CAIRNGORMS NATIONAL PARK AUTHORITY MINUTES OF THE PLANNING COMMITTEE held within the Albert Hall, Ballater on 24th October 2003 at 10.30am PRESENT Mr Peter Argyle Mr Bruce Luffman Mr Eric Baird Ms Eleanor Mackintosh Mr Stuart Black Mr Alastair MacLennan Ms Sally Dowden Mr William McKenna Mr Basil Dunlop Mr David Selfridge Mr Douglas Glass Mr Robert Severn Mrs Lucy Grant Mrs Sheena Slimon Mr David Green Mr Richard Stroud In Attendance: Denis Munro Norman Brockie Neil Stewart Sandra Middleton APOLOGIES: Mr Duncan Bryden Ms Joyce Simpson Mr Angus Gordon Mr Andrew Thin Ms Ann MacLean Ms Susan Walker Mr Andrew Rafferty Mr Bob Wilson Mr Gregor Rimell WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION 1. The Vice Convenor welcomed all present and introduced Neil Stewart as the new Development Control Officer for the Cairngorms National Park. MATTERS ARISING FROM THE PREVIOUS MEETING 2. The minutes of the previous meeting were approved with one amendment to item 8, the re-roofing of the Freedom Inn Aviemore to also include a further consultation on the fenestration. L:\_CNPA Board\Committees\Planning Committee\2003 1024\Committee Minutes 241003.doc 3. Denis Munro advised the board that he had attended a meeting with the Scottish Executive to discuss the issues raised at the previous meeting regarding the Structure Plans. The proposal is that the Park Plan and Local Plan should be developed in parallel to one another as is the case in the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park. The Park Plan will create the strategic framework for the Local Plan. Norman Brockie is to introduce a paper at a future committee which will assess the objectives and policies of the four existing structure plans. 4. It was decided that in future, the Agenda should show an additional item after the Welcome and Introduction to allow committee members to declare any interest they may have in any of the business to follow. PLANNING APPLICATION CALL-IN DECISIONS 5. The Vice-Convenor advised the committee that applications 03/053/CP and 03/058/CP were to be withdrawn from the Call-in Recommendation Report as they had not yet been properly validated by the local Authority. 6. Concern was raised by some members of the committee that not enough information was being presented to them to allow them to make educated decisions as to whether or not an application raised an issue of general significance to the aims of the National Park. Neil Stewart advised the Board that time constraints make it difficult to obtain full details of planning applications on which Call-in recommendations are to be made. The local authorities do not have equipment capable of scanning and transmitting the plans submitted with applications which means that these have to be physically inspected at the local authority offices. This is particularly difficult to do with applications which are notified close to the deadlines for producing the call-in report. The Vice-Convenor suggested that in cases where the committee felt that not enough information had been obtained to make a decision, they could opt at the end of the meeting to make comments to the Local Authority on specific applications that had not been called-in. 7. a) 03/047/CP – No Call-in Committee member Mr Alastair MacLennan declared an interest in the following application (03/048/CP) and left the room. b) 03/048/CP – The decision was to Call-in this application as the following issues needed to be examined in relation to the Park aims; The Development may be contrary to countryside policy and the proposal represents an isolated single house within a visually prominent woodland. The Development has the potential to establish a precedent for other similar developments within the Cairngorms National Park which cumulatively, may raise issues of general significance to the aims of the Cairngorms National Park Authority. Committee member Mr Alastair MacLennan returned at this point. c) 03/049/CP – No Call-in d) 03/050/CP – No Call-in e) 03/051/CP – No Call-in f) 03/052/CP – The decision was to Call-in this application as the following issues needed to be examined in relation to the Park aims; The proposal involves the introduction of a man-made structure in a remote natural area of the Cairngorms National Park which is also within the Cairngorm Mountain National Scenic Area. This may act as a precedent for other similar developments within sensitive areas of the Cairngorms National Park and as such, the development is of a type which may raise issues of general significance to the aims of the Cairngorms National Park Authority. g) 03/053/CP – WITHDRAWN h) 03/054/CP – No Call-in i) 03/055/CP – The decision was to Call-in this application as the following issues needed to be examined in relation to the Park aims; The proposal due to its type, nature and scale may involve works and may raise issues of general significance to the four aims of the Cairngorms National Park. Sally Dowden made the point that planning applications could not be significant to just one of the aims of the Cairngorms National Park but must be examined in relation to the collective achievement of all 4 aims. j) 03/056/CP – No Call-in k) 03/057/CP – The decision was to Call-in this application as the following issues needed to be examined in relation to the Park aims; The development of a telecommunications mast has been identified in the agreed Development Control Protocol as one which, by its nature, could be considered to have general significance to the aims of the Cairngorms National Park. In this instance, the type and location of the development may raise issues of general significance to the aims of the Cairngorms National Park. l) 03/058/CP – WITHDRAWN m) 03/059/CP – No Call-in n) 03/060/CP – No Call-in o) 03/061/CP – The decision was to Call-in this application as the following issues needed to be examined in relation to the Park aims; The development is for a dwelling house in a countryside area which is within the Deeside and Lochnagar National Scenic Area. The development site also encroaches into the Crathie Woods SSSI and may have impacts on the quality and setting of the locality. As such, the development may raise issues of general significance to the aims of the Cairngorms National Park. p) 03/062/CP – No Call-in q) 03/063/CP – No Call-in r) 03/064/CP – No Call-in s) 03/065/CP – No Call-in t) 03/066/CP – No Call-in 8. The committee requested the opportunity to make comments on applications 03/047/CP, 03/062/CP, 03/063/CP and 03/064/CP. PLANNING APPLICATION CONSULTATIONS 9. Mr David Selfridge in his capacity as a Councillor for the Angus Council declared an interest in the following report and left the room. 10. Norman Brockie presented a paper based on a request from Innogy Hydrology for a formal scoping opinion for their proposed hydro-electric generating station at Falls of Unich. It was requested that committee members amend a mistake in the paper on page 3, to the effect that the Planning Committee will not be given the opportunity to call-in this application but will be consulted on it by the Scottish Executive, as the Planning Authority (as will Angus Council). The current consultation was only to establish what should be covered by the scoping report. 11. The committee requested that the following items be examined by the scoping report; a) Details of fish breeding activities below the proposed dam should be examined. b) Details of construction and reinstatement of access tracks. c) Details of the location of powerhouses and the possibility of locating them underground. d) Flow rates of the river following extraction and the possible loss of visual amenity through this process. e) A phase 2 habitat survey. f) A Lifecycle analysis of the project. g) Financial Appraisal. h) Social and economic benefits. i) The scale and range of potential impacts of the scheme. j) Geological loading. k) Support facilities and ancillary development. l) The potential impact of the scheme on the area in relation to the integrated issues for which the park is responsible. ANY OTHER BUSINESS 11. Concern was raised over bad weather contingency arrangements for the committee in cases where a quorum cannot be met. The committee was advised that Contingency plans are being worked on and that plans are under way to put video conferencing in place both in the Grantown-on-Spey and Ballater Offices. DATE OF NEXT MEETING 12. 7th November 2003 at the Laggan Village Hall, 10.30am. Members were reminded to notify the CNPA office as soon as possible if they are unable to attend this meeting. 13. The meeting concluded at 12 noon.