Highlands and Islands Green Party

The Director of Planning and Development

Dear Sir/Madam

HIGHLAND-WIDE LOCAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN

I am writing on behalf of the Highlands and Islands Green Party to thank The Highland Council for the opportunity to respond to its Main Issues Report consultation.  Our response comprises the following documentation (separate attachments):

• ‘Direct’ response to Main Issues report’s questions (attached); (1)
• Annex 1: statement of Highlands and Islands Green Party Sustainable Development Guidelines which we recommend be drawn on and reflected in the overarching structure and content of the Highland-wide local Development Plan and the three area Plans (attached); (2)
• Annex 2: our concerns about the A 96 corridor (attached); (3)
• Annex 3: our Inverness City Vision response (attached); (4)
• Annex 4: our response to the local housing strategy (previously submitted but also attached); (5)
• Annex 5: our response to the draft transport strategy (to follow); (6)
• Annex 6: our Vision for the Highland and Islands (attached). (7)

May I take this opportunity to invite The Highland Council to ensure that the Plans include significantly greater provision for addressing climate change and ‘peak oil’ than is suggested in the Main Issues report.  We note the following extract from the Council’s Climate Change Working Group’s report CCWG 8/09 (para 5.1.1) that:

“Part 5 of the [Climate Change (Scotland)] Act [2009] contains various other provisions on climate change...  Requiring planning authorities in any local development plan prepared by them to include policies requiring all developments include greenhouse gas emission policies (Section 72) and that Scottish Ministers report on the operation of this requirement one year after the Section’s commencement and annually thereafter;”

Our Sustainable Development Guidelines (annex 1), in particular, were designed in large part to assist with this process.

Yours sincerely,

Myra Carus
Convenor
Highlands and Islands Green Party