Advanced Local Plan aims for sustainable growth of Sutherland

7th December 2008

A new draft of the Local Plan for Sutherland has been published and is currently open for consultation.

The Deposit Draft Local Plan documents - including an accompanying Revised Environmental Report - are available for the public to view at The Highland Council Service Points, Public Libraries and Post Offices in Sutherland throughout the consultation period. The documents have also been placed at the Area Planning and Building Standards Office (Drummuie, Golspie), at the Planning and Development Service
Headquarters (Glenurquhart Road, Inverness), on The Highland Council website www.highland.gov.uk and on the mobile libraries operating in Sutherland.

Representations on the Local Plan Deposit Draft and comments on the Revised Environmental Report should be sent in writing to the Director of Planning & Development, The Highland Council, Glenurquhart Road, Inverness IV3 5NX, or submitted by e-mail to sutherlandlp[AT]highland.gov.uk or by fax to 01463 702298. The deadline
for responses is 5 pm on Friday 23 January 2009.

Councillor Ian Ross, Chairman of The Highland Council's Planning, Environment and Development Committee said: "This is the land-use Plan which the Council wishes to use to guide development and investment in Sutherland over the next few years. A growing population requires homes, jobs, services and facilities and the Plan aims for these needs to be met effectively."

"By preparing and implementing the Sutherland Local Plan, the Council can make significant progress with its Programme, ~Strengthening the Highlands~. However, achieving everything set out in the Plan will require many other organisations and individuals to play their part too."

"We originally drew up the policies and proposals following consideration of the many comments received from the public and other interested parties and organisations on an earlier issues and options paper, Sutherland Futures. We have since made some changes to the policies and proposals following consideration of representations received on the Pre-Deposit Draft Local Plan. We are grateful for that interest. We are committed to continuing and effective opportunities for participation and now invite the submission of representations on this Deposit Draft Local Plan."

David Cowie, Principal Planner explained: "The Deposit Draft (November 2008) version of the Sutherland Local Plan now published supersedes the versions published as the Deposit Draft (October 2007) and the Pre-Deposit Draft (May 2008). We are writing to those who submitted representations on those earlier drafts and asking them to consider and indicate which remain unresolved and are maintained and confirmed as representations to the new Deposit Draft (November 2008).

"We are also writing to people who are close neighbours of sites that are newly proposed for development in the Plan, or where the boundary of the site has been significantly extended or the proposed type of development changed since the earlier draft of the Plan. This helps to raise people's awareness of what is in the Plan and of the opportunity
to give us their views now."

Members of the public seeking further information about the Sutherland Local Plan may contact David Cowie (Sutherland Local Plan Team Leader) by telephone on 01463 702827 (if not available, please ask to speak to another member of the Sutherland Local Plan Team) or by e-mail to sutherlandlp[AT]highland.gov.uk