The Settlement Hierarchy

Is the statement below, taken from the paragraph headed 'Tornagrain' in the Main Issues Report for the HwLDP, really accurate?

"The potential for a new settlement in the Inner Moray Firth was identified in the Highland
Structure Plan."


So what does The Highland Structure Plan Written Statement March 2001**
actually say with regard to a new settlement?


Well the Structure Plan talks of housing developments being largely accommodated in existing settlements, but recognises that in some circumstances new 'settlements' have a role to play in meeting housing demand. It states, in terms of new settlements, that:


"The Inner Moray Firth is the optimum location in terms of demand and marketing factors and in making the most efficient use of infrastructure." And;


"The A96 Corridor provides an option of linking new housing development to business opportunities associated with the airport and rail link to Inverness and Nairn."


So the Structure Plan allows for the possibility of housing in the A96 Corridor linked to business opportunities associated with the airport and a rail link to Inverness and Nairn. However it is useful to bear in mind that the Adopted Inverness Local Plan , March 2006, (and giving guidance to 2011) prioritises development of the business opportunities at the Airport first and does not allocate land for housing development near these business opportunities .


But does the Structure Plan provide any guidance as to what any new settlements should look like?


Well, yes, new settlements:


"...should be comprehensively planned to create balanced communities acting as local centres within the settlement hierarchy."


Does the Structure Plan define a 'local centre'? Yes, it does so in 'Appendix 1 - Settlement Hierarchy'. A local centre seems to have a population of anywhere between 560 and 17,000, thus Bettyhill, Kingussie, Nairn and Wick are all listed, along with many other places in Highland as local centres, and they all provide a range of services.


Does the Structure Plan give a guide to the size of new settlements? Yes it does:


"It is anticipated that in order to support the types of services associated with a local centre (as set out in Appendix 1) a new settlement would require to comprise in the order of 500 to 1,000 houses."

However the Main Issues Report states that:

"Tornagrain is a new settlement proposal in the centre of the Corridor, capable of
providing almost 5000 houses over the next 30-40 years"

The emergence of the proposal for a new Town at Tornagrain arrived via a master plan for the A96 Corridor. This master plan is currently non-statutory guidance.

It seems to APTSec that it is in fact the potential for settlements in the Inner Moray Firth that is mentioned in the Structure Plan; settlements of up to 1000 houses in relation housing demand and in the case of the A96 Corridor related to specific economic conditions. The related adopted Inverness Local Plan recognises that given the corridor’s wider potential, Tornagrain and Lochside are suitable for modest consolidation only within the plan period.

What would your understanding of these plans be?

**The plan period of the Structure Plan is to 2017.

[SPP1 in force at the time the emergence of the currently approved and adopted plans for the Inverness / Nairn areas:

"Structure Plans - Under current arrangements structure plans should provide a long-term vision, looking forward at least 10 years, as part of an overview of an area’s development requirements. Brevity, clarity and precision are key requirements.

Local plan policies must conform to the structure plan and be fully justified, demonstrating what is and is not acceptable in land use terms.]