Committees
A meeting of the Planning, Environment and Development Committee will take place in the Council Chamber, Council Headquarters, Glenurquhart Road, Inverness on Wednesday 21 January 2009 at 10.30am.
You are invited to attend the meeting and a note of the business to be considered is attached.
Yours faithfully,
Michelle Morris
Assistant Chief Executive
Declarations of Interest – Members are asked to consider whether they have an interest to declare in relation to any item on the agenda for this meeting. Any Member making a declaration of interest should indicate whether it is a financial or non-financial interest and include some information on the nature of the interest. Advice may be sought from Officers prior to the meeting taking place.
1. Apologies for Absence
2. Presentation on the Electricity Transmission System and Renewable Energy Development in Highland
A presentation will be given by Dr K MacLean, Head of Policy Development and Public Affairs for Scottish and Southern Electricity, on upgrades required to the electricity transmission system to unlock the Highlands’ renewables potential.
3. Tourism Project Group – Minutes 3 December 2008
There are circulated for noting Minutes of Meeting of the Tourism Project Group held on 3 December 2008.
4. Revenue Expenditure Monitoring 2008/09
There is circulated for noting Report No. PED 01/09 dated 9 January 2009 by the Director of Planning and Development setting out the revenue monitoring position for the period to 30 November 2008 and the projected year end position.
The Committee is asked to:
i. note the monitoring position and agree the management action as
proposed in the report; and
ii. agree to submit a request to the Resources Committee for a supplementary
budget estimate of £758k to balance the Planning and Development budget
for 2008/09.
5. Capital Expenditure Monitoring 2008/09
There is circulated for noting Report No. PED 02/09 dated 12 January 2009 by the Director of Planning and Development outlining the expenditure and income to 30 November 2008 the year 2008/09 capital programme and the projected year-end position.
The Committee is asked to:
i. note the content of the report; and
ii. approve the changes as set out in paragraphs 1.3 and 1.4 of the report.
6. e-Planning Processing Centre – Staffing
There is circulated Report No. PED 03/09 dated by the Director of Planning and Development on staffing for the e-Planning Processing Centre.
7. Notice of Amendment (Planning):
Planning Application 08/00565/FULIN – Development of a Commercial District Centre incorporating Retail Stores, Doctor’s Surgery, Public Square, Petrol Filling Station and Landscaping on land at Ness-side, Dores Road, Inverness for Tesco Stores Ltd.
The Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey Planning Applications and Review Committee (INBS PARC) granted planning consent for the above application at its meeting on 2 December 2008. The following Notice of Amendment was received on 5 December 2008:
“We the undersigned, being elected Members of The Highland Council, hereby declare our wish that the decision of the Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey Planning Applications and Review Committee at their meeting on 2 December last be reviewed at a forthcoming meeting of the Planning, Environment and Development Committee of the Council.
Signed: Mr J Holden, Mr R Balfour, Mr H Wood, Mr A S Park, Mr J MacDonald, Mr F Parr, Mrs J Campbell, Mrs P Munro, Ms G E A Sinclair”.
Accordingly there is re-circulated Report No. PLI-121-08 as circulated to the INBS PARC on 2 December 2008, together with relevant extract from the Minutes of the PARC meeting.
The Committee is asked to consider the application under the Notice of Amendment procedure.
8. National Planning Framework
There is circulated Report No. PED 04/09 by the Director of Planning and Development on the National Planning Framework.
9. Highland Wide Local Development Plan
There is circulated Report No. PED 05/09 by the Director of Planning and Development on the Highland wide Local Development Plan.
10. Business Gateway
There is circulated Report No. PED 06/09 by the Director of Planning and Development on progress with Business Gateway.
11. Highland Economic Forum
There is circulated Report No. PED 07/09 dated 12 January 2009 by the Director of Planning and Development introducing the recently established Highland Economic Forum. The report sets out its role and identifies which organisations are represented on it. It is proposed that the Planning and Development Service should lead for the Council on the Forum, and that it be chaired initially by the Chairman of the Council’s Planning, Environment and Development Committee. The first meeting will take place on Tuesday 27 January 2009.
The Committee is asked to:
i. recommend that the Planning and Development Service act as lead for the
Council on the Highland Economic Forum; and
ii. agree to propose to the Forum that, subject to its approval, it be chaired by
the Chairman of the Council’s Planning, Environment and Development
Committee.
12. Highland Environment Forum
There is circulated Report No. PED 08/09 dated 12 January 2009 by the Director of Planning and Development introducing the recently established Highland Environment Forum. The report sets out its role and identifies which organisations are represented on it. It is suggested that the Planning and Development Service should lead for the Council on the Forum and that it is chaired initially by the Vice Chair of the Planning, Environment and Development Committee. The first meeting will take place on 19 February 2009.
The Committee is asked to:
i. recommend that the Planning and Development Service act as lead for the
Council on the Highland Environment forum; and
ii. agree to propose to the Environment Forum that, subject to its approval, it
be chaired initially by the Vice Chair of the Planning, Environment and
Development Committee.
13. Historic Scotland Consultation on A Joint Working Agreement between Historic Scotland and Planning Authorities in Relation to Statutory Casework and Consultation
There is circulated Report No. PED 09/09 dated 5 January 2009 by the Director of Planning and Development introducing a Historic Scotland draft Joint Working Agreement with planning authorities in relation to statutory casework and consultation. Responses are sought by 28 January 2009.
A full copy of the consultation can be found under 'External Links' on the right-hand side of this page.
The Committee is asked to consider the draft response attached at Appendix 1 and to approve it as the Highland Council response, subject to any additional points Members wish to add.
14. Consultation on Scottish Natural Heritage Draft Paths Policy
There is circulated Report No. PED 10/09 dated 5 January 2009 by the Director of Planning and Development introducing a recent Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) consultation on a draft paths policy statement. Responses were sought by 15 December 2008 and a Highland Council response was submitted by the deadline following consultation with the Chairman. Members are able to submit additional comments if they wish to do so.
Copies of the consultation paper are available in the Members’ Library and by clicking on the appropriate under 'External Links' on the right-hand side of this page.
The Committee is asked to:
i. consider and homologate the response already submitted on behalf of the
Council (Appendix 1); and
ii. agree any further comments to be passed on to Scottish Natural Heritage.
15. Outcomes of MIPIM Conference
There is circulated Report No. PED 11/09 dated 23 December 2008 by the Director of Planning and Development reminding Members that at the meeting of the Committee held on 28 May 2008, a report was presented on the background to the attendance by the Provost of Inverness, the Inverness City Manager and two colleagues from Highlands and Islands Enterprise at the 2008 MIPIM Conference (Marche International Des Professionnels de l’Immobilier – the International Market for Property Professionals). The Committee instructed officers to report back on the outcome of any contacts made and on the proposals for attendance at the next Conference to be held in March 2009.
The Committee is asked to:
i. note the progress made subsequent to MIPIM 2008;
ii. agree to support Highlands and Islands Enterprise and private sector
representatives attending the MIPIM 2009 Conference at a cost of £7,000
to be met from the Service’s Economic Initiatives budget (this being a 50%
share of the HIE attendance costs, private sector representatives will attend
at their own cost); and
iii.agree that a report be made to the first appropriate Planning, Environment
and Development Committee subsequent to MIPIM 2009, detailing the
outcomes of MIPIM 2009.
16. Inverness Architectural Association Design Awards
Members will recall that the Committee, at its meeting on 28 May 2008, agreed to provide sponsorship of the Inverness Architectural Association (IAA) Design Awards Scheme for 2008 at a cost of £7,500 and that a report be brought to Committee at the conclusion of the Scheme in November 2008. Accordingly, there is circulated Report No. Ped12/09 dated 9 January 2009 by the Director of Planning and Development explaining the importance of high quality design to the Highlands, describing the content of the IAA Design Awards Scheme, and detailing the outcomes of the Scheme for 2008.
The Committee is asked to:
i. note the success of the Inverness Architects Association (IAA) and Design
Awards 2008 and the benefits to sustainable quality and innovative design in
our communities that the Scheme generates;
ii. note that sponsorship of the Awards Scheme is one of a number of
initiatives to be taken to improve the quality of sustainable layout and design
in future developments in the Highlands; and
iii.agree in principle to the sponsorship of future IAA Awards Schemes should
funds be available.