Fears locals could lose out to people seeking a holiday home in one of the most beautiful areas of Scotland has prompted complaints from a pressure group.
The Scottish Campaign for National Parks (SCNP) has lodged an objection to the Cairngorms local plan on the grounds that it fails to address affordable housing needs adequately.
They believe it could exacerbate the problem by creating enclaves of second homes for affluent people attracted by the beauty of the Cairngorms National Park, which stretches into Highland Perthshire.
The move follows controversial decisions by the National Park Authority to approve plans for 1800 houses between developments in Kingussie (300) and a new town near Aviemore, An Camus Mor (1500), as well as the findings of a recent public inquiry that criticised the authority’s approach to housing issues.
SCNP chairman Bill McDermott said, “In the absence of sound information on housing requirements, and an over-reliance on open-market housing as a potential vehicle to securing affordable and local needs housing, we consider that the local plan housing policies are not fit for purpose and are in direct contradiction of the primary aim of the national park which must be conservation in those circumstances, as here, where there is an irreconcilable conflict and the potential for a further explosion in second homes.
“It is only an accident of timing which allows the park authority to ignore the findings and recommendations of the local plan inquiry reporters.”
He added, “However, we believe there is a strong moral obligation on the park authority to accept the reporters’ recommendations and go back to the drawing board on housing issues, otherwise the public inquiry and public consultation processes can rightly be considered meaningless which does the reputation of the park authority no credit whatsoever.”
SCNP is urging the authority to recognise the special qualities of the national park require special measures to meet local housing needs. It also says using the “blunt weapon of planning gain” through approving large open-market housing developments is inappropriate.
Photo used under Creative Commons licence courtesy of Flickr user nagillum.