Caithness Local Plan
Caithness Local Plan (As continued in force, April 2012)
Important Notice
The Highland-wide Local Development Plan was adopted on 5 April 2012 and supersedes the General Policies and other related material of this Local Plan. A Parliamentary Order has been made to retain other elements within this Local Plan. This provides the necessary clarity about which parts of the Local Plan continues in force alongside the Highland-wide Local Development Plan until such time as the relevant Area Local Development Plans is adopted. A full schedule of the retained elements of the following plan is contained within Appendix 7 of the HwLDP. Click here to view or download the updated version of Appendix 7.
Habitats Regulation Appraisal and Strategic Environmental Assessment
For the Parliamentary Order to be passed it had to be clear that the retained elements of the adopted local plans have met the requirements of European Community Law with respect to Habitats Regulation Appraisal (HRA) and Strategic Environmental Assessment. The Habitats Regulations Appraisal (HRA) considers all the policies and proposals of the adopted local plans which are intended to be retained in force. The Plan must be read alongside the HRA, where the HRA identifies allocations that are likely to have significant effects either alone or in combination these are identified, a list of sites is contained in Appendix 7 of the HwLDP and within each area Local Plan as continued in force April 2012 version.
When using the following adopted Local Plan this must be read in conjunction with the Highland-wide Local Development Plan.
The Caithness Local Plan is a statutory document prepared by The Highland Council which guides decisions on planning applications in the Caithness Area.
The Caithness Local Plan was adopted in September 2002. The “As continued in force, April 2012” version of the Plan is available below.
Development Briefs and Framework Plans
- Development Briefs and Framework Plans - non-statutory documents for specific sites, providing information and guidance to potential developers.
North Highland Onshore Vision - Growth Strategy for the Marine Renewables Sector
The marine renewables sector – covering wave, tidal and offshore wind energy – is expected to expand significantly in the Caithness and North Sutherland area over the next 20 years. The Highland Council wants to maximise the potential economic benefits and employment opportunities that this could bring to the area and as a result we have produced the North Highland Onshore Vision which is based on a 10 point Action Plan. This focuses on the land use planning of onshore support services for the marine renewables sector in North Highland.