grant & geoghegan ltd. Planning Development and Architectural Consultants Grant Lodge Birnie Elgin IV30 8SW T: 01343 556644 E: [email protected] Planning Statement Bootleggers Bothy, Hopeman Issue Date: 9th March 2021 BOOTLEGGERS BOTHY, HOPEMAN | PLANNING STATEMENT CONTENTS 1.0. Introduction 2.0. The Proposal 3.0. The Site 5.0. Development Plan Context 6.0. Locational Need 7.0. Natural and Built Heritage Resources 8.0. Access 9.0. Conclusion BOOTLEGGERS BOTHY, HOPEMAN | PLANNING STATEMENT 1.0. Introduction The applicant has commissioned this Planning Statement to examine the key issues against relevant planning policy and other assessment criteria. This statement will explain the rationale behind the proposed development and has three purposes: To inform the general public, consultees and planning officers of the proposals; To communicate the planning principles contained in the application; To demonstrate that the proposal is in accordance with the policies contained in National and Local Planning Policy. The Statement should be read in conjunction with the drawings that accompany the application. 2.0. The Proposal Planning permission is sought for the re-location of Bootleggers Bothy- a well estalished takeaway food outlet which has been operating from West Beach Caravan Park, Hopeman since opening in 2019. The business has grown in popularity and has outgrown its current location making it necessary to move into purpose built premises in a more suitable location nearby, on land under the applicant’s ownership. In this location, services (water, mains electricity) are readily available and there is also an opportunity to introduce micro renewables to help reduce the carbon footprint of the development into the future (which the applicant is currently investigating). Foul and Surface Water Drainage will be addressed in detail under the Building Regulations- following advice sought from a local contractor there is nothing to suggest at this stage that adequate arrangements cannot be achieved within the site boundary. 3.0. The Site The application site is within an area of rough ground to the immediate north east of Cummingston, a short distance to the south west of the current site at West Beach Caravan Park. Formerly forming part of the Greenbrae Landfill site, existing welfare/ office facilities have been in use on the land over the past 10 years. The proposal provides an opportunity to enhance the existing arrangements to provide purpose built hot food takeaway premises and to bring brownfield land into productive use. The site is served by safe and suitable access arrangements which extend from the B9040 to the south. There are no other National or International environmental designations covering the site. The site does not appear on SEPA’s flood maps nor does there appear to be any historic/archaeological interest in the vicinity other than the old Burghead to Hopeman railway line which runs past the site to the north. 4.0 Development Plan Context National Planning Policy supports vibrant rural areas and requires development plans to identify scope for new rural development. In particular, paragraph 77 of Scottish Planning Policy (SPP) emphasises the importance of maintaining and growing rural communities by encouraging development that provides suitable sustainable economic activity, while preserving important environmental assets such as landscape and wildlife habitats that underpin continuing tourism visits and quality of place. BOOTLEGGERS BOTHY, HOPEMAN | PLANNING STATEMENT Paragraph 79 recognises the importance of tourism and supports new tourist development in rural locations where it promotes the diversification and growth of the rural economy while protecting the distinctiveness of rural areas. Subsequently, the vision of the Moray Local Development Plan 2020 prioritises “A strong framework for investment that provides sufficient land for development and supports sustainable economic growth (including the tourism economy)”. This presumption in favour of proposals which contribute towards the rural economy and the role and image of Moray as a tourism destination is transposed into policies PP2 Sustainable Economic Growth and DP8 Tourism Facilities and Accommodation and these policies contain the necessary criteria and tests with which to assess these proposals. Policy PP2 states that development proposals which support the Moray Economic Strategy to deliver sustainable economic growth will be supported where the quality of the natural and built environment is safeguarded, there is a clear locational need and all potential impacts can be satisfactorily mitigated. Policy DP8 recognises the importance of tourism in the Moray economy and that it is identified as a target sector in the Moray Economic Strategy, providing jobs and supporting rural areas. There is a strong commitment in this policy to building on the tourism sector to maximise economic and employment opportunities subject to locational need and ensuring assets are not damaged by inappropriate or unsympathetic development. 5.0 Locational Need The Moray Economic Strategy recognises that the food and drink industry in Moray employs 17.1% of the workforce- the highest per head of population in Scotland. However, it also identifies that with product manufacturing becoming increasingly automated; employment in the sector is currently forecast to decline by 11% by 2027. The strategy emphasises the importance of young enterprises with new business models playing a vital part in creating new jobs in the sector. Similarly, Moray’s Tourism Strategy recognises that Tourism generates over 10% of Moray’s total employment and 3.8% of the total turnover of businesses, supporting more than 2,846 full time equivalent jobs. The strategy aims to double tourism spend in Moray by 2025- the focus is on increasing value generated by sustainable numbers of visitors. In this context, the proposal at hand is considered to be in full accordance with PP2 Sustainable Economic Growth, the Moray Economic Strategy and the Moray Tourism Strategy. Bootleggers Bothy was opened as a direct response to the global coronavirus pandemic- essentially diversifying an existing tourism business which safeguarded the direct employment of 18 staff that would in all likelihood otherwise have been made redundant. It ensured the Bothy Bistro in Burghead would survive the pandemic and be in a position to reopen in the future whilst also contributed £10,000 per week to the local supply chain with obvious significant benefits to many other local businesses. The success of Bootleggers Bothy in 2020 supports the clear locational need of such premises on this site. This planning application is submitted at a time when the hospitality industry is again in a forced closure due to the ongoing pandemic and the resilience of the wider business depends on being able to trade outside- conversely, once the caravan park is open the premises will make the facility more attractive to potential visitors, contributing positively to the role and image of Moray as a tourist destination. In terms of alternatives, the current site within the caravan park is unsuitable as a permanent location due to road safety concerns which the proposal at hand overcomes comfortably. In addition, the site is close to a number of tourist attractions including the Moray Coastal Trail which makes active travel to and from the premises an attractive alternative to the private car. As can be seen, there is an overwhelmingly positive case to be made for these proposals in respect of demonstrating locational justification. BOOTLEGGERS BOTHY, HOPEMAN | PLANNING STATEMENT 6.0 Natural and Built Heritage Resources The entire philosophy behind this application demonstrates the applicant’s commitment to avoid any significant detrimental effect on natural and/ or built heritage resources. This is most obviously manifested in the commitment to bringing an area of unsightly brownfield land back into productive use sensitively, the use of local building materials as much as possible in the construction and the sensitive siting of all structures to minimise any detrimental impact on the environment. It is noted that the subject site lies within the Burghead-Lossiemouth Special Landscape Area but it is clear from the guidance that the proposed development does not have any undue impact upon the special qualities of this landscape. SNH’s National Landscape Character Assessment characterises the area “Cliffs and Rocky Coast”, its key characteristics including the natural, rugged, irregular and complex coastline, the clear relationship between landform and the infrequent, contained settlements, the form and pattern of which is defined by raised beaches, cliff faces and natural harbours and the sense of wild character away from settlements, imparted by open seaward views. The low key nature of the development along with the implementation of a long term landscaping scheme, to enhance the existing tree planting in and around the site, will ensure the proposed development is not read as an extension to Cummingston or Hopeman and that it will not result in the coalescence of these two contained settlements or have any impact on the wild character of open views of the sea from the south. Although the guidance, when read in the context of the submitted plans, clearly indicates that the proposed development is unlikely to have an undue adverse impact on landscape character in this location, the applicant recognises the sensitivity of coastal soil and slopes