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stunning-panorama-of-loch-lomond-islands-and-surrounding-hills-from-duncryne-hill-in-the-south

Happy Anniversary – our Local Development Plan (LDP) turns One!

The LDP 2017-2021, which was formally adopted a year ago, is all about how development can make the National Park a great place to Live, Invest, Visit and Experience. The preparation and adoption of the Plan has generated a momentum that we are keen to maintain; now the emphasis is on Plan delivery by coordinating and monitoring all the actions needed to deliver the development strategy set out in the Plan.  To mark this anniversary we invite you to have a look back at what has been happening over the last 12 months.

We’ve published some key working documents and a number of pieces of planning guidance, such as:

So other than writing documents what else has been happening?

Since January 2017 our Development Management team have received 342 pre-application enquiries through our free pre-app service  which is aimed at steering applicants to get the right development in the right place.

We have approved 282 applications. These applications were for a wide variety of planning matters, from fibre broadband cabinets and small scale river hydro schemes, to developments for affordable housing and new paths.

The Plan has a vision covering three themes – Rural Development, Visitor Experience, and Conservation. Below are some examples of how we are working to deliver the vision

Rural Development

We said we want to increase the supply of rural housing for people living and working in the Park:

  • The Plan has identified sufficient land to accommodate up to 408 new homes
  • Over the course of the Plan 2017-2021 we are expecting to see approximately 200 units of affordable housing being delivered.
  • In 2017 we have approved 64 units for housing and based on existing planning permissions have identified 97 units as being currently under construction.

Visitor experience

In support of raising the profile and quality of the Park as a visitor destination, in 2017 we have approved…

  • 60 new bedspaces
  • 53 self-catering units
  • 29 camping pitches for tents, touring caravans and motorhomes
  • 10.2 km of recreational paths, including upland paths as part of The Mountains and The People project, and multi-user paths that contribute towards the new long distance route known as the Cross Pilgrim’s Way.
  • One pontoon

Conservation

Underpinning the Plan’s strategy are core, cross-cutting themes of sustainability and climate change, design, and place-making that are central to achieving the Plan’s vision.

  • As part of a five year project to review all the Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs) in the park, this year we replaced 4 TPOs with 2 modified TPOs in Arrochar and Blairmore, removed one completely, and we reviewed a further 7 TPOs in the Cowal area which we decided to retain.
  • We have started undertaking further TPO assessments and we will be serving a number of TPOs early in 2018.  In addition to the TPO project we have also served 2 brand new TPOs.
  • We have approved 26 (mainly for small alterations and extensions).
  • 27 bat surveys, four otter surveys and nine protected species surveys were submitted, and 3 Habitat Regulations Appraisals were undertaken.
  • 17 landscape plans or restoration plans were submitted and 31 landscape or landscape restoration plans were approved in relation to a variety of applications, including housing, tourism, recreation and hydro proposals.

We are keen for developments to consider climate change and have approved applications for 71 photovoltaic panels on schools in the Stirling area, including Crianlarich, Callander and Gartmore.

 

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