Masterplan Consent Areas

The Scottish Ministers have intervened on the Inner Moray Firth Local Development Plan 2. This shows the Ministers' aspirations for the masterplan consent area power to be used for housing.

Masterplan consent areas are a new upfront consenting mechanism for development proposals in Scotland, removing the need for planning and other consent applications. See my blog for more information.

Inner Moray Firth LDP2

The version of the Inner Moray Firth LDP2 which Highland Council proposed to adopt, included the statement:

"The Council will also consider creating Masterplan Consent Areas (MCAs) for key ports and other strategically important sites to help assist the industry by streamlining the planning process."

This recognises the designation of Inverness and Cromarty Firth as one of the two new green freeports in Scotland. See Brodies blog for more information.

Scottish Ministers

The Scottish Ministers have issued a direction requiring modification of LDP2, to add the words in bold:

"The Council will also consider creating Masterplan Consent Areas for key ports and other strategically important sites, including for housing, to help assist the industry by streamlining the planning process."

The reason given for the modification is:

"To provide a development plan context for the potential use of Masterplan Consent Areas for housing to support growth ambitions for the area."

Comment

This intervention by the Ministers is intriguing. The LDP2 says its housing land requirement takes account of economic growth connected to the renewables industry. Does that mean the Ministers intend MCAs to be used to deliver the housing sites allocated in the Plan? The modification does not exclude MCAs being used for non-allocated sites. The statutory provisions on MCAs do not require a plan-led approach.