SAVETORPHINS Home Page

NOW IS YOUR LAST CHANCE TO COMMENT ON THE TORPHINS DEVELOPMENT PROPOSALS!

The map below shows the area M1 slated for development in the Aberdeenshire Proposed Plan for new housing, plus retail and employment development, for Torphins

Aberdeenshire Council has concluded that the M1 site is its chosen development area for Torphins, to apply for the next 5+ years.

This leaflet has been produced for public information by a local residents group, S.A.V.E-TORPHINS, not affiliated to any political party, concerned about the future of Torphins’ village character.

As many of you will be aware, the Aberdeenshire Development Plan was published in July 2010. A limited period of consultation on this plan is now in progress- comments must be submitted by 1^ST OCTOBER 2010. This is your only chance to influence the plan now in place - we urge you to consider the following and act in the remaining weeks.

You need to respond on the appropriate form, which you may have received in the post or it can be filled in online/downloaded from the council website.

Taking part in this consultation is not easy. In order to submit a comment, it is necessary to identify which part of the Plan you wish to comment on and see modified. We have tried to indicate which parts of the Plan we feel are relevant to the points we list below.

However, you would be forgiven for thinking ‘why bother’ to take part in this consultation? The extensive and thoughtful response of Torphins residents to the 2009 Main Issues report has apparently had very limited effect on the direction outlined in the Council’s subsequent Plan. This is surely unacceptable, as the key first principle of the ‘Participation Statement’ in the Planning Scheme document is to ensure that ‘Community Engagement must be Meaningful’. By meaningful we would assume that that the views of communities must be taken into account, yet the Development Plan does not reflect the vast majority of views expressed through due process during the 2009 consultation.

Nevertheless, we suggest that we should all take the opportunity of the current consultation period to re-emphasise the key concerns that many Torphins residents have expressed over the plans to add substantial new housing in the heart of the village.

The Proposed Plan is intended to reflect the various Policies set out within it, and take account of a series of other documents, the Supplementary Guidance, on subjects that range from Landscape Character to Waste Water Infrastructure.