The impact of new developments on local communities in Moray is to be the subject of the latest round of consultations by Moray Council.
Public comments on the facilities and infrastructure requirements to mitigate the impact of developments are being sought.
Financial or in-kind contributions are often sought from developers to ensure that pressure on existing facilities resulting from new development is mitigated and any impact on local residents is minimised.
Moray Council are required to maintain a strict criteria as set out by the Scottish Government which ensure such contributions cannot be sought as compensation for existing deficiencies. Now draft supplementary guidance on developer obligations has been published by the council – and feedback is being sought from the public during a consultations, which will run until Friday, June 29.
The draft guidance can be viewed online or in hard copy at Moray Council headquarters in Elgin as well as in all public libraries and service points.
A Moray Council spokesman said: “Contributions will be sought, where necessary, for the following infrastructure and facility requirements – education (pre-school, primary, secondary and further), transportation, community, sports and recreational facilities; healthcare (GP surgeries, dental practices and community pharmacies), burial grounds, environmental and access improvements, and waste.
“The type and level of contribution will vary depending on the scale and location of the development and its impact on existing infrastructure and facilities.”
Response forms can be obtained on the consultation website and sent to Moray Council, Environmental Services, Development Plans, High Street, Elgin IV30 1BX or by e-mail to localdevelopmentplan@moray.gov.uk.
Comments received to the consultation will form part of a report to the council’s planning and regulatory services committee later in the year.
If approved by councillors, the guidance will become part of the emerging Moray Local Development Plan and carry greater weight than previous supplementary planning guidance in the determination of planning applications.