An Camas Mòr - Indicative Land Use Plan Development

Public Consultation Record, August 10th, 2006

The purpose of this is to record the deliberations that led to the indicative land use plan. Comments and why they were or were not taken on board.

Starting with the Public Local Plan Inquiry to obtain all the approvals necessary to construct An Camas Mòr is an 8 stage process and we are currently at stage 6 preparation of the information required for an Outline Application accompanied by an Environmental Statement and other documentation. Each stage has involved the preparation of Indicative Land use Plan Options which have evolved and increased in detail at each subsequent stage.

The Proposal originated from meetings held in the Aviemore Village Hall chaired by the Community Council in connection with the preliminary consultation on the current Local Plan in 1989. Development across the river was seen as the key to a new identity that would focus Aviemore away from the constraints of the roads and railway out towards the River Spey and open up land for leisure and amenity. The proposal arose because many were not content with the continuing expansion to the North and so suggested a more visionary approach than had at that stage been tabled.

The Proposal is supported by National Policy, the Highland Council Structure Plan (2001) and the Local Plan (1997) it is also included in the Consultative Draft Park Local Plan, but timing and environmental impact is open to question.

The Cambusmore (An Camas Mòr) Background Report

Outlines the requirements of the Local Plan and further influences from the work of the Cambusmore Working Group, which included representatives of The Highland Council, Moray, Badenoch, and Strathspey Enterprise Company, Scottish Natural Heritage and Rothiemurchus Estate. Other organisations such as SEPA, the utilities and the RSPB were also approached. This process established that the proposed new community should be located within the area of 102 Ha allocated in the Local Plan and with path access to the village at the Dell of Spey, and with the principle road access via a new road onto the B970 at the Fishery entrance and pedestrianisation of the road from Guislich to Coylum.

The Draft Feasibility Study

Was prepared by the team including engineers, ecologists, archaeologists, landscape architects and a land use specialist who consulted with their relevant public sector and utility authorities. The latter included SEPA, SW, The Highland Council, and Scottish Natural Heritage. They identified the primary constraints on the use of the site as identified in the background report and recommended a core area of approx. 70 Ha for the proposed new community, excluding the Ancient Woodland to the South and wildlife and archaeological areas to the North and West and a woodland screen setting.

Meanwhile the Cairngorms National Park Authority who held consultation meetings started the Local Plan Process

Key points that we noted that emerged from this were:

Aviemore Community support for the proposed new village.

There is a need for 54 affordable houses per year in the Aviemore area, (Cairngorms Housing Analysis, Final Report to the Cairngorms National Park Authority, May 2005, School of the Built Environment, Heriot-Watt University Study, Executive Summary Paragraph 12).

Overwhelming support from the Aviemore Community for the new village to be brought on stream in the immediate future.

Nervousness expressed by some in the Rothiemurchus, Cairngorm and Glenmore community about the impact that the proposed settlement would have on them.

This led Rothiemurchus Estate to conclude that An Camas Mòr would have to provide for the following:

• Housing that can be afforded by local people
• Space for community facilities
• Commercial and community space, including playing fields
• Sensitivity to its environment, and especially separation from the communities of Inverdruie and Coylum Bridge according to the Local Plan.
• A place designed together with local people with specialist advice
• A feeling of the two communities coming together

Rothiemurchus Estate concluded that the best way of achieving this would be to take forward the community initiative, with the estate providing background information, expertise and facilitation. In the summer of 2005 David Sim of Jan Gehl and Partners, Copenhagen was appointed and he was briefed as follows. David was already familiar with Badenoch and Strathspey.

April 2005

Preliminary visit to Rothiemurchus, Aviemore and An Camas Mòr in April 2005 Receipt of background reports and draft feasibility study and briefing from MTLA and Benjamin Tindall Architects.

September 1st 2005

Site visit and interactive session with the professional team, key technical representatives of agencies and authorities with invited observers and participants from the Community. At this meeting layout, character, materials, community heating, road and path access were explored. No decisions were taken however it became clear that the concept of achieving affordability and sustainability by moving towards a smaller footprint and better public space than had become the norm was worth exploring. Also that the vision of a strong focus along a mainly pedestrian High Street crossed by the main road would be generally acceptable and feasible.

September 2nd 2005

Site visit by David Sim, included some conversations in the street in Aviemore.

November 24th 2005

There was an afternoon drop in session followed by a public meeting chaired by the Aviemore and Vicinity Community Council. At these sessions there were displays of the work done on the background and feasibility studies, and illustrations of the principles that had been explored on September 1st. In the afternoon there was one to one working between different members of the professional team and a range of experts and the public who contributed ideas and concerns. The evening session was to a great extent taken up with a discussion on the need for more housing in Aviemore, how much, who for and when and following that there was again more one to one chat on points of detail. This is recorded at http://www.ancamasmor.com/241205.html

December 8th 2005

By invitation Johnnie attended the Community Council meeting and the following points were agreed:

• A general appreciation for the background work done so far.
• Consider how the communities can be and feel closer.
• Place more emphasis on private and public facilities that can be shared by the two communities.
• Must work with the architects, authorities and builders to find ways of supplying houses that will be occupied by people making their living in Aviemore and Vicinity.
• Scope opportunities for environmentally sensitive living, wood fuel heating, heat pumps, insulation, re cycling etc.
• Revisit timing of completion of current Aviemore housing developments.
• Revisit updated estimates of housing need.
• Correct name, "An Camas Mòr".
• Get a move on.

Taken together the professional teams considered they had collected sufficient information to produce a more detailed draft of the vision and to produce the indicative land use plan on which to base the EIA.

During the consultation process some points were made that could not be taken on at this stage, they were as follows:

• New Road Bridge to the North:- not in the Local Plan, not needed for An Camas Mòr as with new traffic arrangements in Aviemore the preferred route to the A9 for going North as well as South will be the Aviemore South junction, and the scale of the proposed development does not justify it.
• No new houses needed in Aviemore area:- The Community Council and The Highland Council representations on the Draft Local plan strongly refute this.
• Bring An Camas Mòr closer to Aviemore, a possibility if the electric pylons could be removed, but it would require a formal change of view from the Planning Authorities as it is outwith the Local Plan for the team to take this on board.
• Open An Camas Mòr views out towards Aviemore:- the riverside tress are very prominent in the landscape and form a definite visual barrier between the communities, this is one of the reasons the site was chosen as being appropriate. If this idea is supported by the planners how it might best be done can be reconsidered at the detailed masterplanning stage.

Other points that were not answered to the satisfaction of many at the time were:

• When will the first houses be ready?
• When will the first houses be needed?
• Where exactly is the floodplain? (this is now mapped on the indicative land use plan)

National Park Discussions

During the following months the following publications became available and they all contributed to the discussion and were noted, in particular the urgent need for housing that can be afforded by people working in the area.

David Sim of Jan Gehl wrote in July 06 concerning observations from the consultations which informed the vision:

"A very clear message from the consultation was the need for more homes being vital for the continued well-being of the local community and economy, however these home would have to be affordable to local people.

The consultation also demonstrated that local people had an understanding of the difficulty of delivering affordable housing using conventional suburban models, typically cul-de-sacs with detached villas in large gardens. This type of accommodation is already available but not at an affordable cost to local people.

Those consulted also identified the need for a wider range of accommodation, including very small units to get onto the "first rung" on the property ladder.

There was a genuine interest in sustainability, in particular those aspects which would benefit the community directly, such protecting the landscape as a whole from unnecessary suburban expansion by having a smaller, urban "footprint", as well as other aspects like insulation, micro-climate, passive solar gain and heating systems which lead to lower fuel bills.

The local people clearly care about the landscape they live in and the importance of community spirit. In all, it was clear "a bigger vision" was needed to achieve the balance between the complex and sometimes conflicting requirements presented by sustainable development.

The consultation reinforced the need for a holistic, urban solution - the idea of a new village rather than a series of housing estates, however it was also clear that many felt that the new community should be closer to Aviemore, not just in terms of shared facilities but also physically closer."

This led him to conclude:

Vision

"The vision which has been developed is of a traditional village with a clear community hub at its centre, the village cross, and a strong thoroughfare, the High Street. The entire village is contained within a five-minute walk from the High Street and the Cross, making the use of the car unnecessary for participation in village life.

The High Street is orientated to connect most importantly with Aviemore to the west but also Coylumbridge in the south-east, creating a strong pedestrian and cycle route between the communities. The gentle curve and varying widths of the High Street have been considered to catch the sun and avoid prevailing wind.

The urban pattern is densest at the centre of the village around the Cross and along the High Street, accommodating a range of home typologies from smaller apartments to larger town houses as well as other uses including commercial and retail premises and community services and facilities.

The density decreases from the centre towards the forested village edge, with larger, detached houses amongst the trees. In between the centre and the edge, a range of medium-sized detached and semi-detached houses can be accommodated.

The village with its dense centre can accommodate a community on a small footprint and in so doing minimise the effect on the greater landscape."

A further well attended meeting for the public was held on the evening of September 5th 2006; the full report of this meeting also appears on this site.