75 5.4.8 Allocating Land Within Area Local Plans .........................................75 5.4.9 Assessing single house proposals on crofts....................................75 5.5 Coastal Planning ...............................................................................77 5.5.1 Activity in the coastal region ............................................................77 5.5.2 National Planning Framework and Scottish Planning Policy............78 5.5.3 UK and Scottish Marine Bills ...........................................................78 5.6 Forestry..............................................................................................79 5.6.1 Forestry activity ...............................................................................79 5.6.2 National Planning Framework 2 and Scottish Planning Policy.........80 5.6.3 Maximising benefits to Highlands ....................................................80 5.7 Minerals..............................................................................................80 5.8 Fragile Areas .....................................................................................81 5.8.1 Rural Petrol Stations........................................................................83 5.9 Dounreay............................................................................................84 5.9.1 Dounreay in decommissioning.........................................................84 5.9.2 Hazard Reduction............................................................................84 5.9.3 Policy and support for decommissioning .........................................85 6 A HEALTHIER HIGHLANDS .................................................................86 6.1 Open Space and Physical Activity...................................................86 6.2 Access to the Outdoors....................................................................86 7 REDUCE INEQUALITY/BETTER OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALL / A FAIRER HIGHLANDS ...................................................................................89 7.1 Deprivation ........................................................................................89 7.2 Unemployment and Benefits............................................................90 7.2.1 Job Seekers Allowance ...................................................................90