Kyle of Sutherland Local Place Plan

Kyle of Sutherland Spatial Place Plan

Oberlanders Architects have been commissioned by Kyle of Sutherland Development Trust (KoSDT) to assist with the development of a Local Place Plan (LPP) for the Kyle of Sutherland (which consists of the communities within Ardgay & District, and Creich Community Council areas). The Place Plan and associated work is being jointly funded by KoSDT, Ardgay & District CC Beinn Tharsuinn Community Benefit Fund, and Creich Community Council Beinn Tharsuinn Community Benefit Fund.

The Scottish Government are keen to empower communities to be pivotal in the process of future development to ensure sustainable and resilient communities and to help build long-term community wealth. This includes consideration of sites for homes, economic development opportunities, and local transport (including active travel).

Introduced by the Planning (Scotland) Act 2019, Local Place Plans are a way for community-controlled organisations and/or Community Councils to engage with their local community, to think about how to make their place better, to agree priorities, and to take action (often working with others). A LPP is a community led document which explores the opportunities and constraints surrounding spatial development and aims to easily convey proposals for development of land and buildings in their local area.

Highland Council have encouraged local communities to prepare and submit their Local Place Plans by 27th September 2024 so that they can inform the detail included in the Local Development Plan (LDP) which is going to be updated.   The CaSPlan (Caithness and Sutherland LDP) forms part of the National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) and shows how local places will change in the future, including where development should and should not happen.  As its about to be updated it’s important that the voice of the community is heard and incorporated.

Last year a local Community Action Plan was published. Ardgay, Creich & Lairg Community Action Plan 2022  This gathered the aspirations and vision for the area (including the Lairg CC area). It is a thorough and detailed study and forms the ideal basis for the development of the LPP.  The spatial planning process will start with the themes identified in the CAP and use them to help identify the spatial proposals for the LPP.

We held two workshops.

 

The first workshop introduced & reviewed the existing settlement areas and development sites and considered where problems lie, and opportunities exist.  The second workshop was open to the public and allowed feedback following development and research of the ideas identified in the initial workshop.

Wide participation was fundamental, but was also important to focus. Given the breadth of consultation undertaken to produce the Community Action Plan, and the time constraints for submission, we did not feel that it would be feasible, to have held further open public consultations.  Therefore, we identified the following community groups, who had  previously inputted into the CAP, who we felt would have been well placed to contribute on behalf of their members and participants.

• Ardgay & District Community Council – although the CC is in abeyance, we will consult with the previous CC members who contributed to the CAP
• Bradbury Centre
• Creich Community Council
• Kyle of Sutherland Development Trust
• Kyle of Sutherland Hub
• Rosehall & District Action Group
• Ardgay Village Hall
• Bonar Bridge Village Hall
• Culrain Village Hall
• Invershin Village Hall
• Rosehall Village Hall
• Voluntary Groups Sutherland

The team were able to meet with other identified stakeholders, when appropriate, during the development process.