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Aviemore Highland Resort Planning Applications - Member 
Update 

1. This short report is to bring Members up to date on progress 
with two Aviemore Highland Resort (AHR) planning 
applications for mixed use development across the resort 
site. 

2. This site plays an important role within the landscape and 
urban context as well as the economy of Aviemore and the 
National Park. The CNPA therefore appreciates the 
importance of applications within the site and approaches 
them accordingly in a thorough and professional way. 

3. CNPA resolved on 14 December 2007 to grant outline 
planning permission (07/445/CP) for a mixed use 
development comprising, inter alia, retail, business/office, 
storage and distribution, residential, leisure, holiday lodges. 
This application has been commonly referred to as the AHR 
Masterplan. As the application was to establish the principle, 
the CNPA was able to process it within a very short 
timeframe (32 days from validation)in order to meet both the 
applicants and wider community desire to move things 
forward as quickly as possible. This could be achieved in the 
knowledge that a wide range of matters of detail could be 
dealt with via subsequent applications for approval of 
reserved matters. 

4. With the substantive decision having been taken in 
December 2007 the applicant has had sufficient certainty to 
continue working on detailed proposals for the site, including 
dialogue with the CNPA, The Highland Council and others. 
In the meantime the CNPA has taken further resolutions on 
the conditions and Section 75 Agreement for the outline 
permission on 28 December 2007 and 20 March 2008. The 
Section 75 Agreement between AHR, CNPA and The 


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Highland Council is expected to be concluded in the next 
few weeks and the permission issued. 

5. On 20 June 2008 The Highland Council validated an 
application by AHR for full planning permission for a mixed 
use development comprising residential, retail, office, 
community, leisure, park, environmental improvements, 
roads infrastructure, hotel extensions, and lodges. The CNPA 
called in the application (08/241/CP) on 27 June 2008. This is 
a complex and wide-ranging detailed application that 
covers the layout of roads, the location of the various 
elements within the site, the detailed design for each 
element and the context and detailing of landscaping/open 
space. 

6. As with all planning applications, the CNPA will process and 
determine this latest AHR application as efficiently as 
possible. CNPA officials have had ongoing dialogue with the 
applicants in the months leading up to submission of this 
application. It has been consistently made clear that a 
detailed application of this scale and complexity in an 
important location within the National Park would have to be 
accompanied by a comprehensive suite of detailed 
information on all elements of the proposals. Likewise it has 
been consistently stressed that the speed of determination 
and a positive outcome were dependent on the content 
and quality of the submission: the final decision of course 
resting with the CNPA Planning Committee. 

7. Following call in of the application on 27 June and 
subsequent receipt of the file from The Highland Council, the 
CNPA planning team carried out an immediate assessment 
of the range of information included within it. On 2 July the 
applicant was notified of a significant amount of additional 
information that was required by way of drawings, technical 
assessments, supporting statements and clarification of the 


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boundary of the application site. This information is required, 
not only to assist the CNPAs consideration of the proposals, 
but to allow various consultees to respond and comment. As 
of 10 July this is still awaited. 

8. A number of consultations had been initiated by The 
Highland Council and CNPA will be carrying out others. The 
number of copies of documents in the submission provided 
by the applicant and the lack of electronic versions has also 
slowed down the consultation process. The CNPA on 2 July 
requested electronic versions of all documents on a CD that 
CNPA would then copy and circulate to consultees. As of 10 
July this is still awaited. 

9. The CNPA has arranged for Architecture + Design Scotland, 
who commented on the outline proposals, to consider the 
application at a Design Review meeting in Edinburgh on 29 
July. 

10. The CNPA planning team will be contacting all 
consultees to ensure that they either submit their responses 
within the requested timeframe or highlight the additional 
information required from the applicant to enable them to 
respond. All feedback from consultees will be 
communicated to the applicant as soon as it is received. 

11. The CNPA will buy in additional specialist support as 
necessary to help with the full assessment and processing of 
the current application. The nature of such support is 
currently the subject of consideration and discussion. 

12. Following the A+DS Design Review at the end of July 
and receipt of various other consultation responses the 
CNPA planning team will be in a position to have discussions 
with the applicant on design and related issues. There may 


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also have to be discussion on issues arising from the various 
technical assessments. All dialogue will be initiated as soon 
as possible after any issues have been identified. The 
application will be reported to the Planning Committee 
when outstanding matters have been dealt with as far as is 
possible and it is in a condition that will allow a decision to be 
taken. 

13. To conclude, the CNPA is a competent planning 
authority and, as such, it will process the latest application 
and outstanding issues associated with the previous 
application as efficiently as possible in accordance with all 
proper planning considerations and the statutory purpose 
the authority has to ensure that the National Park aims are 
collectively delivered in a co-ordinated way. 


Don McKee 

Head of Planning 

10 July 2008