At Last! Something to get your teeth into - latest Examiner's request and Council response

Well after my very recent post regarding the fact that the Reporter's must be hard at work there are a couple of additional pieces of correspondence on the Examination web page

A letter on behalf of Reporters dated 06 07 2011 which begins:

The reporters have not yet studied all of the material placed before them, but so far they have noted three representations (numbers 183, 229 and 488) that express concern about the clarity of the plan. In these representations there is reference to a belief that the current plan approach will cause confusion, a suggestion that all site-specific policies and mapping be deleted from the plan and a request that chapters 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 & 17 be deleted from the plan.

The reporters note the council’s response to these representations. This includes recognition that the plan is an unusual hybrid of strategic and site- specific policies and the statement that this will be a one-off process aimed at streamlining planning policy. The council points out that there is to be one set of general policies along with site-specific updates for areas where there is high development pressure.

The representations noted in the Letter above are found on the Council's web page here which provides the individual links as below:

HWLDP-PP-183 - Mackay Robertson and Fraser Partnership (Martin Mackay Solicitors) (pdf, 3601kb)

HWLDP-PP-229 - Balnagowan Estate (Strutt and Parker) (pdf, 4546kb)

HWLDP-PP-488 - I and DJ Alexander (Strutt and Parker) (pdf, 7378kb)

The letter on behalf of the Reporters continues here

And the Council's response (web date 20 07 2011):

The following statement sets out The Highland Council’s (THC) interpretation of

the evidence pertinent to this issue. THC wishes to refer to the following

documents in this statement...The Reporters have sought greater clarity from THC as to whether (and if so which parts of) the old local plans within Highland will be superseded or retained when the Highland wide Local Development Plan (HwLDP) is constituted. There is no doubt or dispute that the Highland Structure Plan March 2001 will be superseded in its entirety.

THC sets out its response below (within that providing the three

particular items of further information sought by the Reporters) on the

assumptions that:

• there will no wholesale changes (for example deletions of whole policies) to the content of the HwLDP Proposed Plan draft

• that the supplementary guidance issued in connection with the HwLDP will be adopted and clear the Ministerial “veto” period without similar wholesale changes. following Examination, and;

Full HC response here

Planners 'unhelpful' say business body

E newsletter 'Planning' reports that the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has launched a 'blistering' attack on planners. The article states:

In a report based on a survey of its members, it blasted planning officers as "unhelpful", "anti-growth" and having "little understanding of and regard for the needs of small businesses".

It added that the vast majority of its members who had used the planning system found it to be "utterly impenetrable".

The report said: "This complexity, cost and the unhelpful culture of planning officers create a disincentive to submit even a minor planning application."

More here and here

Examiners must be hard at work

Been regularly checking the THC web pages for updates on Examinations but nothing 'new' as yet.

General details on development plan examinations here

Open Space in New Residential Developments

Thanks to contact for info on this one:

The Highland Council have been working with Kit Campbell Associates to produce Supplementary Guidance on Open Space in New Residential Developments. The document will be used to provide guidance on both the design and provision of greenspace, sport and recreation facilities throughout the Highlands.

Full details here

Planning Permission in Principle - note 1

Extract

On 3rd August 2009 outline planning permission was replaced by ‘applications for planning permission in principle’. The purpose of such an application is to establish whether the principle of developing a piece of land is acceptable without preparing detailed plans.

Planning permission in principle alone does not give you a right to go ahead with the proposal as conditions will be attached setting out what further details require to be approved by way of a further application before work can start - approval of matters specified in conditions.

If the proposal is sensitive it is possible that details will be required before a decision is reached.

Source here and see also Circular 4 2009 here