APPENDIX 1

Moray Local Development Plan

Monitoring Report

Page 2 of 33

Contents

Introduction ................................................................................................................ 3

Strategy ...................................................................................................................... 3

Demographics ............................................................................................................ 3

Economic Development ............................................................................................. 6

Housing ...................................................................................................................... 9

Retail and Commercial Development ....................................................................... 13

Transportation .......................................................................................................... 15

Environmental Policies ............................................................................................. 17

Implementation ......................................................................................................... 25

Elgin Local Housing Market Area ............................................................................. 26

Forres Local Housing Market Area ........................................................................... 27

Buckie Local Housing Market Area .......................................................................... 28

Keith Local Housing Market Area ............................................................................. 30

Speyside Local Housing Market Area ...................................................................... 31

Page 3 of 33

Introduction This monitoring statement is intended to examine the performance of the Moray Structure Plan 2007, Moray Local Plan 2008 and provide an update on land use planning issues as the Council moves towards the final stages of adopting the new Local Development Plan 2015. The new Plan includes a detailed Action Programme which will form the basis for future annual Monitoring Reports. The Council needs to maintain a good evidence base to ensure that future Local Development Plan reviews are fully informed of issues arising and new policy developments. Full details of completions on housing and employment land and future projections of land supply are set out in the annual Housing Land Audit and Employment Land Audit which form part of the Council’s submission to the Scottish Government Planning Performance Framework.

Strategy The strategy of the MSP2007 and MLP2008 aimed to direct growth and new development in accordance with the settlement hierarchy, with Elgin as the primary centre, Forres, Lossiemouth, Buckie and Keith as secondary centres, with 27 other towns and villages as third tier locations, followed by Rural Groupings and housing in the countryside. Development land designations were made proportionately across these settlements, in line with their position in the hierarchy. The downturn in the economy has resulted in development rates and land take-up being lower than anticipated with the majority of housing development being affordable units. The Council’s approach to managing the housing land supply has ensured that an effective supply has remained throughout the Plan period, with the triggers under Policy H2 being used to release additional land on two occasions. Further details on the development of housing and employment land against MSP2007 and MLP2008 targets is set out in the relevant sections below. The diagram below summarises development completions within the settlement hierarchy. First and second tiers Elgin, Forres, Lossiemouth, Keith and Buckie- 248 units per annum Third tier towns and villages- 21 units per annum Rural Groupings- 9 units per annum Houses in the Countryside- 41 units per annum

Demographics At the time of preparing the Moray Structure Plan 2007, the population of Moray was expected to rise to 90,577 by 2019, an increase of 3.26%. The most recent population projection from GROS are that the population in 2013 was 94,350, far exceeding the projections included in the Structure Plan, however, longer term projections (see table below) forecast a longer term decline in population. Much of the forecast population increase is down to migration. This is due to a large extent to a large influx of migrant workers from other EU countries. Elderly retirees moving to the area and births exceeding deaths is a further contributor. An analysis

Page 4 of 33

of age groups over the next 15-20 years shows a continuing decline in school age children and a significant increase in those in the 65+ age category. The most recent population projections from the General Registers of Scotland 2014 (GROS) are as follows:-

2012 2013 2017 2022 2027 2032 2037

92,910 94,350 92,868 92,838 92,602 92,008 90,889

Table 1: GROS 2014 population projections However projections show that by 2037 the population of Moray is projected to be 90,889 which is a decrease of 2.2% compared to the population in 2012. A breakdown of the population projection into different age groups over the next 25 year period shows that Moray will witness a continuing decline in the number of school age children with an increase in the 75+ age category which is projected to double. Similarly the 16-29 year old age category has a projected 2% decrease over this period.

Age Group 2013 % total pop. of Moray

2037 % total pop. of Moray

0-15 16,600 17.6% 14,453 15.9%

16-29 15,553 16.5% 12,803 14.1%

30-49 17,234 18.3% 20,726 22.8%

50-64 20,480 21.7% 15,503 17.1%

65-74 16,266 17.2% 12,577 13.9%

75+ 8,217 8.7% 14,827 16.3%

Total 94,350 100% 90,889 100%

Table 2: GROS 2014 projected population by age group This projection trend has not significantly changed since the 2012 Monitoring Report and highlights that an increasing ageing population and declining population in the 0-29 age category is still a problem that Moray is going to have to continue to address in the future. Migration is a contributing factor to the growth in population which the 2012 Monitoring Report also highlighted. Between 2011-13, there was an average net in-migration of 245 people per year into Moray. This is lower than the figure of 300 used in the MSP2007. The table below shows a breakdown of net migration into different age groups.

Age Group In Out Net Migration

0-15 725 644 81

16-29 978 1,111 -133

30-49 733 634 99

50-64 641 471 170

65-74 242 214 28

Total 3,319 3,074 245

Table 3: GROS 2014 Average Migration in and out of Moray 2011-2013

Page 5 of 33

The 16-29 years old age group accounts for both the highest number of in-migrants and out – migrants with a net deficit of out-migrants. This highlights that Moray is struggling to hold onto school leavers and graduates who are essential to the long term sustainability of Moray’s economy and being able to support the projected ageing demographics of the area. The table below shows the numbers of births and deaths in Moray between 2012 and 2013. It shows that there has been a slight increase in the number of births and decrease in the number of deaths. This trend is similar to previous years and is a contributing factor to the increase in population over the last few years.

Births Deaths

2012 2013 2012 2013

915 956 995 939

Table 4: GROS 2014 Births in Moray, 2012 and 2013 In terms of households, the Structure Plan took a national projected increase of 7%, which projected the number of households in Moray to increase to 40,107 by 2017. This figure has already been reached with 40,492 households in Moray in 2012, projected to increase by 7% to 43,725 in 2037. The changing demographics highlight that there will be a significant change in household type which has been taken account of in the Council’s HNDA and will need to continue to be taken into account for the provision of housing for the next 25 years. This creates demand for more, smaller houses, flats and terraced properties, houses for the elderly and accessible housing.

Household Type 2012 2037 % change in Moray 2012-2037

1 adult 12,534 15,567 24%

1 adult with 1 or more children

1,833 2,988 63%

3 or more adults 3,323 2,337 -28%

2 or more adults with 1 or more children

8,576 6,710 -22%

Total 40,492 43,245 7%

Household by age of head of household

2012 2037 % change in Moray 2012-2037

16-29 3,766 3,451 -8%

30-44 9,246 9,168 1%

45-59 11,789 9,845 -16%

60-74 9,930 10,326 4%

75+ 5,762 10,455 81%

Total 40,492 43,245 7%

Tables 5 & 6: GROS 2014 Projected number of households by household type and by age of head of household

Page 6 of 33

The projections show that the number of large households is expected to fall, with households of 2 or more adults expected to fall by 22%. This is coupled with the number of one adult households projected to increase by 24% and households with 1 adult and more than one child to increase by 63%. Analysis of a breakdown of age categories by age of head of household shows that there will be a projected 81% increase in the number of households headed by the 75+ age group. The only other age group with a projected increase is households headed by 60-74 year olds which is projected to increase by 4%. The other age groups categories are projected to decline over the 25 year period with households being headed by 45-59 year olds projected to decline by 16%. This projected trend again highlights that over the 25 year period the demographics of Moray will become “top heavy”. The demographic data shows that while the population of Moray has continued to grow from 2008 to over 90,000. This current increase could be attributed to positive inward migration to the area, a higher birth rate than death rate, and increasing life expectancy. However long term projections have highlighted that Moray’s population growth could level out or in fact decline. The projections highlight that there will be a significant change in the demographics of Moray with a population that is ageing faster than the Scottish average. These projections trends will have implications for local service provision such as health care facilities for the elderly and also housing provision. The data shows that the ageing population will be combined with a trend towards smaller and older households. The changing demographics are likely to put new strains on housing supply and house type provision, such as need for more accessible housing, to meet these new needs and requirements. While the migration data shows a positive net gain, the largest group of out migrants was the 16-29 age group. This trend suggests that Moray is not managing to keep hold of school leavers and graduates and with an ageing population this trend poses a potential problem over the next 25 years.

Economic Development Scottish Planning Policy requires:

Promote business and industrial development that increases economic activity while safeguarding and enhancing the natural and built environments as national assets;

Allocate sites that meet the diverse needs of the different sectors and sizes of business which are important to the plan area in a way which is flexible enough to accommodate changing circumstances and allow the realisation of new opportunities; and

Give due weight to net economic benefit of proposed development. The Moray Structure Plan identified the following general industrial land to be provided through the MLP2008.

Page 7 of 33

Location Additional Land to be Brought Forward

(ha)

Land Requirement at any one time (ha)

Elgin Forres Buckie Keith Lossiemouth Rest of Moray

15 5-10 5 5 Up to 2 Up to 2

10 5-10 5 Up to 2 Up to 2 Up to 2

Table 7 Employment land was identified in each settlement in accordance with the provisions of policy ED1 Supply of Employment Land. Further allocations have been made in the Proposed Moray Local Development Plan to address the shortage of serviced employment ready for development to help promote the economic development of Moray. Specific issues highlighted in the Employment Land Audit 2015 are:

The supply of established employment land in Forres and Elgin has dropped since 2014 following the completion of Waterford and removal of Barmuckity from the established to constrained employment land supply, respectively.

For Buckie, Keith and Lossiemouth the established employment land supply has remained consistent with the 2014 audit figures.

In the ‘rest of Moray’ the marketable effective employment land supply has increased slightly due to windfall sites at Bluehill Craigellachie, Mosstodloch (change of use of agricultural field to industrial storage at land adjacent James Jones Sawmill) and Malcolmburn.

The Employment Land Audit 2015 identifies the established employment land supply by town as;

Town Gross Established Net Established Number of sites

Elgin 67.94 50.21 4

Forres 33.1 21.29 5

Buckie 29.63 23.74 5

Keith 5.65 4.89 4

Lossiemouth 10.04 7.49 4

Rest of Moray 11.57 9.46 10

Table 8 The audit further breaks the employment land supply down by town and against Structure Plan targets;

Town Marketable/ Effective (net figure in hectares)

Number of sites Structure Pan target in ha

Elgin 9.24 3 10

Forres 16.77 4 5-10

Buckie 15.11 4 5

Keith 3.05 3 Up to 2

Page 8 of 33

Town Marketable/ Effective (net figure in hectares)

Number of sites Structure Pan target in ha

Lossiemouth 7.32 3 Up to 2

Rest of Moray 4.8 5 Up to 2

Table 9 The situation in Forres will be resolved through the release of new employment land, with the final location of this likely to be determined upon receipt of the Examination Report. In Elgin discussions are ongoing to progress the release of the site at Barmuckity for general industrial use with a further employment land designation being progressed at site I8 Newfield through the emerging Findrassie Masterplan. There is a high demand for smaller employment sites and buildings with fewer businesses looking for larger spaces. The difficulty in borrowing has been cited in the Moray Employment Land Audit 2015 as a reason why there has been perhaps more demand for existing vacant buildings rather than new build projects. There has been some development on existing industrial estates for ancillary uses, most notably premises selling food. An application to change the use of an industrial unit to retail at Edgar Road, Elgin is currently pending. Business Parks Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) has been actively promoting Forres Enterprise Park and as a result a number of new businesses have located there. A masterplan for the development of the site has been approved. Development at Riverview, Elgin has been inhibited due to potential development costs and transport improvements to the existing road network. As a result, Elgin has a significant shortage of employment land available which will inhibit the economic growth of Moray’s primary settlement. A business park site is available at High Street in Buckie which could be complementary to efforts to promote Buckie Harbour as an operations and maintenance base to service the offshore turbines in the Moray Firth. Opportunity Sites The development of opportunity sites remains relatively static. The majority of those sites that are developed tend to be for residential use, such as the Auction Mart opportunity site at Dufftown (OPP1) which is currently being developed for affordable housing and part of the Wards Road opportunity site (OPP3) in Elgin is being developed for private housing. Development of opportunity sites for business use tends to be low. The former health centre site in Forres has been purchased by the Council and will be developed for affordable housing. Rural Business Proposals A number of distilleries have received consent for additional premises. These include new warehousing at Malcolmburn, Mulben, a new processing plant and bioplant at Glenlivet distillery, a new distillery and visitor centre at Macallan distillery, Aberlour, a new distillery complex at Carron and a biomass plant at Macallan.

Page 9 of 33

A micro-brewery at Malcolmburn received consent in 2014. This has still to be constructed. In terms of commercial development, Brodie Countryfare has extended their business to enlarge their shop and restaurant. Tourism Facilities and Accommodation There have been very few applications for tourism facilities and accommodation. Chalet/caravan development has generally been limited to 1 or 2 units. A proposal for 24 wigwam holiday camping pods at Tomintoul is currently being dealt with by the Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA). A proposal for a campsite at Inchberry and beach huts at Findhorn. Development at Gordon Castle for a shop and café has been completed. Emerging Issues

Shortage of serviced employment land in Moray, specifically Elgin and Forres which are being addressed through the emerging Local Development Plan. This is a critical issue and must be addressed;

Lack of choice and variety of sites for business development across Moray – within some settlements only single sites are available; and,

Lack of high quality business land other than the Enterprise Park, Forres;

Housing Housing Strategy/ Affordable Housing Scottish Planning Policy requires LDP to:

Identify a generous supply of land for each housing market area to support the achievement of the housing requirement across all tenures, maintaining at least a 5 year supply of effective housing at all times;

Have a sharp focus on the delivery of allocated sites embedded in action programmes, informed by strong engagement with stakeholders

Provide a minimum of 5 years effective land supply at all times. Beyond year 10 and up to year 20, the local development plan should provide an indication of the scale and location of the housing land supply.

Provide affordable housing required at no more than 25% of the total number of houses. Consider the need for specialist provision that covers accessible and adapted housing.

Identify suitable sites for Gypsy/Travellers if there is an identified need.

Support development that is designed to a high quality, which demonstrates the six qualities of successful places.

Housing strategy The positive approach to the supply of land for housing has continued to ensure that a generous supply is available. During the period of the MLP2008, the triggers for release of LONG term sites have been used twice to ensure that a 5 year effective supply has been retained. The use of the LONG term policy and allocation has been recognised by housebuilders and landowners and is the subject of a submission to the Scottish Quality in Planning awards 2015.

Page 10 of 33

Annual completions have increased from a low of 192 in 2009 to 431 in 2010, 418 in 2011, 342 in 2012, 315 in 2013 and 309 in 2014. The Structure Plan projected an annual housing land requirement of 380 units per annum, which equates to 2280 units for the 6 year period 2008 to 2014. For comparison, housing completions within that period totalled 2007. The changing nature of the market with smaller houses reflects the changing demographics of Moray and this has resulted in the indicative capacity of sites being breached. This is not considered to be a significant problem, as long as the layout and design of the proposals meet the terms of the relevant Local Plan policies. This issue has been reflected in the text of the new LDP.

Primary Centre Elgin

Secondary Centres Forres, Buckie, Keith, Lossiemouth

Third tier Aberlour, Alves, Archiestown, Burghead, Craigellachie, Cummingston, Cullen, Dallas, Dufftown, Duffus, Dyke, Findhorn, Findochty, Fochabers, Garmouth, Hopeman, Kingston, Kinloss, Lhanbryde, Mosstodloch, Newmill, Portgordon, Portknockie, Rafford, Rothes, Rothiemay, Tomintoul, Urquhart.

Rural Groupings All 78 Rural Groupings

Housing in the Countryside

All completions for houses in the countryside

Table 10 Projected housing completions are used for a variety of uses, including school roll projections and traffic modelling. While they are largely dependent upon accurate information from housebuilders, these have become more accurate over the period of the Structure Plan. Affordable housing In terms of Council built affordable housing, there were 48 completions in 2010/11, 22 in 2011/12, 132 in 2012/13, 32 in 2013/14 and 75 in 2014/15. These have been supplemented by completions by Grampian Housing Association and Langstane Housing Association of 12 in 2009/10, 217 in 201/11, 121 in 2011/12 and 40 in 2012/13. The Housing Need and Demand Assessment identifies the need for 424 affordable houses to be built each year for the period. The new Local Development Plan includes supplementary guidance on Affordable Housing and Accessible Housing and planning officers are working closely with housing strategy officers to deliver affordable housing. The Council has approved supplementary guidance to identify criteria to assess proposals for Gypsy Traveller sites and this has been included as a policy in the emerging Local Development Plan. SPP requires sites to be identified to meet this need and further discussion is required with the Head of Housing and Property.

Page 11 of 33

Placemaking In terms of design and placemaking, the Council’s Urban Design Guidance and the Scottish Government publications Designing Streets and Creating Places, supported by training for officers and elected members, provides a basis for encouraging better placemaking in new developments. The emerging Local Development Plan includes a Primary Policy on Placemaking to reinforce this national priority. Internal working practices are being reviewed and adapted to ensure a consistent application of these requirements and Council officers are working proactively with developers and landowners to progress Masterplans on a number of large sites including Findrassie, Elgin; Dallas Dhu, Forres and Elgin South LONG. The Development Plans team has engaged proactively with local house builders and are working collaboratively to improve standards of design and recognise the wider benefits of “Placemaking” in terms of sustainable travel, walkable neighbourhoods and healthy living, all of which support Moray 2023. To assist with implementation of Designing Streets and Creating Places, the Development Plans team are introducing Quality Auditing to ensure consistent application of design principles across development proposals. Main Issues Emerging

Good effective supply of housing land available and affordable housing policy delivering affordable homes. Policy H2 and the triggers for releasing LONG sites has ensured an effective supply of land has been maintained.

Forres and Elgin continue to be the main centres of growth. Opportunities in Lossiemouth are restricted with slower growth in Buckie and Keith.

Further work required to establish the effectiveness of sites in Speyside and if necessary, to consider alternative options.

The emerging Local Development Plan and programme of masterplans and development briefs support raising the standards of urban design.

Meeting the need for affordable housing remains a significant challenge. The new policy on Affordable Housing has lowered the threshold and a new policy on Accessible Housing is being introduced.

Housing in the Countryside and Rural Groupings Scottish Planning Policy requires:

Local development plans to promote a pattern of development that is appropriate to the character of an area and tailored to local communities.

In pressurised areas easily accessible from Scotland’s cities and towns, where ongoing development pressures are likely to continue, it is important to protect against an unsustainable growth in car based commuting and suburbanisation of the countryside.

Makes provision for housing in rural areas in accordance with the spatial strategy, taking account of the different needs of local communities

Re-use and Replacement of Existing Buildings in the Countryside The intention of Policy H7 is to retain local vernacular buildings and buildings of architectural merit to maintain the character and appearance of the countryside. The policy allows a limited number of new build units where the proposed house(s) sit on at least part of the footprint of the previous building. Where the footprint of the

Page 12 of 33

previous building has been significant, then the interpretation of this policy, has allowed a significant number of new build units on one site, in some cases. The intent of the policy is eroded by the ability to build on the site of previous building where only the plan form is complete (level 2). This means that a vernacular building can be demolished before planning permission is sought and replaced with a new build. Also, if only the plan form is complete then there is technically no vernacular building to re-use or rehabilitate. The policy allows relatively large groups of housing in the countryside with no added benefit of retaining local vernacular buildings. Officers have attended training on rural design to assist with negotiations and bring consistency to determination of rural housing proposals. Emerging Issues

Level 2 (Plan Form Complete) is too low to allow housing in the countryside as this does not necessarily help to retain local vernacular buildings.

The ability to site part of the proposed house on part of the footprint of the previous building can potentially allow a significant number of new houses to be built in the countryside where only one or two rural buildings previously existed.

The interpretation of ‘limited’ number of new build units is being ambiguously applied.

The design of many new houses is suburban rather than rural in character. New Housing in the Open Countryside There have been a significant number of applications for one or two dwellings in the open countryside approved since the adoption of the MLP in December 2008. These have outnumbered the number of applications for new houses permitted within existing rural groupings. This is at odds with the MLP2008 settlement hierarchy. It is apparent that some areas of the countryside, particularly around the larger settlements of Elgin, Forres, Buckie and Keith, are popular for single houses in the countryside. These ‘hotspots’ are becoming saturated with development eroding their rural character. The ‘hotspots’ or ‘pressurised areas’ identified in the emerging Moray Local Development Plan (LDP) are Mosstowie, Birnie, Wardend, Stoneyton, The Grange, Craigellachie, Rafford, Dunphail and Mains of Craigmill. For example, over the period 2008-2013, there were 57 houses approved in Birnie/Wardend. This total number is more than the indicative capacities of some designated sites in the towns and villages of Moray, some of which have seen no development. The majority of housing in the countryside is not designed to reflect its rural environment. Attention needs to be paid to the detail of doors, windows, materials, and boundaries. Many houses have suburban characteristics and landscaping. Rural design training has been undertaken to provide confidence in dealing with this issue and to raise the standards of rural design. The loss of woodland to form plots for new houses in the countryside is a serious concern and the Forestry Commission carried out a monitoring exercise during February to April 2014, which estimated an annual loss in the region of 61 hectares

Page 13 of 33

of woodland, which represents 25% of the new woodland created in Moray in 2013. The Scottish Government policy on the Control of Woodland Removal requires that woodland removal should only be allowed where it would achieve significant and clearly defined public benefits. In appropriate cases a proposal for compensatory planting may form part of this balance. Emerging Issues

Settlement hierarchy for housing in rural areas is not working, with completions for housing in the countryside exceeding completions in third tier settlements;

Need to control development in pressurised rural areas;

Development not reflective of traditional pattern of settlement;

Development in woodlands is not compliant with the Forestry Commission’s policy on Woodland Removal and is not reflective of Moray’s rural character. This has been addressed with a new policy and procedure in the emerging MLDP15.

Need to raise standards of design and siting in rural areas. Rural Groupings The Rural Groupings are not operating as intended within the spatial hierarchy. Instead of development being directed to existing identified groupings there is a prevalence of housing in the open countryside. The number of consents for housing in the countryside far outweighs those in groupings. This has led to areas of Moray witnessing the cumulative built up of houses with identifiable hot spots in close proximity to Elgin, Forres and Buckie. This build up is of housing is adversely impacting on the character and appearance of the countryside. In order to try and address this, the role and function of these groupings needs to be revisited and its relationship with housing in the countryside set out. Main Emerging Issues

A review of all existing rural groupings and identification additional groupings to promote sensitive development in the countryside.

This review should be complementary to future housing in the countryside policies and on this basis work needs to begin on what approach should be taken.

The increasingly popular pattern of development within the corner of fields which is often not reflective of the traditional pattern of settlement in the locality. This is advocated by the criteria for 50% site boundaries which was rolled out across the whole of Moray in the MLP 2008. Previously development in the more pressurised north-west required 75% site boundaries.

Retail and Commercial Development Scottish Planning Policy requires Local Development Plans to:

Apply a town centre first policy when planning for uses which attract significant numbers of people, including retail and commercial leisure, offices, community, and cultural activities. A sequential town centre first approach should consider locations in following order of preference town centre, edge of town centre, other identified commercial centre and out of centre locations that can be made easily accessible by choice of transport modes.

Page 14 of 33

Encourage a mix of uses in town centres to support their vibrancy, vitality and viability throughout the day and into the evening, including considering opportunities for residential uses in town centres.

Identify a network of centres and explain how these can complement each other. Plans should identify town centres and commercial centres.

Prepare town centre health checks to assess town centre strengths, vitality and viability, weaknesses and resilience. These should be used to inform plans and policies and to develop a strategy to deliver town centre improvements.

Include policies to support an appropriate mix of uses in town centres i.e. avoid clustering of uses.

The National Review of Town Centres and the Scottish Government’s response to this within the Town Centre Action Plan has placed much greater emphasis on promoting and supporting town centres. This includes applying a town centre first policy for uses that attract significant numbers. Scottish Planning Policy (paragraph 68) states development plans should adopt a sequential town centre first approach when planning for uses which generate significant footfall. This goes beyond the previous SPP which applied the sequential approach to retail and commercial leisure proposals only. The sequential approach now includes offices, and community and cultural facilities. The Moray Local Plan 2008 Policy R3 only requires the sequential assessment to be applied to proposals over 1,000sqm, however Proposed Plan Policy R2 will apply to retail and other uses generating significant footfall such as leisure or public buildings, however it does not specifically reference office development. The Moray Local Plan 2008 Policy R3 only requires a retail assessment for proposals over 1,000sqm. Scottish Planning Policy paragraph 71 refers to a threshold of 2,500sqm where a retail impact analysis should be undertaken. This threshold is considered large in a Moray context particularly when for example the Matalan unit at Elgin Retail Park is less than 2,500sqm. However, SPP goes onto state that for smaller retail and leisure proposals which may have a significant impact on vitality and viability, planning authorities should advise when a retail impact analysis is necessary. The emerging MLDP2015 Policy R2 Out of Centre Development of Retail, Commercial and Leisure Proposals requires all proposals (retail and other uses generating significant footfall) to demonstrate that there is no unacceptable individual or cumulative impact on the vitality and viability, with this being demonstrated where appropriate by a Retail Impact Assessment. Further guidance may require to be produced to provide guidance on when a full Retail Impact Assessment or a Retail Statement may be necessary. The Moray Local Plan 2008 and emerging MLDP2015 policies do not make specific reference to clustering of non-retail uses, such as betting offices and pay day lenders. This issue is discussed within SPP and states plans should include policies to support an appropriate mix of uses in town centres. Whilst emerging MLDP2015 R1 Town Centre Development promotes a mix of uses within the town centre there is no specific hook regarding clustering other than requiring proposals to be appropriate to the role, scale and function of the centre. This will require to be updated in future plans.

Page 15 of 33

There have been limited applications relating to new retail development in Moray. The majority of applications relate to change of use, refitting existing units, outdoor seating and advertising. Larger applications have included extension to Brodie Countryfare (13/00289/APP) and a bakery and takeaway at a former petrol station at Tyock Industrial Estate in Elgin, both of which were considered against policy R4 and are now operating. An application for change of use at the Bonnie Earl pub in Elgin to a shop (Tesco Express) was refused due to the lack of adequate parking and suitable servicing. A subsequent appeal was dismissed. An application for a Sainsbury’s store on the mart site at Edgar Road, Elgin was withdrawn prior to determination. Consent has recently been granted in Fochabers for a new retail store on the site of a former garage and there is a current pending application for a retail store in Lhanbryde (change of use from hotel). Moray Council undertake Town Centre Health Checks every two years, the most recent in 2014. The 2014 findings have shown that Elgin, Buckie and Lossiemouth have weaker signs of vitality and viability compared to 2012. This has been seen through an increase in shop vacancies and a drop in pedestrian footfall. Findings in Edgar Road, Forres and Keith are more encouraging with improved signs of vitality and viability recorded. The smaller settlements of Aberlour, Dufftown and Fochabers have encouraging results with very low levels of vacancies. Rothes has also been relatively stable with the same number of vacancies recorded as 2012. There are various initiatives and projects that are working to improve town centres in Moray:

The Moray Towns Partnership is working to enhance the economic prosperity and vitality and viability of Buckie, Forres, Keith and Lossiemouth.

Elgin Bid has also been successful in its renewal ballot providing a remit to 2020.

Conservation Area Regeneration Schemes operate in Keith and Elgin and are helping to repair and restore traditional buildings.

Business in the Community’s Healthy High Street Initiative is providing support to Elgin High Street.

The Moray Council are developing a planning protocol for town centres.

Central Elgin Public Design Charrette was held in March 2015 and was part funded by the Scottish Government. The outcomes will include a vision, development framework and action plan to help develop priorities.

Transportation Scottish Planning Policy requires Local Development Plans to:

Take account of the implications of development proposals on traffic, patterns of travel and road safety.

Identify any required new transport infrastructure or public transport services.

Site significant travel generating uses at locations which are well served by public transport.

Ensure the design of all new development follows the placemaking approach set out in SPP and the principles of Designing Streets, to ensure the creation of places which are distinctive, welcoming, adaptable, resource efficient, safe and pleasant and easy to move around and beyond.

Page 16 of 33

Designing Streets has been Scottish Government policy since 2010. This document marked a significant change in the way streets and development layouts are planned. This places emphasis on place-making and away from a system that focused on dominance of motor vehicles. Designing Streets is already a material consideration in the determination of planning applications. Proposed Plan Policy T2 Provision of Access and Primary Policy PP3 Placemaking reflect the emphasis on placemaking with Designing Streets and will be key policies in the determination of future planning applications. These two policies support the creation of sustainable communities accessible by a range of transport modes, with pedestrian, cycle and public transport given priority. It also promotes greater permeability through development and connectivity to existing routes for all modes of transport. Moray Local Plan 2008 identifies Transportation Improvements TSP in Elgin and this has been expanded in the emerging MLDP2015 to include the secondary Centres of Buckie, Forres, Keith and Lossiemouth. This provides greater certainty to developers and communities of the likely roads infrastructure requirements to accommodate new development. Progress is being made on various transport infrastructure improvement projects. Including:

Transport Scotland has started preliminary development work and SEA work is underway in respect of dualling the A96. This project is due for delivery by 2030.

A rail improvement project for the Aberdeen to Inverness route is being progressed in phases. A package of improvements to be delivered by 2019 include platform extension and signal enhancements at Elgin, relocation of Forres station and a loop extension of the track at Forres. This phase also includes a rail station at Dalcross near Inverness airport.

A draft masterplan is being prepared for Buckie Harbour. Refurbishment of the old net store to six new industrial units will provide support for harbour related activities.

A commitment is made in NPF3 that the A95 will accommodate the needs of the growing whisky industry. However, no specific improvement projects are identified. Hi-trans have contributed to the Moray Economic Partnership for a study to determine the economic and operational benefits of improving part of the A95 and to identify the work required to gain maximum benefits from relatively low cost improvements.

Policy T1: Transport Infrastructure Improvements has been updated within the emerging MLDP2015 to reflect completed projects (e.g. Fochabers bypass) and current national, regional and local priorities. Active Travel Audits have been completed for Elgin, Forres, Buckie and Keith and these identify various interventions that would improve active travel. Policy T2 Provision of Access requires developer s to give consideration to these when preparing their proposals. A planning application for the Western Link Road in Elgin was refused in 2014, however the Council has committed to submitting a new application which addresses the reasons for refusal.

Page 17 of 33

Key issues emerging

Major infrastructure projects will be progressed during the period of the emerging MLDP2015.

Proposed Plan Policy T2 Provision of Access and Primary Policy PP3 Placemaking reflect the emphasis on placemaking with Designing Streets and will be key policies in development management.

Environmental Policies Scottish Planning Policy requires Local Development Plans to:

Promote developments that minimise the unnecessary use of primary materials and promote efficient use of secondary materials

Support achievement of Scotland’s zero waste targets; recycling 70% of household waste and sending no more than 5% of Scotland’s annual waste arisings to landfill by 2025

Conserve and enhance protected sites and species, maintain healthy ecosystems, promote protection and improvement of the water environment, protect and enhance semi natural woodland, other native and long established woodland, hedgerows and trees of high nature conservation/ conservation value and seek benefits from biodiversity.

Identify and protect open space identified in the open space audit and strategy as valued and functional or capable of being brought into use to meet local needs.

Safeguard existing and potential allotment sites to ensure local authorities meet their statutory duty to provide allotments.

Use strategic flood risk to inform choices about the location of development and policies for flood risk management.

Seek the conservation and enhancement of internationally, nationally and locally important habitats and species. The protection and improvement of the water environment is as an identified priority. Plans should also ensure the protection of existing green spaces, soils, trees and woodlands. There is a requirement to seek biodiversity benefits from new developments and support opportunities for enjoying and learning about the natural environment.

The environmental policies as a whole are working well and have required only minor amendment in the emerging MLDP2015 to reflect current regulations and guidance. There are a number of emerging policy areas that have been taken into account when preparing the Moray Local Development Plan including policies to cover Protected Species and compensatory planting. Climate Change Addressing climate change is an overarching objective that requires to be embedded across all the policy areas. The emerging Local Development Plan introduces a primary policy on climate change as one of the key foundations of the plan. This is to ensure that climate change adaptation and mitigation are taken into account of in new development and is evidenced in the form of a sustainability statement. Protected Species The 2008 plan has minimal policy coverage in respect of protected species and this has been addressed within the emerging MLDP2015 with a new policy on this issue.

Page 18 of 33

Open Spaces The current policy is focused upon protecting identified green spaces from inappropriate development and permanent loss. On this basis it is not assisting in the provision of or delivery of open space in new developments. Addressing the provision of effective open space has been identified as a key element in the delivery of quality places. A number of open spaces have been “lost” to development, reinforcing the need for an Open Space Strategy to be completed. This is identified within the Planning and Development section work programme for 2016. The emerging MLDP2015 sets out standards for the provision of green spaces in new development based on the number of units proposed. The qualities these green spaces are expected to meet are also set out. Furthermore, to encourage allotments the policy also promotes allotment provision on identified open spaces providing they do not adversely affect the primary function of the space or undermine their amenity value. Renewable Energy/ Infrastructure Scottish Planning Policy requires to:

Ensure an area’s full potential for electricity and heat from renewable sources is achieved, giving due regard to relevant environmental, community and cumulative impact considerations.

Support national priorities for the construction or improvement of strategic energy infrastructure, including generation, storage, transmission and distribution networks.

Following adoption of the Moray Local Plan 2008, the Council received a significant volume of wind turbine applications predominantly small and medium scale turbines of 20-50 metres to blade tip. The Council approved the Moray Wind Turbine Landscape Capacity Study in 2012 as a material consideration and the Capacity Study influenced the Moray Onshore Wind Energy Policy Guidance approved in 2013. Scottish Planning Policy has changed the position in terms of how landscape capacity studies are to be used in preparing spatial frameworks and the Examination of the Proposed Moray Local Development Plan has highlighted the need for further policy interpretation maps to support the very strategic nature of the spatial framework required by Scottish Planning Policy. The maps on the following pages show the Areas of Search identified in the 2013 supplementary guidance and the wind turbine proposals for each typology based on height. Pressure for wind turbine development has reduced significantly with 26 submitted since March 2013 (see Appendix 1).

Page 19 of 33

Page 20 of 33

Page 21 of 33

Page 22 of 33

Since adoption of the Local Plan in 2008 there have been three large scale biomass proposals consented in Moray, all related to indigenous industries. Within the current plan there is no specific biomass policy. This is a technology that is being actively pursued by the whisky industry in particular given the energy intensive nature of their operations. On this basis, criteria for the assessment of biomass proposals merited inclusion within the emerging Local Development Plan. There are a number of solar proposals emerging in various locations within Moray. Low and Zero Carbon Technologies The requirement for the installation of low and zero generating technologies is a technical policy and has a significant amount of overlap with the Building Standards Regulations. The current policy is no longer being applied as the Building Standards exceeded the requirements set out in the 2008 Plan and effectively made the policy redundant. A revised policy seeking low and zero generating technologies in all new developments was prepared for the emerging MLDP2015. As Scottish Planning Policy no longer references this requirement, the deletion of this policy from the emerging MLDP2015 was recommended and accepted by the Reporter. Development in Woodlands Moray’s woodlands are an important economic, recreational and ecological resource that should be protected from inappropriate development. The current policy needs to be strengthened and to directly reference the Trees and Development Supplementary Guidance. Statistics are included within the section on housing in the countryside to support concern from the Forestry Commission Scotland about the loss of woodlands in Moray. Government guidance in the Control of Woodland Removal policy states that removal should only be permitted where it would achieve significant and clearly defined additional public benefits. The policy also seeks the provision of compensatory planting where woodland is removed in association with a development. The emerging MLDP2015 reflects all of the above provisions. The Council is currently working on a process for the delivery of compensatory planting with the Woodland Trust Scotland. Minerals Moray has a number of active quarries predominantly for construction aggregates and a smaller number for dressed stone. Guidance within Scottish Planning Policy sets out a different approach to minerals than that set out within the Moray Local Plan 2008. There is an emphasis on the role of the minerals industry in relation to economic development in terms of job creation and facilitating the construction industry. There is a move away from a tiered system for identifying appropriate minerals sites that avoid environmentally sensitive areas, to an approach that safeguards existing mineral reserves and protects them from sterilisation. In order to adopt this approach, a comprehensive review of minerals consents to demonstrate that Moray has a 15 year landbank of permitted reserves was required. An audit has been undertaken in the preparation of the emerging MLDP2015 and

Page 23 of 33

concluded that there are sufficient mineral reserves. In addition to this all operational quarries across Moray have been identified with the emerging plan. Soil Resources Carbon rich soils is an emerging policy area not currently recognised within the Local Plan 2008. It relates primarily to minimising the disturbance to peat and other rich soils to minimise the release of carbon dioxide emissions. The emerging Local Development Plan has a soils policy focusing on major developments, mineral consents and large scale windfarms to ensure this is taken account of. Main Emerging Issues

Effective implementation of new policy areas such as carbon rich soils, minerals, open space and climate change.

Implementation of process for compensatory planting in consultation with Forestry Commission Scotland and Woodland Trust.

Preparation of guidance on Sustainable Construction Techniques, Open Space Strategy and Flooding and Surface Water Management.

Preparation of a minerals audit and monitoring of minerals data thereafter.

Need to review Moray Onshore Wind Energy Supplementary Guidance to reflect the Scottish Planning Policy 2014.

Historic Environment Scottish Planning Policy requires Local Development Plans to:

Promote the care and protection of the designated and non designated historic environment

Enable positive change in the historic environment which is informed by a clear understanding of the importance of the heritage assets affected and ensure their future use.

Provide a framework for protecting and, where appropriate, enhance all elements of the historic environment. Existing conservation areas should be reviewed and should be supported by Conservation Area Character Appraisals and Management Plans.

The Scottish Historic Environment Policy (SHEP) was published in 2011 by Historic Scotland and sets out the Scottish Government’s policies and framework for the management of Scotland’s built heritage. A series of guidance notes (Managing Change in the Historic Environment) explains how the policies within SHEP should be applied and should be used in conjunction with the Local Development Plan. The Council is currently undertaking a review of Moray’s existing conservation areas and will be producing up to date Conservation Area Character Appraisals. Character appraisals aim to investigate and define what is important about the character and appearance of each conservation area, with the aim of becoming Supplementary Guidance. They can then act as a tool in the active management of conservation areas so that they are protected and enhanced for the benefit of future generations to come. An up to date appraisal is also a requirement when applying for any future funding programmes such as Conservation Area Regeneration Schemes (CARS). Key issues have been identified as posing a threat to the character of Moray’s conservation areas, these are:

Page 24 of 33

The deterioration of historical fabric through decay and lack of maintenance and;

The use of inappropriate modern materials and loss of original architectural details

This is of particular relevance in relation to the replacement of windows, doors and rainwater goods. There are a number of examples throughout all of Moray’s conservation areas where original windows have been replaced in favour of modern replacements with non traditional finishes. Original windows add intrinsic architectural value to individual buildings and the overall Conservation Area. Modern replacements do not have the same proportions, opening methods, or finish of traditional timber windows and have a detrimental effect on the appearance and historic authenticity of the building. The cumulative build up of these small changes can lead to the potential dilution of the special character of a conservation area. Small changes may only affect one building, but many over time can be detrimental to the character of a whole area and is one of the biggest threats facing Moray’s conservation areas. A potential need for improved community engagement has also been identified for homeowners within Conservation Areas. Improving engagement will be a focus of the Conservation Area review process, with the aim of giving homeowners a greater understanding of why their area has been designated and what this means for them. As well as an ongoing review of Moray’s Conservation Areas, a need has been identified for potential Supplementary Guidance for the Historic Environment. This would work in conjunction with individual character appraisals, and provide further detail and requirements than the current policies in the MLP2008 of what kind of development is acceptable on listed buildings and buildings within conservation areas. Conservation Area Regeneration Schemes (CARS) have been established in Keith (2011) and Elgin (2013), and each will run for a period of 5 years. In 2014 the Elgin CARS contributed £145 834 towards the £347 654 that was invested in fabric repairs grants for that year. This included work on key buildings within Elgin such as a chimney reconstruction and window restoration on the Category B listed Ex Servicemen’s Club, replacement of eroded stonework to McCall’s of Elgin on South Street, and the restoration of the decorative wooden cornice and original windows at 1 Academy Street. In Keith, 5 grant awards have been given out to building repair projects in the Keith Mid –Street conservation area totalling over £200 000. A number of buildings at risk have been successfully conserved or have had consent granted to bring them back into use. Greig’s building consists of 8 properties in Keith, situated on a prominent location on Reidhaven Square. These buildings were identified as a key priority for the Keith CARS scheme and consent was granted in March 2015 for a mixed use development. In Cullen, 16 North Castle Street is a B Listed building that was in poor condition but has been brought back into use with a contemporary rear extension and new roof. Also in Cullen, 1-3 North Street is a C- Listed building in a prominent location within the conservation area and has had consent to bring the previous two semi-detached properties into one residential dwelling with repairs to the facade. Blairs Home Farm complex is located within the

Page 25 of 33

grounds of Altyre House, South of Forres. The steading buildings are Category A listed Italiante style buildings. A 2013 consent has been approved for the buildings to be utilised as a creative learning/art space and offices, ensuring that these nationally important buildings will be brought back into use. In Lossiemouth, the Category A-Listed Covesea Skerries Lighthouse Steading was granted consent to save the building and bring it back into use enabling the steading to become incorporated into wider project in creating a visitor attraction celebrating the location of the RAF in Moray since the 1930’s and the Covesea Skerries Lighthouse. Key Issues Emerging

Need to address issues threatening the character of the conservation areas in Moray

Implementation National policy and guidance promotes the concept of sustainable development. The implementation policies within the MLP2008 seek to promote economic and social development whilst safeguarding the environment. Policy IMP1 Development Requirements is a holistic policy that ensures that development is suitable to it built and natural environment. This policy is used consistently in the majority of planning applications. Policy IMP2 Development Impact Assessments seeks to ensure that appropriate assessments are undertaken so that the impact of development can be quantified and appropriate mitigation measures put in place. Development Impact Assessments are undertaken when required as advised by the relevant Council Service Department or key agency. Policy IMP3 Developer Contributions seeks to ensure that developers contribute to infrastructure and facilities that are impacted upon by their development to negate any adverse impact on existing residents. Draft supplementary guidance on developer obligations (formerly known as developer contributions) has been published for a 12 week consultation period (3 April to 29 June 2015) following approval by the Planning & Regulatory Services Committee on 24 March 2015. Comments received and responses to these will be reported back to the Planning & Regulatory Services Committee along with the finalised Supplementary Guidance for approval later this year. Policy IMP4 Implementation Development Plan Monitoring is currently being undertaken. It is the intention to prepare an annual monitoring report which will include the Action Programme. Emerging Issues

Need for a coherent approach to developer obligations to ensure consistency and robustness in application. This has been addressed through the draft supplementary guidance which was made available for consultation in April 2015.

Page 26 of 33

Elgin Local Housing Market Area Elgin In Elgin the majority of development has been in the south. Site R2 Waulkmill, and site R3 Linkwood East are now largely complete. Site R9 Birnie Road and site R10 Glassgreen are under construction with around 58% units still to be completed. Site R4 Thornhill has seen an increased pace of development with over 40 houses completed in both 2013 and 2014 compared to around 30 in previous years. Around 60% of the consented units have now been developed. There was no development in 2014 on site R7 Spynie Hospital North however, development on the site has recommenced and completions are anticipated in 2015. Development at Dunkinty is now over half complete. Development of housing for older people on CF4 Thornhill Road is under construction. The opportunity site OPP3 Wards Road now has consent for residential development and the site has been cleared. The main focus for development of employment uses in Elgin is at I2 Chanonry Industrial Estate where the Moray Council has developed smaller units for let and depot is currently under construction for SSE. There is a limited supply of unconstrained land in Elgin and immediately available serviced land is limited to I2 Chanonry and I6 Linkwood East. The Employment Land Audit identifies 9.24 hectares of marketable/effective land over 3 sites in Elgin of which 3.14 hectares is immediately available land. Expansion of warehouse storage at I10 Glen Moray Distillery is currently under construction. Development at Barmuckity (BP1) has not progressed. Consent was granted in 2013 for a retail extension to the St Giles Centre but development of this has not commenced. Applications within the town centre have largely related to change of use, refitting units and advertisement. Town Centre Health Checks in 2014 have shown an increase in vacancies in Elgin town centre from 9.8% in 2012 to 15.3% in 2014. Consent has been granted for a replacement Elgin High School including 3G sports pitch. Development of this is due to commence in summer 2015. There has been no site identified for new cemetery provision and work continues to find a suitable site. A planning application for the Western Link Road was refused, however the Council has committed to submitting a new application which addresses the reasons for refusal. The Elgin Flood Alleviation Scheme is under construction and due to be completed in 2015. Burghead There has been no development on R1North Quay or R4 West Shore. Site R5 Redcraig Hotel (north) is now largely complete, and the neighbouring R2 site Redcraig Hotel (south) is around 85% complete. Site R3 St Aethans Road is complete.

Page 27 of 33

Cummingston There have been no planning applications on site R1 Filling Station. No development of site R2 Seaview Road despite consent being granted in 2013. Fochabers A detailed application was submitted in February 2015 for its development for site R1 to the west of Ordiquish Road. Land to north of Christies Garden Centre is currently under construction having achieved consent for 16 units under two separate applications. Consent has been granted on site OPP1 High Street in 2015 for four flats and a ground floor retail unit. Garmouth Land at Connagedale Farm has consent for development of 8 units and work has started on clearing and servicing the site. Lhanbryde Site R1 West of St Andrews Road has not been subject to any planning applications. Lossiemouth Site R4 Inchbroom is under construction with around 36% of the 60 units consented complete. Two houses on site R3 Stotfield Road have been completed. The former cold store on Shore Street (part of I2) is currently under construction and has consent for 14 houses. The R1 site at Sunbank is currently the subject of a planning application. I1 Kinnedar Industrial Estate is largely occupied with a small area of 0.22 being available for development. No proposals have come forward on site BP1, I3 and RET at the former Sunbank quarry. The Moray Town Centre Health Check 2014 showed an increase in shop vacancies compared to 2012. Mosstodloch Site R1 Stynie Road has planning consent but development has not commenced. Consent was granted on land to the north of Speymouth Hall and to the east of James Jones and Sons for industrial storage in November 2013. This was an unallocated site out with the settlement boundaries and the consent is yet to be implemented. Duffus, Hopeman, Kingston, Urquhart There are no development allocations at Duffus, Hopeman, and Kingston and there have been no significant planning consents granted. In Urquhart OPP1 which was a gap site for one dwelling house has been complete. The Proposed Plan looks to bring forward part of the LONG site identified to the west of Meft Road.

Forres Local Housing Market Area Forres In Forres development has progressed at sites along the Grantown Road with works ongoing at Knockomie North and Ferrylea. Consent has been granted at Lochyhill

Page 28 of 33

and Burdshaugh, with development expected to start in 2016. The sites at Mannachy and Dallas Dhu will form part of the masterplan being prepared by Altyre Estate. In terms of employment land, considerable development has taken place at Forres Enterprise Park. Site I7 was identified to meet the need for general industrial development but has not progressed. The Employment Land Audit identifies that there continues to be a significant shortfall in readily available land. The new Forres Health Centre has been completed on site OPP2 and the previous building has been acquired by the Council for new affordable housing. Planning consent was granted at Bogton Road for a retail development which involves relocation of the football stadium. The Findhorn (check name) Flood Alleviation Scheme has progressed and was completed in late 2014, which will remove the constraint from the proposed development at the Rifle Range site. Alves, Dallas, Dyke, Findhorn, Kinloss, Rafford No development has taken place within the designated sites in Rafford or Dallas, although there has been considerable development of new housing in the countryside around Rafford. Site R1 in Dyke has been marketed for several years and an application for PPP for 12 houses was withdrawn. Two consents on the outskirts for farm steading conversions have not been progressed and an application for 6 houses on the former nursery site has been submitted. In Findhorn, site R1 Heathneuk was granted planning consent for 5 houses. In Alves, the site at Carsewell has been completed and in Kinloss, no development has taken place on site R1, R3 or R4. Site R1 Rafford has not been developed, although the landowner remains committed to its development. The cumulative build up of houses in the countryside around Rafford is a growing concern. Main Issues Emerging

There is a lack of effective employment land in Forres, which may be addressed through new designations in the emerging Local Development Plan.

Uptake at the Enterprise Park, Forres is steady.

Housing development over the next 10-15 years will be concentrated at Lochyhill and Dallas Dhu

No progress has been made at Knockomie South.

Housing in the Countryside hotspots are emerging around Rafford.

Buckie Local Housing Market Area Buckie Development within Buckie has been focused in the Barhill Road area in Buckpool. 138 affordable housing units have been built at Barhill Road West with 37 remaining to be constructed over the next 2 years. Immediately opposite at Barhill Road East, 80 houses have built over the past 5 plus years and there are 69 remaining which are also expected to be completed within the next few years. The emerging Local

Page 29 of 33

Development Plan identifies an additional site for 105 houses at Barhill Road South and the Council has been working with the developer on preliminary design work. Work has been ongoing to promote the diversification of Buckie Harbour, in particular capturing the opportunities associated with Buckie accommodating an operations and maintenance base to service the consented turbines in the Moray Firth. The Council and HIE jointly commissioned a harbour masterplan that sets out scenarios for operating a base from the harbour. The Buckie Shipyard is currently being marketed by the Council, seeking a new end user related to fabricating and manufacturing and requiring quayside access. The shore side facilities have been purchased by MacDuff Shipyard who was recently awarded the contract to construct the Council’s new dredger. The Buckie Drifter site was subject to a Community Asset Transfer which has not been progressed as the site is seen as an important part of the Council’s offer in terms of operations and maintenance and a decision has been made for it to remain vacant at this time. The Council is in the process of negotiating the acquisition of land at March Road to add to the industrial portfolio. A masterplan for the site will be prepared in 2015/16 which is considered to offer the potential to be complementary to harbour related activities. March Road could potentially capture opportunities from oil and gas businesses considering relocating from Aberdeen because of overheating issues in the property market in the city. There are proposals within the 2008 Plan for the provision of woodland planting around the boundary of the town. This was devised to soften the edge to the town and create facilities for recreation. This woodland has not been delivered as local landowners have not been forthcoming in agreeing to their land being utilised for woodland planting. The emerging MLDP2015 identifies advanced planting requirements for the two large edge of town sites which should create a softer edge to these separate approaches to the town. Developer contributions were received from Tesco’s with pots of funding for the promotion of the town centre (£175,000), entrance gateway/environmental improvements (£25,000) and a community woodland contribution, (£20,000). The money identified for the promotion of the town centre is slowly being spent to date this has focused predominantly events to attract people to the town centre. Work is ongoing to develop a project for the entrance gateway and investigations are underway in identifying a suitable location for the community woodland. There are 5 years of the 10 years remaining to spend the contributions Cullen, Findochty, Portgordon and Portknockie Development outwith Buckie has been limited, with no development on identified housing sites. Cullen and Portgordon have a development rate of 1 per annum. Any development that has taken place has been on windfall sites and limited to 1 or 2 units. The sites in Cullen, Portknockie and Findochty are in the ownership of Seafield Estates. Development briefs were prepared for these sites in order to try and stimulate developer interest.

Page 30 of 33

Cullen The Council has plans for the development of industrial land just outside the Cullen settlement boundary. It is not designated for development in either the current Local Plan, or in the emerging MLDP2015. Portgordon Portgordon has been identified as the location for the onshore landing of the transmission cables for the Beatrice Offshore Wind Limited (BOWL) offshore wind farm. In February 2013 planning permission in principle was granted for the cable route from Portgordon to the Blackhillock substation in Keith. A detailed planning application for the route is expected in early 2015. Main Emerging Issues

Buckie Harbour is an ongoing priority and work will continue to attract investment into the harbour.

The acquisition of land at March Road will provide long term industrial land provision and create the opportunity to attract new industrial development to Buckie.

Need to identify LONG term housing site for the expansion of Buckie.

Identify and assist in the implementation of projects meeting the criteria of the Buckie Developer Contributions.

Consider alternative strategy for promoting Seafield Estates sites in Cullen, Findochty, Portknockie and Buckie.

Keith Local Housing Market Area Keith In Keith development rates have been relatively low. The majority of housing land allocations have consent although development on-site has been limited. The larger sites in Keith are located to the north east (R8 Banff Road) and south east (R9 Edindiach Road East) of the town, both of which have consent for 76 and 55 houses respectively. The site at Edindiach Road East includes 30 starter homes. The development of R5 Edindiach Road (West) has been incremental with consent for a small number of individual houses. No further development should be permitted on this site until a comprehensive layout for the whole site (approx. 40 units) has been approved. The growth of business on industrial sites has been relatively slow, with this being limited to the subdivision of existing units or extension of existing office, workshop and storage facilities. The majority of business development has taken place at Bridge Street. A recently permitted application has made serviced land available for further development. This land will be serviced by the Council. There is a lack of high quality employment land in Keith which may inhibit attracting new business to the town. A Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme (CARS) is currently operational in Keith (Mid Street, Chapel Street and Reidhaven Square Conservation Area). The project sits within a bigger picture of moves to regenerate the economy and built environment of Keith.

Page 31 of 33

Emerging Issues

Slow rate for residential and business development in Keith;

Lack of high quality employment land in Keith; and,

Need to support regeneration of economy and built environment of Keith. Newmill No development has taken place in Newmill recently. Rothiemay There has been no residential development in Rothiemay recently. An application for 12 houses at R1 Castle Terrace was withdrawn. The Forbes Arms Hotel received planning permission for an extension in 2014.

Speyside Local Housing Market Area Aberlour There has been no development on the designated housing sites. The Braes of Allachie site requires significant roads infrastructure improvements to make the site viable. There have been numerous consents for the Tombain site which has been marketed for several years. There has been no development interest in the Chivas site and the reasons for this are not clear. It could be that local demand has been met by the development of houses at Tomnabent and the significant level of housing in the countryside built throughout Speyside. Within the emerging Local Development Plan a large scale release at the south west of the town has been identified to promote developer certainty and is of a sufficient scale to make infrastructure requirements more financially viable. Given the access, topographical constraints and lack of developer interest in existing sites in not only Aberlour and Speyside as a whole, the Council has to take a more active role in facilitating the development of sites. Walkers have recently built a new shortbread factory at the Aberlour industrial estate. Industrial land within Aberlour has limited capacity to accommodate additional development. There is reference within the emerging Local Development Plan to the housing release at Speyview accommodating an area of industrial land. Archiestown and Craigellachie There has been no development on the identified housing sites in Archiestown and Craigellachie. There has however been a significant level of development of new housing in the open countryside. This has led to issues with build up and suburbanisation of the countryside in certain areas. This is discussed in more detail within the housing in the countryside and rural groupings section of this report. There has been significant industrial development within the Macallan Distillery complex including the construction of a number of bonded warehouses. Consent has been granted for a new distillery and visitors centre and a separate consent was granted for a biomass energy plant associated with Macallan. Dufftown Dufftown has a historically low development rate, the site at Corsemaul Drive has stalled and no new houses have been built in several years. The site at Conval Street has access issues to overcome and the developer has been working with the

Page 32 of 33

council to prepare a design that addresses this. Within the emerging Local Development Plan there is a large scale long term release of 100 houses. This phased release of land over a long term period should promote developer certainty and is of a sufficient scale to make infrastructure requirements more financially viable. The Council is currently building 24 housing units on the former Auction Mart site. This is providing much needed new housing development into the town. There has been significant industrial development within Dufftown, Glenfiddich Distillery is expanding within its complex and has been granted consent for an anaerobic digestion energy plant. A new distillery is currently being constructed at Mortlach and Glendullan has installed a bioplant facility. Rothes There has been no development on the identified housing sites within the plan. The site at Spey Street is constrained by requirements for a strategic flood risk assessment. In the emerging MLDP2015 this constraint has been removed following negotiation with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA). An additional site is proposed within the emerging plan at Green Street to offer a choice of development sites. There has been no interest expressed in the LONG term housing site. Given the lack of industrial land in Speyside, the surrounding industrial users and the strategic roads infrastructure available, the site designation has been enlarged and identified as an opportunity site within the emerging MLDP2015. This approach offers the opportunity to facilitate the expansion of adjacent businesses including Helius CoRDe and Forsyths or attract new investment. Outwith the main settlements a new distillery has been developed on the site of the former Carron Imperial Distillery and is very close to completion. Consent has also been granted for a distillery at Glenlivet. The further expansion of the distillery industry could be impeded due to capacity issues in the gas network. The Northern Transmission Line that runs from Inverness to Aberdeen roughly following the A96 has reached full capacity. There is demand for more gas across the route, notably from distilleries who wish to either increase production of switch from oil to mains gas. The Council participates in the gas taskforce that was established to explore issues arising from capacity and constraints and develop solutions with representation from network providers and regulators, whisky industry, development agencies and other local authorities Main Emerging Issues

Additional work is required to identify constraints in taking forward housing sites across Speyside and will require working closely with key agencies like Scottish Water and Transport Scotland.

As an alternative strategy to the point above, give consideration to the identification of a new settlement in Speyside.

Continue to support expansion of indigenous businesses and their plans for utilisation of renewable technologies.

Page 33 of 33

Delivery of a strategic industrial land designation for Speyside.

Need to address built up of housing in the countryside in particular locations across Speyside.

Appendix 1 – Excel spreadsheet (attached)

LTC

_No Ref Description

Numer of

Turbines

Make Output

Total

Output

(MW)

Rotor

(m)

Tip

(m)

Tower

(m)

Date

Decision Decision

Date Of

Appeal Appeal Overall Date ValidRecommendation

Accepted

8 13/00479/APP Variation of planning condition 7 of planning permission

11/01384/APP to vary the wind turbine model at

Followsters Newmill Keith Moray AB55 6UY

1 EWT DW-54 500KW 0.50 54.00 77.00 50.00 13/05/2013 Permitted Approved Or

Under

Construction

20/03/2013 Accepted

9 13/00615/EIA Erection of eight wind turbines (Rotor diameter 80m)

and associated infrastructure at Kellas House Kellas

Elgin Moray IV30 8TS

8 2.3mw 18.40 80.00 110.00 70.00 12/11/2014 Permitted Approved Or

Under

Construction

16/04/2013 Accepted

8 13/00686/APP Erection of 3no C&F CF20 20kW wind turbine (Rotor

diameter 13.1m) on Land At Forgies Hill Pathside Keith

Moray

3 C and F CF20 20kw 0.06 13.10 27.13 20.58 11/06/2013 Permitted Approved Or

Under

Construction

17/04/2013 Accepted

4 13/00740/APP Installation of two 20kw wind turbines measuring

20.584m to the hub and 27.131m to tip with a rota

diameter of 13.1m at Field To The Northeast Of

Standingstones Farm Alves Moray

2 C&F Green

Energy

20kw 0.04 13.10 27.13 20.58 18/06/2013 Withdrawn Withdrawn/

Returned

26/04/2013 Accepted

8 13/00771/APP Installation of a 6kW wind turbine for domestic use

standing 17.8m to blade tip height (5.6m diameter rotor

on 15m tower) and associated cable trench at

Foggiemoss North Of Grange Crossroads Keith Moray

1 Kingspan KW6 6kw 0.01 5.60 17.80 9.00 26/06/2013 Permitted Approved Or

Under

Construction

01/05/2013 Accepted

7 13/00810/APP Proposed substitution of 1no 330kw Enercon wind

turbine with 1no 500kw EWT wind turbine (rota

1 EWT 500KW 0.50 54.00 77.90 50.90 17/10/2013 Refuse Refused 08/05/2013 Accepted

8 13/00638/APP Erection of 1no Enercon E-48 800Kw wind turbine

(Rotar 48m) access road and associated infrastructure

1 Enercon E-48 800Kw 0.80 48.00 79.00 55.00 26/02/2014 Refuse Refused 13/05/2013 Accepted

8b 13/00838/APP Erection of a single wind turbine 54m to tip height (33m

rotor diameter) and associated infrastructure Land At

1 Enercon E33 330kw 0.33 33.40 53.70 37.00 17/12/2013 Refuse 02/06/2014 Appeal Dismissed Refused 13/05/2013 Accepted

8 13/01176/APP Erect 50kW Wind turbine (rotor diameter of 19.2m) at

Ardioch Keith Moray AB55 6QU

1 35kw 0.04 19.20 34.50 24.00 03/09/2013 Refuse Refused 08/07/2013 Accepted

4 13/01358/APP Erect a single wind turbine at 70m to blade tip (reduced

to 67.5m following excavation) associated meter

housing and access track at Land Within Corskie Farm

Garmouth Fochabers Moray

1 Gamesa G52 850kw 0.85 52.00 70.00 44.00 18/10/2013 Refuse Refused 22/07/2013 Accepted

8 13/01560/APP Installation of 2no 100kw wind turbines (rotor diameter

23.06) at Blackfolds Forgie Keith Moray AB55 6RL

2 Northern

Power® 100-24

100 kw 0.20 23.60 34.40 21.50 21/02/2014 Withdrawn Withdrawn/

Returned

23/09/2013 Accepted

8 13/01790/APP Amend the approved turbine (reference 12/00928/APP)

to a turbine with a rotar diameter of 23m at Langlanburn

Deskford Buckie Moray AB56 5UQ

1 NPS 60-23-37 60 kw 0.06 23.20 48.30 35.70 22/11/2013 Permitted Approved Or

Under

Construction

01/10/2013 Accepted

7 13/01822/APP Erection of a wind turbine ( 48.5m to tip and rotor

diameter 23.6m) and associated infrastructure at

Wester Elchies Farm Craigellachie Aberlour Moray

AB38 9SD

1 100kW 0.10 23.60 48.50 36.80 18/12/2013 Refuse Refused 07/10/2013 Varied

7 13/01903/APP Erection of a 48.3m high wind turbine (rotor diameter

23.2) and associated infrastructure on Land 190M

South-west Of Alton Farm Carron Aberlour Moray AB38

7QT

1 NPS 60-23 59.9kw 0.06 23.20 48.30 35.70 13/01/2014 Withdrawn Withdrawn/

Returned

15/10/2013 Accepted

8 13/02035/APP Installation of a C & F 20kw wind turbine (rotar diameter

13.1 m) on Site At Grange House Grange Keith Moray

1 CF21 20kw 0.02 13.10 27.12 20.58 10/01/2014 Permitted Approved Or

Under

Construction

15/11/2013 Accepted

8a 13/02057/S36 Erect 16 wind turbines at Hill Of Towie II Wind Farm

Drummuir Keith Moray

16 3 MW 48.00 90.00 125.00 80.00 Dealt With By

Scottish

Government

Submitted, but

not yet Decided

27/11/2013 Accepted

4 13/02076/APP Erect two wind turbines (19.2m rotor diameter) on Site

At Inchstelly Alves Moray

2 Endurance E-

3120

50kw 0.05 19.24 46.17 36.56 03/02/2014 Withdrawn Withdrawn/Return

ed

06/12/2013 Accepted

5a 14/00353/APP Extend planning consent ref 10/01268/APP for

installation of 330 kw agricultural wind turbine at

Hazelbank Farm Forres Moray IV36 2RN

1 WTG ACSA-

A27

225 kw 0.23 27.00 45.50 32.00 28/04/2014 Permitted Approved Or

Under

Construction

03/03/2014 Accepted

8 14/00222/APP Installation of a wind turbine (rota diameter 23.6m) to

generate electricity at Craigenseat Grange Crossroads

Keith Moray AB55 6LQ

1 Northern Power

Systems 100

100kW 0.10 23.60 34.40 21.50 06/05/2014 Withdrawn Withdrawn/

Returned

17/03/2014 Accepted

10b 14/00533/APP Erect 1no EWT DW 52 wind turbine (rota diameter

52m) and associated access track at Ardlewie Farm

Huntly Moray AB54 4ES

1 EWT DW 52 500kw 0.50 52.00 66.00 40.00 17/06/2014 Refuse Refused 02/04/2014 Accepted

9 14/01087/EIA Erection of wind farm comprising 10 wind turbines

126.5m high to tip and associated access track and

ancillary infrastructure erection of 1no permanent

anemometer mast temporary formation of construction

compound and erection of 2no temporary anemometer

9 Siemebs SWT-

2.3-93

2.3MW 20.70 93.00 126.50 80.00 Submitted, but

not yet Decided

16/06/2014

8b 14/01266/APP Erect wind turbine ( 23.6 metre rotor diameter) at

Muldearie Mains Keith Moray AB55 6RR

1 NPS 100-24 100kW 0.10 23.60 34.40 22.60 27/08/2014 Permitted Approved Or

Under

Construction

02/07/2014 Accepted

9 14/02090/EIA Application for planning permission for the erection, 25

year operation and subsequent decommissioning of a

wind farm at Brown Muir to include 12 wind turbines

(each with a maximum blade tip height of 126 metres

[90 m rotor diameter (maximum)]), site acc

12 3 MW 36.00 90.00 126.00 85.00 Submitted, but

not yet Decided

10/11/2014

5a 14/02361/APP Extend planning consent 11/00303/APP to erect 1 x

225kW turbine with 27m rotor and 30m hub at

Hazelbank Farm Forres Moray IV36 2RN

1 225kw 0.23 27.00 43.50 30.00 06/02/2015 Permitted Approved Or

Under

Construction

12/12/2014 Accepted

7 14/02422/APP Erect wind turbine (52m rotor diameter) at Balnellan

Farm Craigellachie Aberlour Moray AB38 9RP

1 Infinergy 500kw 0.50 52.00 76.00 50.00 25/03/2015 Refuse Refused 05/01/2015 Accepted

10b 14/02384/S36 Proposed wind farm extension at Dorenell Cabrach

Huntly Moray

10 Nordex N100

turbine

3.3MW 33.00 101.00 125.00 75.00 Dealt With By

Scottish

Government

Submitted, but

not yet Decided

04/02/2015