What happens if potential for business development is not identified?
Who will pro-actively determine the potential and over what timescale?
How will that sit with the layouts being brought forward through the charrette?]
Let us not forget that some time in the not so distant past the following was set before a Highland Council Area Planning Committee:
INVERNESS, NAIRN, BADENOCH & STRATHSPEY
PLANNING APPLICATIONS COMMITTEE – 12th May 2009
07/00188/OUTNA: Development of 550 houses etc, Sandown Lands, Nairn
(in outline)
Recommendation: Grant Outline Planning Permission
following conclusion of Section 75 Agreement
Application for Outline Planning permission for development of 550 houses, business park, community facilities and related landscaping works at Sandown. The development is on land generally allocated in the Development Plan for the mix of uses described, but there are some differences in the distribution and extent of individual land uses and the number of houses specified (550) represents more than five times the number specified in the Local Plan. The increase is largely achieved by opting for a high density design philosophy which has notable precedents elsewhere but again is not consistent with the density and character specified in the Local Plan. Notwithstanding that, the general principles of the development are judged acceptable in relation to planning priorities and Policy advice which post-dates the Local Plan as well as the Structure Plan. Based on that consideration the recommendation is to grant outline planning permission subject to conditions. If that recommendation is accepted a number of other procedures must be undertaken before permission can be granted, as a consequence of the Council’s financial interest in the land and the significant number of objections received; these are outlined in the report.
Terms of sale: the planning decision is taken on the planning merits of the case. Because the Council has a financial interest in the site permission cannot be granted without the case first being notified to Scottish Ministers to allow the opportunity for call-in. This involves submission of all the information contained in the application case file together with this Committee report as background.
There would not have been a charrette as such if members of the community had not marshaled together before and during the Application Hearing enough sound planning points to allow the planning committee to refuse the application
Further to the application being refused, the Applicant submitted an appeal and an Inquiry was held in the Nairn Community Centre. The Reporters refused the Applicant's appeal, again, presumably, having enough sound planning reasons with which to do so.
The Reporter conclusions - found in full here - included the words:
“The proposed development constitutes overdevelopment of the site, adopting
high densities and an urban form that is inappropriate for the location and inconsistent with the character of Nairn.”
In that respect, Councillor Park expressed concern that local people should be able
to have confidence in the council’s plans for development of the area. The council’s vision
for Sandown, as articulated by Councillor Park at the inquiry, has, in broad terms, been
consistently expressed through the local plan and a series of non-statutory council
documents over the last 10 years or so. It looks for lower rise development in clusters, a
more generous landscape/treed framework, and a prestigious office development: all
amounting to an attractive and sympathetic gateway to the town. It is evident that the
council are open to design ideas which would create more of a sense of place and a
pedestrian-friendly layout.
Much more recently, further to the Examination of the Highland-wide Local Development Plan, the Reporters' recommendations - in the report here - regarding the development at Sandown:
'Delete Policy 16 and put instead:
The Council will support development at Sandown (as shown on Map 9) in the short
term. A masterplan will be prepared and adopted as supplementary guidance. A
recreational access management plan will also be prepared.
Issues addressed by the masterplan will include:
• site layout;
• design of buildings and open areas;
• housing density;
• provision of affordable housing;
• provision of employment-generating uses;
• phasing;
• flood risk;
• an access solution that provides unfettered links to the Delnies development area
to the west and shared arrangements wherever possible;
• infrastructure provision; and
• delivery of the development.
The design for development of Sandown shall be based on the masterplan and the
recreational access management plan. The design for development of Sandown and
Delnies shall be progressed side-by-side and shall:
• show an overall coherence, attractiveness and local character;
• be efficient in terms of movement of people and vehicles; and
• enhance the town.
Note: Two more paragraphs are to be added to Policy 16. Please see the recommendations under Issue 92: Nairn.
That paragraph from Issue 92 is:
In Policy 16: Sandown, add two new paragraphs:
In preparing proposals for the site, consideration must be given to the extent to which
tourism-related development and business development might be attracted to the site.
If potential, either in the short term or in the longer term, is identified for one or both of
these kinds of development, land must be reserved accordingly.
Connections to the public water and waste water systems will be required
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