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CAIRNGORMS NATIONAL PARK AUTHORITY 
Paper 1 19/05/06 


CAIRNGORMS NATIONAL PARK AUTHORITY 

FOR DECISION 

Title: Preferred Strategic Direction for Affordable Housing 

Prepared by: Andrew Harper, Head of Economic and Social Development 


Purpose 

The purpose of this paper is to enable the Board to agree a preferred strategic direction and 
priorities for the Authority’s work on affordable housing to inform the current consultation 
on the draft Park Plan. 


Recommendations 

That the Board approve, as a basis for further consultation: 

a) The principle of intervention in the housing market to achieve more sustainable 
communities; 

b) The proposed definition for affordable housing in the Cairngorms National Park; 

c) That the focus of CNPA supported intervention should be to support the delivery of 
new housing to meet the economic and social needs of the Park’s communities whilst 
at the same time not compromising the natural and cultural heritage of the area; 

d) CNPA support for the creation of significant new publicly subsidised affordable 
housing; 

e) To consider how the CNPA might encourage or support the creation of new crofts, 
should the Crofting Reform Bill be enacted; 

f) The use of residency criteria, implemented via section 75 agreements, to ensure that 
new market housing is helping to meet the economic and social needs of the Park’s 
communities; 

g) That the CNPA investigates other opportunities to increase private investment in the 
provision of affordable housing; 

h) That the CNPA should seek to influence the Local Authorities and Housing 
Associations in developing their Common Housing Registers and allocations 
policies, so that people can clearly identify their housing market preferences within 
the National Park area; 

i) That the CNPA investigates the potential for encouraging and supporting 
community owned low cost rented housing; 

j) That the CNPA initiate discussions with the Scottish Executive about the potential 
for a change in the Planning Use Classes Order to the effect that a change of use from 
a permanent house to a second home or holiday home would require planning 
permission. 


Executive Summary 

This paper draws upon recent research by Heriot Watt and Manchester Universities, 
informal discussions with Board members, responses received in the consultation on the 
draft Local Plan. It seeks to establish a preferred strategic direction in order to be clear where 
the CNPA needs to focus its effort in providing affordable housing in the Park. The timing 
for this is important as it will enable these views to be considered as part of the current 
consultation on the draft Park Plan. 

The argument is made for intervention in the housing market as a means of helping to 
achieve more sustainable communities. Furthermore, in the context of the National Park, 
such intervention should not compromise the natural and cultural heritage of the area. 

The paper seeks to define affordable housing as encompassing any housing available to 
households in need, and with a local connection (as far as is possible), which costs less than 
normal full market price or rent. Thus it can be publicly subsidised housing or private 
sector housing without any public subsidy. 

With regards the CNPA’s priorities for intervention, where the Authority would have either 
a lead or partnership role, six key areas are proposed: 

a) Support for the creation of significant new publicly subsidised affordable housing 
(including new croft housing); 

b) Use of residency criteria to ensure new market housing is meeting the economic and 
social needs of the Park’s communities; 

c) Encouraging greater private sector investment in affordable housing for sale or rent; 

d) Encouraging Local Authorities and Housing Associations, to ensure that new 
Common Housing Registers and allocations policies, enable people to clearly identify 
their housing market preferences within the National Park area; 

e) Encouraging and supporting community owned low cost rented housing; 

f) Exploring the potential for a change in the Planning Use Classes Order to the effect 
that a change of use from a permanent house to a second home or holiday home 
would require planning permission. 


PREFERRED STRATEGIC DIRECTION FOR AFFORDABLE 
HOUSING - FOR DECISION 

Background 

1. The purpose of this paper is to enable the Board to agree a preferred strategic direction 
and priorities for the Authority’s work on affordable housing. Ideally this would have 
been done prior to finalising the consultation draft of the Park Plan. However, as the 
Board are aware, this was not previously possible as we have had to wait for the 
finalisation of a ‘Cairngorms Housing System Analysis’ by Heriot Watt University and 
population and household projections data prepared by the University of Manchester. 

2. Consideration of these issues is, though, very timely. At the beginning of April 
consultation commenced on the draft Park Plan. The preliminary draft of the Local Plan 
has been consulted upon and there has been feedback that the strategic context for the 
draft housing policies and a rationale for intervention in the housing market need to be 
made clear. This direction must flow from the Park Plan and so now is the opportunity, 
through the Park Plan consultation process, to engage with external partners and 
stakeholders to shape future policy and actions. 

3. The draft Park Plan priority of ‘Making Housing Affordable and Sustainable’, which sets 
out key actions for 2007-12, was developed in conjunction with the Cairngorms Housing 
Group. This Group, which is chaired by Board member Anne MacLean, brings together 
a number of partner organisations that have an interest in housing matters within the 
Park. Since these actions were drafted, the Board have had two informal discussions on 
affordable housing which reflected upon the evidence that has been gathered and 
presented in the Heriot Watt University Housing System Analysis and the University of 
Manchester population and household projections data. This paper draws upon this 
new evidence and these discussions to clarify the rationale for intervention in the 
housing market and the nature of the interventions that the Park Authority would have 
a role in progressing, either as lead organisation or in partnership with others. 

4. Also of relevance is the Board paper on ‘The CNPA’s Strategic Role in Housing 
Development’, which was considered on 11 March 2005. The work that has been 
progressed to date and the proposals set out in this paper are consistent with five 
activity areas in which the Board agreed that the CNPA has a clear role to play: 

a) Co-ordinating partner activity and sharing best practice; 

b) Setting the strategic framework via the Park Plan and Local Plan; 

c) Building the evidence base; 

d) Piloting new approaches in both policy and practice; 

e) Development control. 

5. Furthermore, as was also agreed by the Board, the Local Plan policy options that were 
set out in the same paper have been considered by Heriot Watt and their conclusions 
have informed the proposals that are now being recommended. 


Considering the Evidence 

6. Last year work was commissioned from Heriot Watt University to undertake a Housing 
System Analysis of the Cairngorms national Park area. Their brief was to: 

a) produce strong evidence of the nature and reasons for housing need in the Park; 

b) identify the need for new affordable housing for the next 5-10 years, with an 
indication for the longer term; 

c) provide robust housing need projections for the next 5-10 years to enable the 
allocation of sufficient housing land in the Local Plan; 

d) define affordable housing in the context of the Park; 

e) demonstrate the nature and extent of housing markets in the National Park area 
or wider market areas. 

Some of the key findings from their work are set out below. 

7. The housing system has changed considerably over the past 10-15 years with significant 
growth in the owner-occupied sector, a slight decline in the private rented sector 
(although numerically there has not been much change) coupled with a decline in the 
social rented sector both numerically and as a proportion of all housing stock. This has 
been primarily due to the Right to Buy and a low rate of new build in the affordable 
housing sector when compared to the private sector. 

8. In recent years house completions have been rising: mainly in the private sector. 
Current projections anticipate approximately 115 completions per annum with a greater 
proportion of affordable housing within this target. However significant potential 
constraints to achieving this number of completions, primarily in the form of 
infrastructure, have been identified. 

9. The overall supply of housing is affected by the fact that a significant proportion of the 
housing stock is second or holiday homes. Approximately 1,800 homes are in this 
category representing just under 20% of the total housing stock. The main impact on the 
housing system is twofold. First of all, the demand for second or holiday homes in an 
attractive rural environment exerts an upward pressure on prices. Secondly, the stock 
by definition is ineffective in its ability to meet permanent housing demand or need. 

10. Within the occupied stock, a relatively high proportion of owner-occupiers own their 
properties outright when compared to the Scottish average. This is likely to imply lower 
turnover than in other parts of the country. House prices have risen significantly in the 
owner-occupied sector in recent years. 

11. The private rented sector is relatively large and diverse when compared to other areas of 
Scotland. There is a significant proportion of tied housing, emphasising the link 
between employment and housing. In contrast to urban areas of the country, private 
renting may also be viewed as a permanent, rather than a transient, housing solution by 
some households. This implies that liaison with private landlords, so as to ensure the 
continuing supply of affordable rented housing that meets quality expectations, is 
possibly more important than in other parts of the country. At the same time, however, 
expressed demand for social rented housing tends to indicate that a large number of 
households in the private rented sector are seeking social rented housing. 

12. Like many other parts of rural Scotland, the Park has seen absolute and proportionate 
decline in council housing, to about one house in seven from 20% in 1991. The housing 
association and other registered social landlord (hereafter, simply RSL) sector has 
increased slightly. On average 42 properties have been sold every year through the 
Right To Buy over the past twenty years. The RSL sector has grown over the past 10-15 
years to meet a wider range of particular needs and now has a more diverse range of 
tenants in terms of household type. There is a significant level of expressed demand and 
need through both the Council housing lists and available homelessness figures. The 
total current number of applicants for housing is circa 550-600. The total annual lets are 
estimated between 70-80 across both the Council and RSL sectors. 

13. An affordability analysis was conducted on the basis of five geographical zones. These 
are Aviemore, Grantown-on Spey, Kingussie, Aberdeenshire part of the park (Upper 
Deeside) and Tomintoul. The estimated mean and median household weekly incomes 
in the park area are £461 and £391 respectively. In general these figures are lower than 
the corresponding ones for the wider local authority areas. The median price for a two 
bedroom property in 2004 was £103,369. Taking the lower quartile price of £83,554 as 
the so-called ‘threshold entry price’ (i.e. 75% of such properties would be more 
expensive), which is higher than in the surrounding areas, it is estimated that only 38% 
of younger (<35 years) households would have been able to buy a property in the 
market. The model shows that, within the Park, affordability is particularly low in the 
Aviemore area, and also quite low in Deeside and the Tomintoul area, and a bit higher 
in the Grantown and Kingussie areas. The housing need results show that the net need 
per annum is 114 across the Park area. This is a large number and indicates that all the 
current completions projected through the planning system might need to be for 
affordable housing. 

14. In the absence of population and household projections data from the General Register 
Office for Scotland, this data was commissioned from the University of Manchester in 
Autumn 2005. This found that if the fertility, mortality and migration of recent years 
continue in the Park area, then: 

a) The population of the Park is predicted to increase by 9% between 2001 and 2025; 

b) The rate of increase will slow over the projection period; 

c) The population increase occurs predominantly in the 60+ age groups; 

d) The projections show that there will be population decrease in younger age 
groups; 

e) Population change is stimulated by in-migration which occurs predominantly in 
the 40 to 60 age group, perhaps a reflection that many of those who move to the 
Park see it as a retirement area; 

f) The number of households is projected to increase by 19.6% between 2001 and 
2016. This is partly due to an increase in the private household population but is 
mainly a result of the decrease in the average household size; 

g) One person households are projected to increase most quickly between 2001 and 
2016 (+42.7%) as a result of the increasing elderly population who are most likely 
to live in such a household. 

15. The changes in the demographic profile and the initially high rate of change are perhaps 
most graphically demonstrated by viewing the population pyramids for 2001, 2012 and 
2025, as shown in Annex 1. 

16. These are, of course, projections and need to be viewed with a degree of caution. 
Trends can change for all sorts of reasons, many of which it would be impossible to 
foresee at a given point in time. However, these projections represent the best view of 
the future that we currently have and have important planning and policy implications. 


Rationale for Intervention in the Housing Market 

17. If we were to accept these demographic forecasts, then we could simply plan for them by 
allocating sufficient land within the Local Plan to satisfy the predicted level of household 
growth. Then the market would seek to provide housing of a size and type that would 
meet the needs of an aging population. However, the question has to be asked as to 
whether this would be desirable. 

18. The demographic changes that have been forecast would undermine the aim of 
achieving sustainable communities within the Park. Businesses are already facing 
recruitment difficulties and this situation would be hugely exacerbated. At the same 
time there would be increasing pressure on services that cater for the needs of an aging 
population, while school rolls would drop leading to further rationalisation in 
educational provision. 

19. It is therefore proposed that, as far as is possible, we should plan to counter these 
changes and pursue policies and actions that will encourage a more sustainable 
demographic profile. In doing so, it must be borne in mind that it is unlikely that these 
trends can be fully reversed. They are indicative of an aging population nationally, 
although they are more extreme due largely to the higher in-migration of older people. 
In reality we are likely to need to plan both to meet the needs of an aging population 
while at the same time encouraging a reduction in the net loss of young adults. 

20. At this point, it is worth considering the role that commuting has to play in contributing 
towards the socio-economic sustainability of local communities. This is particularly 
relevant in Badenoch and Strathspey where there has been a growth in commuting to 
Inverness which is likely to develop further as the Inverness economy expands. 
Commuting to work outside the Park can of course provide access to higher paid jobs 
than may be available locally, although it may be seen as being less environmentally 
friendly with regards the travel involved. Whilst commuters are economically active 
and contribute positively towards the sustainability of the Park’s communities, they do 
not help meet the employment needs of local businesses. It is therefore suggested that 
any measures that are pursued to counter the trend of an aging Park population give 
greater priority to those who live and work in the Park than those who work elsewhere. 


Recommendation 

21. That the Board approve, as a basis for further consultation, the principle of 
intervention in the housing market to achieve more sustainable communities. 


Defining ‘Affordable Housing’ 

22. In considering how best to encourage a reduction in the net loss of young adults, the 
required actions are complex and inter-related, including measures to improve available 
economic and social opportunities and access to those opportunities. However, 
fundamental to the retention and attraction of young people is the availability of 
affordable housing. 

23. The term ‘affordable housing’, though, can mean different things to different people. 
The working definition that Heriot Watt used in their study was that: 
‘affordable housing encompasses any housing opportunities available to households in need 
and with a local connection, which cost less than normal full market price or rent’. 

24. This is a useful definition but could be made clearer with regards differentiating between 
potential sources of affordable housing. To many people, affordable housing means 
‘social housing’ provided primarily by local authorities or housing associations and 
which requires some degree of public subsidy. It could equally be housing to buy or rent 
at below normal market levels, that is provided by the private sector without any public 
subsidy. It is therefore proposed that the Heriot Watt definition is extended to clarify 
this point. 

25. It is also proposed that the ‘local connection’ reference is qualified by adding ‘as far as is 
possible’ after it. This takes account of the fact that a limited amount of publicly 
subsidised affordable housing will be provided for people with no local connection. This 
point is picked up in more detail in paragraphs 46 to 47. 


Recommendation 

26. That the Board approves, as a basis for further consultation, the following definition 
of ‘affordable housing’: 
‘affordable housing encompasses any housing opportunities available to households 
in need and (as far as is possible) with a local connection, which cost less than 
normal full market price or rent. These can be publicly subsidised or provided by the 
private sector without any public subsidy’. 


Focus for CNPA Intervention 

27. Assuming that the rationale for intervention is accepted by the Board, the next issue is 
to identify the forms of intervention might be appropriate within the context of the 
Park. It is also important to focus upon areas in which the CNPA has a clear 
implementation role, either on its own or in partnership with others. 

28. Taking the aims of the Park, the two that are most (although not solely) relevant to 
consider are: 

a) To conserve and enhance the natural and cultural heritage; 

b) To promote sustainable social and economic development of the Park’s 
communities. 

29. One argument that has been made for making housing more affordable is to increase 
the land allocation in the Local Plan so that a much greater supply of new housing can 
be built, thus meeting pent up demand and reducing house prices. The counter 
argument to this is that such a supply side response works against the first aim of the 
Park to conserve and enhance the natural and cultural heritage and degrades the very 
assets that underpin much of the local economy. There are also very practical barriers 
to large scale development such as the current difficulties in increasing water and 
sewerage capacity. 

30. It is therefore recommended that the focus of CNPA supported interventions should 
seek to deliver new housing to meet the economic and social needs of the Park’s 
communities whilst at the same time not compromising the natural and cultural 
heritage of the area. In practice this means that we need to maximise the proportion of 
new housing that contributes to the achievement of more sustainable communities. 


Recommendation 

31. That the Board approve the focus of CNPA supported intervention should be to 
support the delivery of new housing to meet the economic and social needs of the 
Park’s communities whilst at the same time not compromising the natural and 
cultural heritage of the area. 

32. The following proposals therefore mainly focus upon mechanisms that maximise the 
potential for new housing to contribute to the achievement of more sustainable 
communities. 


Publicly Subsidised Affordable Housing 

33. Communities Scotland, local authorities and housing associations are, together, 
progressing a significant investment programme to provide more publicly subsidised 
affordable housing. This is to be encouraged within the Park area. The CNPA’s key 
policy tool would be the Local Plan where either land would be zoned specifically for 
publicly subsidised affordable housing or else require a proportion of a proposed 
development to be for publicly subsidised affordable housing (the two options within 
policy 37 of the Consultative Draft Local Plan),. 

34. Other opportunities may arise from the new Crofting Reform Bill. Provisions for the 
removal of the need for landlord’s consent to sub-division of crofts, and for the creation 
of new bare land crofts (especially woodland crofts) would enable the creation of 
additional crofts within Badenoch and Strathspey. Public subsidy is available for new 
croft houses via the Croft House Grant Scheme, and so there would be affordable 
housing opportunities for people committed to crofting. 


Recommendations 

35. The Board approve, CNPA support for the creation of significant new publicly 
subsidised affordable housing. 

36. The Board agree to consider how the CNPA might encourage or support the creation 
of new crofts, should the Crofting Reform Bill be enacted. 


Private Sector Investment in Affordable Housing 

37. If it is accepted that we need to maximise the potential for new housing to meet the 
economic and social needs of the Park’s communities, then we need to be able to 
influence who obtains this housing. In particular, pressure on the housing market has 
come from people buying second homes and from relatively affluent elderly people 
moving to the area. As has already been put forward as a policy option within the 
Consultative Draft Local Plan, it is proposed that residency criteria be introduced for 
new market housing. By restricting the market for those who would be able to access 
new housing provided by the private sector, demand would be dampened and prices 
would have to adjust to be affordable to the categories of people targeted by the 
residency criteria. 

38. Planning Authorities have the power under Section 75 of the Town and Country 
Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 to enter into an agreement with persons having an interest 
in land in their area for the purpose of restricting or regulating the use of land. Section 
75 agreements would thus be the appropriate ‘tool’ to be used to implement and enforce 
such residency criteria. The additional advantage of section 75 agreements is that, as 
they run with the land, they can be used to ensure that new market houses remained 
affordable in perpetuity to the categories of people identified by the residency criteria. 

39. It is envisaged that there may well be additional actions that could be pursued to unlock 
greater private sector investment in affordable housing for sale or rent. For example, 
public private partnership mechanisms should be investigated such as the pilot 
initiative in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, involving the Park Authority, Craven 
District Council and the Skipton Building Society which is to invest £10 million in two 
and three bedroom properties for rent. Detailed consideration will also be given to the 
recently completed SRPBA survey of private landlords, which specifically looked at 
identifying ways of encouraging landowners to make more affordable housing available 
for sale or rent. 


Recommendations 

40. As a basis for further consultation, the Board approve, the use of residency criteria, 
implemented via section 75 agreements, to ensure that new market housing is 
helping to meet the economic and social needs of the Park’s communities. 

41. The Board approve the investigation of other opportunities to increase private 
investment in the provision of affordable housing. 


Residency Criteria 

42. The residency criteria, as were set out in the housing policy options within the 
Consultative Draft Local Plan, would restrict new occupants to: 

a) Existing residents of the National Park (over the age of 18), who have 
permanently resided in the area for at least the last 3 years and who now need 
new accommodation. 

b) A head of household who is or whose partner is in or is taking up full-time 
permanent employment in a business within the National Park. 

c) Elderly or disabled persons requiring sheltered or otherwise more suitable 
accommodation who already live permanently within the National Park. 

d) Persons having to leave tied accommodation within the National Park. 

e) In all cases above, the applicant must prove that they are currently unhoused or 
inadequately housed. 

43. Heriot Watt University’s assessment of this policy proposal was that the level of 
housing need justified such an approach being taken but that very careful consideration 
of the criteria would be needed. Feedback from the Local Plan consultation has been 
broadly supportive of the principle of residency criteria, although there was some 
feedback that aspects of the draft criteria were felt to be overly restrictive. For example, 
it was suggested that the words ‘in a business’ in criteria number (ii) should be replaced 
with ‘or self employment’ so as not to preclude people moving to the Park to start a 
business. It was also suggested that criteria number (v) be removed, as this is a principle 
consideration in the provision of publicly subsidised affordable housing. 

44. Should the principle of using residency criteria be approved by the Board, then views 
on the draft criteria set out in the Local Plan, and the comments above, will be sought 
from the Cairngorms Housing Group, as part of the Park Plan consultation. A further 
decision paper on residency criteria, which would take account of feedback from the 
Cairngorms Housing Group and other consultation responses, would be brought to the 
Board in due course. The paper would also take stock of practice elsewhere and the 
legal implications of introducing residency criteria.. 

45. It should be noted, though, that such residency restrictions would be for new housing 
only and would be likely to displace demand on to the existing housing stock. If the 
Board decide that this approach should be pursued, they need to be aware that this 
would be likely to further inflate the price of existing housing stock. However, as the 
current prices are already out of reach of most of the people who would benefit from 
residency criteria, this may be regarded as an acceptable risk. Similarly, there is the risk 
that landowners could withhold land for housing development, as its value would have 
reduced. How real a risk this would be is impossible to assess with any certainty at this 
point in time. 

46. In the case of publicly subsidised affordable housing, there have been criticisms that 
local residents are not being afforded priority for housing allocations. Recent figures 
provided by Highland Council show that this may be more perception than fact with 
90% of people being allocated council houses in Badenoch and Strathspey being 
residents of the area. Local authorities and housing associations also have to meet the 
requirements of the Homelessness Act 2002 under which they must re-house people on 
a needs basis, regardless of where they come from. 

47. However, there may now be some scope for developing greater consistency in 
allocations policies between housing providers and making some refinements that 
better capture housing market area preferences within the National Park. Local 
authorities and housing associations are looking at how they might develop a Common 
Housing Register and integrate their allocations . It is therefore proposed that this is an 
area of work that the CNPA should seek to influence. Some of the work currently being 
progressed by the Authority’s Housing Policy Officer is focused upon this issue. 


Recommendation 

48. The Board agree that the CNPA should seek to influence the Local Authorities and 
Housing Associations in developing their Common Housing Registers and 
allocations policies, so that people can clearly identify their housing market 
preferences within the National Park area. 


Community Owned Low Cost Rented Housing 

49. One avenue for affordable housing that has not so far been investigated is that of 
community owned low cost rented housing. There could be potential for communities 
to access public, private and charitable funding to provide rented housing. This can not 
only help meet local housing needs but, depending on the balance of grant to loan 
funding, such provision could also establish an income stream to support other 
community activities. 

50. A number of Scottish Development Trusts are currently involved in the provision of 
affordable housing, although it may be that they either have to become a Registered 
Social Landlord or work in partnership with one to access development funding. It is 
proposed that the housing mechanisms employed by these Trusts are examined and 
that the potential for the CNPA to encourage and support community owned and low 
cost rented housing is established. 


Recommendation 

51. The Board approve, as a basis for further consultation, that the CNPA investigates the 
potential for encouraging and supporting community owned low cost rented 
housing. 


Change in the Planning Use Classes Order 

52. While the above proposals have focused primarily upon new housing, the point has 
been made that there is little that can be done about the existing housing stock. The 
only identified means of protecting the existing private housing stock would be through 
a change in the Planning Use Classes Order to the effect that change of use from a 
permanent home to a second or holiday home would require planning permission. The 
Scottish Executive would have to first be convinced of the merits of this approach at a 
time when they are seeking to streamline the planning system. Heriot Watt looked at 
this option and agreed that it would seem desirable. 


Recommendation 

53. The Board approve, as a basis for further consultation, that the CNPA initiate 
discussions with the Scottish Executive about the potential for a change in the 
Planning Use Classes Order to the effect that a change of use from a permanent house 
to a second home or holiday home would require planning permission. 


Consultation 

54. In preparing this paper, all Heads of Group have been consulted, as have several Board 
members who have a particular knowledge of housing matters. Prior to preparing the 
paper, two informal discussions on housing were held with Board members which both 
generated helpful input. 

55. While the members of the Cairngorms Housing Group have not been consulted on the 
content of this paper, they are aware that it will form the basis of a consultative event 
with them on 14 June. 

56. The paper has also taken account of the consultation responses on the consultative draft 
of the Cairngorms National Park Local Plan. 


Policy Context 

57. As has been explained before, this paper feeds into the development of the Park Plan, in 
particular the ‘Making Housing Affordable and Sustainable’ priority for action. 


Delivering Sustainability 

58. The proposed interventions are seeking to achieve a balance between economic, social 
and environmental sustainability. Thus, whilst they focus upon increasing the levels of 
affordable housing, so as to underpin the sustainability of the Park’s communities, they 
do so in a way that minimises the overall level of house building required to achieve 
this objective. 


Delivering a Park for All 

59. The ‘Developing a Park for All – Social Inclusion’ paper, that was considered by the 
Board on 13 August 2004, identified the lack of available affordable housing as being a 
key barrier to social inclusion within the Park. The Board agreed that the Park Plan 
would provide the framework for addressing this barrier. 


Delivering Economy, Efficiency and Effectiveness 

60. The proposed interventions are considered to provide economy, efficiency and 
effectiveness. The associated monitoring framework for the Park Plan will allow us to 
check that this is the case and to amend the policy approach, if it is not proving to be 
effective. Within the overall approach of supporting housing provision that is 
appropriate to achieving more sustainable communities, the focus on measures to 
encourage private sector investment in affordable housing without the use of public 
subsidy, should lessen the overall cost to the public purse. 
Implications 


Financial Implications 

61. Most of the CNPA input required in respect of the proposed interventions is that of staff 
time rather than programme expenditure. At the moment it is anticipated that any new 
work can be taken forward by the existing staff, primarily the Authority’s Housing 
Policy Officer and Local Plan Officers. However, these staff have full workloads and so 
the position will need to be continually reviewed to ensure that they do not become 
overloaded. 

62. The areas where programme expenditure may be required can be met from the 
Operational Plan housing budget for 2007/08 of £80,000. 


Presentational Implications 

63. Whatever the Board agree in relation to the recommendations in this paper, it is 
important to make it clear externally that this is a preferred strategic direction. Our 
policy line will be finalised only after the consultation on the Park Plan is complete and 
the feedback received has been fully considered. 

64. This paper will feed into the Park Plan consultation process, so we will need to make 
people aware of the Board’s views in order that these can be considered and 
commented upon alongside the existing information in the draft Park Plan. 


Implications for Stakeholders 

65. The implications for stakeholders will be considered through the Park Plan 
development process. The meeting with the Cairngorms Housing Group on 14 June will 
be important in this process. Additionally, in late June, one to one meetings have been 
set up with Communities Scotland and with the local authorities to assess respective 
roles and responsibilities in progressing the Park Plan priority for action on ‘Making 
Housing Affordable and Sustainable’. 


Next Steps 

66. The next steps will be to consider the Board’s preferred strategic direction for affordable 
housing, as part of the Park Plan consultation. Feedback received from the consultation 
will then be considered before the Park Plan is finalised. This will also inform the final 
draft of the Local Plan. 

Andrew Harper 
May 2006 
andrewharper@cairngorms.co.uk 


Paper 1 Annex 1

Population Pyramids 

2001 – population pyramid 
(chart not available in full text format)

2012 population pyramid 
(chart not available in full text format)

2025 population pyramid 
(chart not available in full text format)