The next stage of the Cairngorms Local Plan consultation gets underway this week with the first of a series of local community events for people to discuss and explain in detail what they want the plan to say for their area.
The meetings will build upon the responses to the ‘Have Your Say’ questionnaire that was distributed to 10,000 houses in the Park in September and some of the key findings are:
- Two thirds of respondents want to see more affordable housing to buy (65%) and rent (68%) in the Park.
- When asked what makes their community distinctive and a special part of the Park the most popular answer was natural environment (67%); landscape (64%); and quality of life (55%).
Full findings for each area will be available at the local meetings and will be publicised in advance of them. The first meeting took place on 27 Oct and more meetings will take place throughout November and December.
Norman Brockie, Local Plan Officer, said: “We are delighted with the excellent public response to the questionnaire, and with the full and detailed replies that people have given. We hope that more people will get involved with the local meetings, so that we can have as full a picture of local needs and wishes as possible before we start to prepare a draft plan. The meetings will be very informal, much more like a drop-in session, and everyone is welcome. The more people make their views known, the better the end result will be.”
Some meetings have still to be arranged and details will be published in the local press. A list of dates and venues can also be found on our Local Plan page.