Housing focus must change...

Planning Daily Reports:

Low-cost home ownership is failing to reach hundreds of thousands of low income households, according to research by Shelter today Full item here

The shelter web pages describe:

Would-be first time buyers are still locked out of home ownership as mortgages remain out of reach and hefty deposits are still required, new research for Shelter Scotland reveals (June 10)

Shelter Scotland today (1 July 2010) responded to the Scottish Government's announcement of the £30 million third tranche of funding for affordable housing.

Graeme Brown, Director of Shelter Scotland, the housing and homelessness charity, said

“With less money in the pot next year, and future years, tackling Scotland’s housing crisis will need both new thinking and urgent action. We know there is no replacement for building more housing which would tackle the root of the problem. In the coming years we need to be smarter about how we use existing properties, improve the role of housing associations, private landlords and do more to protect council housing. Some of the ideas in the housing discussion paper if implemented swiftly would help those families desperately waiting for a home.”

As the Housing Need and Demand Assessment has shown for Highland, demand for homes that people can afford to live in outstrips supply.

FEES Shake up?

Planning Daily reports:

The Scottish Government has launched a consultation into the future of planning system.

The relevant Scottish Government web page tells us:

This consultation seeks views on how the planning service can be more effectively resourced and focused on quality of service. The paper also seeks views on options for amending the fee structure for planning applications.

The Ministerial Foreword states:

Planning was identified in the Economic Recovery Plan as one of the key drivers to build economic success. Over the past two years, Scotland's planning system has undergone substantial reform. Its success is contingent on both the public and private sectors fully playing their part in supporting new investment and unlocking Scotland's economic potential. Changes in culture, greater emphasis on facilitating development and in securing sustainable economic growth remain crucial.

The Scottish Government is working with COSLA, local authorities, key agencies and the development industry to ensure we have a modern, future-facing planning system which is properly resourced in order to deliver quality outcomes.

This consultation looks at how planning can be resourced more effectively in the context of public sector constraints and slower rates of development. It explores alternative delivery options and proposes fee structures that are more proportionate in the longer term.

Table 1 of the consultation document gives Comparisons of Fees between Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland and makes illuminating reading. A little further into the PDF on page 8 you can find mention of Highland Council:

Case Study - Highland Council - Pre-Application Discussion

In January 2009, Highland Council launched its Pre-Application Advice Service ( PAAS). This is an initiative between Highland Council and agencies ( SNH, SEPA, Transport Scotland and the NHS). The process is initiated by the developer requesting a pre-application advice meeting, which are held every 4 weeks. Following each PAAS meeting, there is a three week period for attendees to form their response to the proposal. The Council collates the individual responses into a single Pre-Application Advice Pack which is issued to the developer within 4 weeks of the meeting.

The PAAS programme has dealt with over 30 major developments and its success has been recognised through the award of the Highland Council's 2009 Award for Contribution to the Local Economy 11. Highland Council have also recently won the Homes for Scotland Key Agency Working Award for their pre-application service.

The Scottish Government is inviting written responses to this consultation paper by Friday 15 October 2010.

I am so looking forward to reading all the responses to this consultation, and maybe even putting in a few words of my own.

What a load of rubbish!

Planning Daily reports:

Britain could run out of landfill space in less than eight years' time, the Local Government Association (LGA) has warned.

Analysis by the LGA shows households in the UK sends more than 18.8million tonnes of rubbish to landfill every year – 2 million more tonnes than any other country in the European Union

For full item click here

In a move to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill The Highland Council will be running a new 6 month trial of new waste collections in Skye and Lochalsh. During the next few weeks all residents will receive a card in the post giving details of the new service which starts on the 6th September.

The current recycling rate in The Highland Council area is currently 35% which is a massive improvement on the 2002 level of less than 5% but the target is to increase this to 40% by the end of 2010. The Scottish Government has set a target of 70% of all waste to be recycled by 2025. Similar changes to waste collections have already been adopted by 21 out of 32 Councils in Scotland. See Press Release on THC web site

Movers and Shakers

What has sparked the following comment:

"Every council must be aware of influence from powerful local movers and shakers using the planning system to promote or object to development proposals."

Click here to find out

On your bike

Applying for a bus pass and buying a folding bike are among methods some of Highland's 80 councillors are using to reduce their travel costs.

Thus reported BBC Scotland news on Friday

But the article also notes that, the geography of the Highlands has challenged several councillors' efforts and that there are issues surrounding travel by public transport.

The Character of Croy

Just thought you might enjoy pretty pictures

Mains of Croy

The Old Manse on Wapedia

Croy village hall

Croy Primary won a competition and had an extract from their
enterprise project "A History of Croy" published in a book called A Sense of Place. The first primary was I understand built in 1872?

Does anyone have any pictures or views of the old village they can send me?

APT blog mentions

Links to the APT blog can be found on the following web pages:

Planning Advisory Service

Planning blog

Focus on the 'Material'

I have not long posted on the Latest information sheets from Planning Aid Scotland (PAS) but I thought it worth highlighting what is not considered relevant to the consideration of planning applications:

From the PAS info sheet:

Items which are NOT material considerations and are therefore not relevant to planning include:

Personal circumstances of the applicant, e.g. devaluation of property, private property
rights including boundary and access disputes

Private interests, e.g. loss of a view, competition between businesses

Moral considerations (e.g. to betting shops), or religious objections (e.g. religious objection
to working on Sunday)

Political considerations or ideological dislikes, e.g. private hospitals

Cost of the development

Title restrictions

Applicant’s lack of ownership of the site

Issues covered by other legislation, e.g. health and safety regulations, licensing, building
control

Any factor indicating that there is a lack of any reasonable prospect of the development
proceeding

How can I obtain further information on Material Considerations?

Contact your planning authority

See Scottish Government Circular 4 2009 Development Management Procedures – for useful information on material considerations refer to Annex A: “Defining a Material
Consideration”.

Government guidance encourages us to focus on what is considered Material.

Getting to grips with housing

We have the latest from 'Planning Daily':

"Housing Supply Outstrips Demand"

'Supply of housing has outgrown three times faster than demand, according to latest research by property analyst Hometrack today.' (Click here Guardian press Item here)

Growth in demand has been slowing for the past four months, said Hometrack, with the run up to the general election, pre-budget talk of austerity measures and a continuing lack of mortgage finance all contributing to market uncertainty.

While prices have risen in June, the extent of price rises has declined. Price increases are now limited to just 11 per cent of the market while price falls were identified across 2.6 per cent of the market.

An earlier article from the Guardian here

"...a Guardian investigation found that almost half a million homes are lying empty in the UK – enough to put a roof over the heads of a quarter of the families on council house waiting lists.

The same article records:

"Housing charity Shelter Scotland has secured Scottish government support for the appointment of an empty homes champion who will promote the use empty homes as a way of increasing housing supply and improving neighbourhoods. The position recognises that the financial climate is conducive to maximising the use of existing housing stock"

Even if a mechanism is found to use as many 'empty homes' as possible, there will still be a need for housing. Satisfying the level of housing need across the country surely cannot be achieved through open market housing sales now.

Keeping up with the latest info

Planning Aid Scotland PAS describes itself as:

"...a unique and independent charity. We help people understand, engage with and benefit from the planning system.

They go on to explain:

"Planning Aid for Scotland (PAS) has a series of information leaflets about different aspects of planning. These reflect the changes to the planning system introduced in 2009 and explain how you can get involved. Please note that we may update this information to reflect relevant changes. The date of the last update is in the bottom left hand corner of each sheet."

Given the challenges that are now facing us in Highland I would recommend a reading of these leaflets which can be accessed from the link here on the PAS web site

Expo's Aussie Visitors

This Friday's Courier includes the item:

"A LEADING Australian property specialist is hoping to learn a thing or two from Scotland's Housing Expo in Inverness." Click here

It seems that the gentleman has already shown a fair bit of initiative if the report and video here on ACA is anything to go by. It seems that they are building 3 bed, 2 bath (300sqm) 'smart homes' for around 159k for the starter home market. Wonder how their design elements would go down in the local markets here

Latest note from Highland Council

Just received:

Dear Sir/Madam

Development Plan Scheme

The Development Plan Scheme - Summer 2010 has been published and is now available to view in a number of locations across Highland and online by clicking here.

This is a revised version of The Development Plan Scheme we published in April 2010. The changes which have been made are to the timescale for production of the Highland wide Local Development Plan, the Inner Moray Firth Local Development Plan an some Supplementary Guidance.

The Development Plan Scheme sets out:

• A timetable of producing a land use plans for the Highlands (including the Highland-wide Local Development Plan and the Inner Moray Firth Local Development Plan); and

· How you can become involved planning for the future of your area.

The document can be viewed online at www.highland.gov.uk/developmentplans and, from next week, in your local Highland Council Service Point, leisure centre, jobcentre, local libraries, doctors surgery and your local post office. For the most up to date information on the work of the Development Plans Team please visit our Blog http://hwldp.blogspot.com. You can now also follow us on Twitter or join the discussion on our new Facebook Page.

In an effort to ensure we can keep members of the public and organisations with an interest in the planning system as up to date as possible with the work we are carrying out we will be updating our Development Plan Scheme on a more regular basis. The next update will be in Autumn 2010.

If you would like a hard copy of the Development Plan Scheme 2010 sent out to you please contact us using the details below. We would very much like to hear your views about the Development Plan Scheme, please send us any feedback you may have using the contact details at the end of the Development Plan Scheme.

If you would like to contact us for more information, please feel free to phone 01463 702259 or email devplans@highland.gov.uk.

Thank you very much for you time and attention.

Dare you resist?

Could you ever imagine this happening in our communities if any of us seek to speak out against what we feel is unjust?

More here

True value of wildlife tourism

"Wildlife tourism plays a vital part in Scotland's rural economy, pulling in millions of pounds and also creating many hundreds of job opportunities.

These findings were contained in a Scottish Government report - 'The Economic Impact of Wildlife Tourism in Scotland' - published today. The report found that wildlife tourism annually brings in a net economic impact of £65 million to Scotland's economy and creates the equivalent of 2,760 full time jobs."

For the full item on the Scottish Government web site and the report itself click here and here

Decent site provision for travellers could save money

Planning daily reports:

"Amnesty International has written to the Scottish Housing Regulator expressing concern over its record of accommodation and services to Gypsy and Travellers."

John Watson, Scottish programme director for Amnesty International, said: "The situation for Scottish Gypsy/Travellers raises fundamental human rights concerns – particularly the rights to health, education, housing and cultural life and freedom from discrimination.

"And research in England suggests that decent site provision can actually save money, through reduced legal and staff costs, while reducing conflict between communities."

For full item click here