CAIRNGORMS NATIONAL PARK AUTHORITY MINUTES OF THE PLANNING COMMITTEE held at The Panmure Arms Hotel, Edzell on 15th June 2007 at 10.30am PRESENT Eric Baird Mary McCafferty Stuart Black Willie McKenna Geva Blackett Eleanor Mackintosh Duncan Bryden Alastair MacLennan Nonie Coulthard Sandy Park Angus Gordon Andrew Rafferty Lucy Grant David Selfridge David Green Richard Stroud Marcus Humphrey Susan Walker Bob Kinnaird Ross Watson Bruce Luffman Bob Wilson IN ATTENDANCE: Neil Stewart Don McKee Pip Mackie APOLOGIES: Basil Dunlop Anne MacLean Sheena Slimon WELCOME AND APOLOGIES 1. The Convenor welcomed all present. 2. Apologies were received from the above Members. MATTERS ARISING FROM THE PREVIOUS MEETING 3. The minutes of the previous meeting, 1st June 2007, held at The Albert Memorial Hall, Ballater were approved with an amendment to item 49 to state ‘…removal of Condition No. 8c for the need for junction bollards at the entrance to the access road but including a Section 75 Legal Agreement relating to retention, protection and management of surrounding woodland’. 4. There were no matters arising. DECLARATION OF INTEREST BY MEMBERS ON ANY ITEMS APPEARING ON THE AGENDA 5. Pip Mackie, Planning Technician, declared an interest in Planning Application No. 07/221/CP as she was the Applicant. 6. Marcus Humphrey declared an interest in Planning Application No. 07/238/CP. PLANNING APPLICATION CALL-IN DECISIONS (Oral Presentation, Neil Stewart) 7. 07/218/CP - The decision was to call-in the application for the following reason: • The proposal is for the construction of a new ranger base and visitor services and information point in a sensitive remote rural area but where there is a high level of visitor activity. The development raises issues in relation to visitor services and management, the promotion and understanding of the special qualities of the area, conservation of natural and cultural heritage, sustainable building design, and social and economic development. As such it is considered to raise issues of general significance to the collective aims of the Cairngorms National Park. 8. 07/219/CP - The decision was to call-in the application for the following Reason: • The proposal is for the erection of 30 dwellinghouses in Braemar on a site which is partly allocated for residential development in the Aberdeenshire Local Plan. However, part of the site also extends beyond the allocation boundaries and therefore the settlement envelope, into an open countryside area. The site also lies adjacent to a Conservation Area and a Listed Building and close to areas where there is potential flood risk. The provision of related affordable housing is proposed off-site and a well used access track passes through the site. The development is therefore considered to raise issues in relation to land use policy, landscape impact, flood risk, affordable housing provision, sustainable siting and design, recreational access, and impact on natural and cultural heritage. Combined these issues are considered to be of general significance to the collective aims of the Cairngorms National Park. 9. 07/220/CP - No Call-in Pip Mackie declared an interest and left the room. 10.07/221/CP - No Call-in Pip Mackie returned. 11.07/222/CP - The decision was to call-in the application for the following Reason: • This proposal represents the off-site affordable housing provision for a larger but related residential development in Braemar (07/219/CP). The site lies within the Braemar Conservation Area and where there are mature trees important to the setting of the village. The proposal raises issues in relation to affordable housing provision, sustainable siting and design, impacts on natural and cultural heritage and social and economic development. As such, the proposal raises issues considered to be of general significance to the collective aims of the Cairngorms National Park. 12.07/223/CP - The decision was to call-in the application for the following Reason: • This proposal is linked to called-in application reference 07/222/CP and represents the off-site affordable housing provision for a larger but related residential development in Braemar. The site lies within the Braemar Conservation Area and where there are mature trees important to the setting of the village. The proposal raises issues in relation to affordable housing provision, sustainable siting and design, impacts on natural and cultural heritage and social and economic development. As such, the proposal raises issues considered to be of general significance to the collective aims of the Cairngorms National Park. 13.07/224/CP - No Call-in 14.07/225/CP - No Call-in 15.07/226/CP - No Call-in 16.07/227/CP - No Call-in 17.07/228/CP - No Call-in 18.07/229/CP - No Call-in 19.07/230/CP - The decision was to call-in the application for the following Reason: • The proposal is for the erection of 77 houses on a prominent site lying at the south west entrance to Newtonmore. Part of the site is allocated, along with other adjacent land, for residential development in the Badenoch and Strathspey Local Plan. However, part of the site also extends beyond these boundaries into land allocated for tourist-related commercial development. The proposal raises issues in relation to land use planning policy, affordable housing provision, sustainable siting and design, landscape impact, and social and economic development. As such it is considered to raise issues of general significance to the collective aims of the Cairngorms National Park. 20. 07/231/CP - No Call-in 21. 07/232/CP - The decision was to call-in the application for the following Reason: • The proposal is for the erection of a dwellinghouse in a prominent hillside location, overlooking a main tourist route through the National Park and where the principle of new house building is only acceptable in Moray Local Plan policy where it meets with certain siting and design criteria. The CNPA considers that the proposal raises issues in relation to housing in the countryside policy, cumulative impact of houses in the countryside, landscape and visual impacts, conservation of natural and cultural heritage, siting and design, and social and economic development. As such, it is considered to raise issues of general significance to the collective aims of the Cairngorms National Park. 22. 07/233/CP - 23. 07/234/CP - 24. 07/235/CP - 25. 07/236/CP - No Call-in No Call-in No Call-in No Call-in 26. 07/237/CP - The decision was to call-in the application for the following Reason: • The proposal is for the conversion of an existing steading in a prominent hillside location, overlooking a main tourist route through the National Park. It is also related to the called-in application reference 07/232/CP. The proposal raises issues in relation to the conservation and enhancement of the natural and cultural heritage of the area, landscape and visual impact, and social and economic development. As such it is considered to raise issues of general significance to the collective aims of the Cairngorms National Park. 27. 07/238/CP - Marcus Humphrey declared an interest and left the room. No Call-in Marcus Humphrey returned. 28. 07/239/CP - The decision was to call-in the application for the following Reason: • This proposal is for the erection of a new dwellinghouse on the basis of land management need, in a remote rural countryside area (Restricted Countryside Area in the Badenoch and Strathspey Local Plan), where a dwellinghouse already exists. The site is also traversed by a Right of Way and within a National Scenic Area. As such the proposal raises issues in relation to, housing in the countryside policy, cumulative impact of housing in the countryside, precedent, visual and landscape impacts and design, impacts on formal recreational access, and social and economic development. As such it is considered to raise issues of general significance to the collective aims of the Cairngorms National Park. 29.07/240/CP - No Call-in 30.07/241/CP - The decision was to call-in the application for the following Reason: • The proposal is for the subdivision and extension of an existing dwellinghouse to form an additional residential unit, located in an area designated as Restricted Countryside in the Badenoch and Strathspey Local Plan where there is a presumption against new house building unless there is a land management justification. Part of the site is also covered by an Ancient Woodland designation. The proposal raises issues in relation to housing in the countryside planning policy, cumulative impact of housing the countryside, design of new build, precedent, and conservation and enhancement of natural and cultural heritage. As such, it is considered to raise issues of general significance to the collective aims of the Cairngorms National Park. COMMENTING ON APPLICATIONS NOT CALLED-IN BY THE COMMITTEE 31.The Members wished to make comments to the Local Authorities on the following Planning Application No’s 07/224/CP, 07/226/CP, 07/227/CP, 07/229/CP, 07/236/CP & 07/238/CP. The planning officers noted these comments and were delegated with the responsibility of whether or not to submit the comments to the Local Authorities. ANY OTHER BUSINESS 32.David Green informed Members that there was a Board Paper to agree funding for the Glen Doll Ranger Base which had just been called-in (07/218/CP) at the afternoon Board meeting. David Green advised Members that there should be no detailed discussion about the Board Paper as this may prejudge the planning application. Instead, Members should only give a decision on the funding in principle and defer the detailed funding issues to the Finance Committee. This would mean that when the planning application was due to be determined the Members on the Finance Committee would declare an interest and not take part in any determination process. Members agreed to this course of action. 33.Don McKee provided an update on the Beauly to Denny Transmission Line. He advised that the Scottish Executive had recently written to the CNPA regarding the Compulsory Purchase Orders (previously reported on the 4th May 2007 meeting). The Applicants had advised the Scottish Executive that they did not feel the objections to be valid. Therefore the Scottish Executive were seeking clarification as to whether the CNPA still wished to maintain the objection. Don McKee advised the Committee that the objection on the grounds of prematurity pending the outcome of the PLI should be maintained. The Committee agreed to this and Don McKee stated that a letter would be sent informing the Scottish Executive of this decision. 34. Don McKee advised Members that the Applicants for the Beauly to Denny Transmission Line (BDTL) had formally contacted CNPA with proposal mitigation measures in the CNP section of the Highland Council area, these included: a) The removal of pylons from Glentruim to Ruthven barracks and the replacement with wooden poles. b) The removal of the transmission line from Boat of Garten to Tarland. Don McKee informed Members that the SHETL proposal is conditional on approval from Ofgem and on the Scottish Ministers not requiring any undergrounding of the proposed Beauly - Denny 400kV transmisson line following the PLI. He recommended that whilst these proposals will benefit the specific areas involved they will not mitigate the considerable impact between Garva Bridge and Drumochter in the National Park that gave rise to the CNPA objection that is being heard at the PLI. Members agreed to reject the SHETL conditional proposal, although, if SHETL wish to carry out the works without linkage to the Beauly-Denny 400kV Overhead Transmission Line, the CNPA would welcome this as a positive contribution by a statutory undertaker towards conserving and enhancing the natural and cultural heritage of the Park. DATE OF NEXT MEETING 69. Friday, 29th June 2007 at The Community Centre, Nethy Bridge. 70.Committee Members are requested to ensure that any Apologies for this meeting are submitted to the Planning Office in Ballater. 71.The meeting concluded at 11:25hrs.