Highland Wide Local Development Plan - Examination Report

22nd December 2011

The Highland Council has received the Report of Examination for the Highland wide Local Development Plan from the Scottish Government's Directorate for Planning and Environmental Appeals. The Highland wide Local Development Plan is the key planning document to guide development across Highland for the next ten years.

This draws to a close the independent examination of the unresolved issues following the consultation on the Highland wide Local Development Plan and now the Council can move forward towards adoption of the plan.

The unresolved issues from members of the public, community groups and the development industry have now been considered by the Reporters, who have, where necessary, made a series of recommendations as to how the Council should change the Plan These recommendations are binding on the Council and will be reported to the Planning Environment and Development Committee being held on 18 January 2012.

Some of the headline conclusions and recommendations include:
Support for the Vision and spatial strategies for Highland as a whole;
Support for the development of the A96 growth corridor between Inverness and Nairn including developments at Tornagrain, Beechwood Campus, East Inverness and Nairn;
Support for population projections and the housing land supply needed in the Highlands, which are deemed reasonable and in line with Scottish Government policy and guidance;
Removal of a residential expansion allocation at Culloden Moor;
Support for developments at key sites in Ross-shire and Caithness, including Nigg, and John O' Groats;
Support for all of the general policies of the plan subject to some modifications.

Councillor Ian Ross, Chairman of the Planning, Environment and Development Committee said: "The Highland Council is the first local authority in Scotland to receive a Report of Examination for one of the new style Local Development Plans. Officials will now be sieving through the report and next stages of work to allow the Council to move swiftly to formal adoption of the Highland wide Local Development Plan which is anticipated in Spring 2012. It is pleasing that many of the key strands of the Council's development strategy have been supported by the Reporters, including the critical role of Inverness and the A96 Corridor, and the opportunities across the Highlands in respect of renewable energy. The process has been independent and transparent, and the outcomes will help guide development across Highland for the next ten years and beyond. The new development plan sets out an ambitious vision for the future of the Highlands and provides a firm foundation for economic recovery and sustainable growth over the coming decade."

The Report of Examination will be available to view in all Highland Libraries and Planning Offices soon. You can also view the report online on the link below:
www.highland.gov.uk/yourenvironment/planning/developmentplans/localplans/HWLDPExamination.htm