Local Development Plan

The Local Development Plan preparation process publicly began when we consulted on our main issues report towards the end of 2017.

The main issues report asked for views on the big issues that the new Local Development Plan would need to address and the options for tackling them.

We reported a summary of responses and recommended actions to our planning committee in June 2018. Redacted copies of all responses received are available by request to our planning team.

We received many responses to the main issues report consultation, including some new site proposals that were not included in the main issues report. We considered these proposals and identified a small number of new site allocations that we thought were appropriate to include in the new Local Development Plan.

Government guidance states that planning authorities may need to carry out further consultation on any sites they intend to include in the proposed plan that were not included in the main issues report.

We carried out a focussed consultation from 13 August to 21 September 2018 on the small number of new sites proposals.

We reported a summary of responses and recommended actions to our Planning Committee in November 2018. Redacted copies of all responses received are available by request to our Planning team.

The proposed Local Development Plan was approved for consultation by our board in December 2018.

We consulted on the proposed Local Development Plan from 25 January to 5 April 2019.

The proposed plan outlined a strategy for future development in the National Park. It set out suitable land allocations to help to deliver appropriate development within the National Park, and policies that would be used to make future decisions on applications for planning permission.

View the proposed Local Development Plan here.

We held several public drop-in events across the National Park which provided an opportunity for people to find out more about the proposed Local Development Plan. Information on these events is available by request to our Planning team.

288 representations from 207 individuals and organisations were received to the consultation, which are available by request to our Planning team.

Where concerns were raised, these were summarised and responded to by the Park Authority in documents known as Schedule 4's. Where representations indicate support, or make only a comment on an issue, then these are not defined as unresolved issues and are not referred to in the Schedule 4's.

• View the Schedule 4's summary of unresolved representations here.

The proposed Local Development Plan was submitted to Scottish Ministers on 20 September 2019. The examination of the proposed plan began on 31 December 2019 and considered all 12 issues identified as unresolved representations to the proposed plan.

The examination process included site inspections and requests for additional information. No oral sessions were required by the reporters.

The Park Authority received the examination report, which sets out the conclusions in relation to each unresolved issue and the list of reporter’s recommendations to the proposed plan on 24 August 2020.

• View the examination report here.
• View the list of reporter’s recommendations here.

Further information about the examination, including all documents considered by the reporters, can be found on the Scottish Government’s planning and environmental appeals division’s website.

The Cairngorms National Park Authority gave notice that it intended to adopt the proposed Cairngorms National Park Local Development Plan 2020, as modified following the examination on 24 November 2020, and submitted the documents to Scottish Ministers.

• View the proposed plan as modified following the examination here.
• View notice of intention to adopt here.

On 2 February 2021, the Scottish Government responded to the Cairngorms National Park notification and advised that Scottish Ministers had decided that the proposed plan as notified was unsatisfactory and issued a direction, under section 20(5) of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997, that Cairngorms National Park Authority consider modifying the proposed Local Development Plan 2020 as indicated in the annex to the direction.

The annex required the following text to be inserted into the settlement objectives for each settlement located adjacent to the A9 trunk road:

“Please consult the Transport Scotland website for the latest A9 dualling route information. This can be accessed via; A9 Dualling Perth to Inverness (transport.gov.scot).”

These modifications were made to conform with the direction and the Cairngorms National Park Local Development Plan 2021 was adopted on 26 March 2021.

• View the direction under section 20(5) of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 here.