‘Right balance’ for National Park in the future

Residents living within the Cairngorms National Park have been told plans for the future of housing will be good for the rural economy and for conservation.

The Cairngorms National Park Authority agreed at a meeting on Friday, August 16 to hand over its proposed local development plan to Scottish ministers for formal consideration.

The local development plan sets out land allocations for the next five years, with the aim of making sure the right developments are done in the right places, and the plan will be used to help guide future decisions on planning applications within the national park.

At Friday’s meeting, the park authority said the plan has the right balance of land set aside for development and being able to deliver homes, jobs and services, while still offering suitable protection for conservation areas.

To get the plan to this stage, the park authority has been gathering evidence since 2015 and has undertaken a 12-week consultation.

All the comments made in the consultation have been included in the documents that will be given to Scottish ministers.

Speaking on Friday, Xander McDade, board convener at the national park and Highland ward councillor for Perth and Kinross, said: “As well as being home to 18,000 residents, the park is a haven for rare wildlife and its landscapes and habitats are of national and international importance.

“As well as allocating sufficient land for development to support vibrant communities, the next local development plan has to ensure that any new development conserves and enhances the park’s special qualities to maintain it as an attractive place to live, work and visit.

“My colleagues and I have today agreed that the proposed local development plan 2020 can deliver all of this and look forward to hearing back from the Scottish Government reporter in due course, when we can formally adopt the plan, and start to see action on the ground.”

Following an examination, a government reporter will make recommendations on how the Cairngorms National Park Authority should proceed with its local development plan, which is to be formally adopted in 2020.