Policies

Policy A1

The Cairngorms National Park will be net zero by 2045 at the latest and will contribute to the delivery of net zero for Scotland by 2045. This will be supported by: 

1. Focusing on nature-based solutions.
2. Being a rural exemplar in achieving a just transition. 
3. Working with businesses, land managers, communities and visitors across the National Park.

Policy A2 

The management and use of land should deliver multiple benefits and help deliver the Regional Land Use Framework. This will be supported by:

1. A long-term planned approach by land-based businesses to delivering environmental, economic and social benefits.
2. Supporting land managers to plan and deliver environmental and social benefits, underpinned by sound economic businesses.
3. Applying a regionally-targeted approach to rural payments to deliver the most appropriate range of public benefits to the National Park.
4. Conducting research to support management options.

Policy A3 

Enhance the resilience of habitats, species and land use to climate change, pest and disease risks, ensuring that the integrity of designated sites is maintained with a particular focus on:

1. Collaborating on land use and flood management, including natural flood management, through river catchment management plans.
2. Enhancing the health and connectivity of habitats.
3. Expanding woodland on appropriate soils.
4. Securing protection and restoration of degraded peatland, and sustainable management of peat and carbon-rich soils to maintain and improve their ability to store carbon.
5. Prohibiting fires on deep peat and reducing burning on shallow peat soils through licensing. 
6. Reducing deer numbers across the National Park to facilitate woodland expansion, peatland restoration, biodiversity and landscape enhancement.
7. Applying a ‘green engineering first’ approach to flood management and water storage within catchments in the National Park.

Policy A4

Conserve and enhance the special landscape qualities of the National Park, with a particular focus on:

1. Conserving and enhancing wildness qualities.
2. Maintaining and promoting dark skies.
3. Enhancements that also deliver habitat improvements.
4. Enhancing opportunities to enjoy and experience the landscapes of the National Park.
5. Applying a presumption against new constructed tracks in open moorland.

Policy A5 

Conserve and enhance habitat quality and connectivity while ensuring the integrity of designated sites is maintained, with a particular focus on:

1.  Supporting woodland creation and management, especially natural regeneration that delivers more natural and native woodland cover, to create habitat connections between catchments and minimises need for fencing. 
2. Wetland conservation and enhancement.
3. Protection and improvement of the water environment.  
4. Delivering a combination of ecosystem services including natural flood management, carbon sequestration and storage, timber and food production.
5. Public greenspace and transport networks managed for biodiversity enhancement and habitat connectivity.
6. Supporting off-site mitigation from development that contributes to ecological networks.

Policy A6 

Conserve and enhance the species for which the Cairngorms National Park is most important, with a particular focus on:

1. Species whose conservation status is in decline or at risk.
2. Tackling and reducing the impacts of invasive non-native species.
3. Tackling and reducing wildlife crime.
4. Engaging people on species that are important in the National Park.
5. Promoting biological recording of species in the National Park.
6. Undertaking appropriate work for species reintroductions or reinforcement as required.

Policy B1

Deliver a well-being economy in the Cairngorms National Park by strengthening existing business sectors, supporting business start-ups, developing green jobs, supporting diversification and maintaining the number of workers employed in the National Park through: 

1. Maintaining the population of the National Park and maintaining or growing the proportion of the working age population.
2. Supporting the diversification of existing land-based businesses.
3. Encouraging growth of business sectors that draw on and support the special qualities of the National Park, such as sustainable tourism and food and drink.
4. Supporting business start-ups and diversification that delivers circular economy benefits.
5. Promoting the Living Wage for the Cairngorms National Park.
6. Broadening the economic base of the National Park into sectors such as the creative industries and renewable energy, and making stronger links with higher and further education.
7. Increasing provision for business land where there is an identified need and demand, and supporting the use of land for small business, particularly within settlements.
8. Slowing outward migration of young people to encourage their return, and supporting the inward migration of workers to the National Park to meet business and community needs.
9. Providing a housing land supply that supports young people and workers and maintains vibrant communities.
10. Reducing the proportion of vacant and second homes to support community vibrancy by ensuring that new housing development best meets local needs.
11. Maximising the proportion of new housing development that is affordable in perpetuity and using short-term let control areas and licensing of short-term let properties to manage the impact of second homes and short-term lets on the housing market, and availability of housing for residents and workers. 

Policy B2 

Support and build the capacity of communities to deliver their aspirations, with a particular focus on:

1. Supporting communities to plan for their own futures, develop and implement projects, engage the support of partners and share good practice.
2. Supporting innovative approaches to providing affordable housing to meet local needs.
3. Supporting communities and landowners to work collaboratively on management of land for shared benefits.
4. Aligning community planning processes to simplify support to communities.
5. Engaging communities effectively in the long-term management of the National Park and in projects or programmes that affect them.
6. Supporting community and public sector control of land for development.

Policy B3

Provide high-quality opportunities for access and recreation whilst limiting negative impact on wildlife and communities, with a particular focus on:

1. Ensuring a high-quality functional network of active travel, core paths and long-distance routes.
2. Promoting the health benefits of outdoor recreation and GP-led green health referrals.
3. Identifying areas where particular management measures are needed in relation to delivering a high-quality visitor experience whilst safeguarding sensitive environments. 
4. Promoting responsible behaviour in enjoying and managing access.

Policy B4

Provide opportunities for inspiration, learning and understanding through engaging with people, with a particular focus on: 

1. Equalities groups, and specifically young people.
2. Opportunities to support the delivery of the Curriculum for Excellence and education beyond school.
3. Promoting and enhancing volunteering opportunities.
4. Promoting a sense of shared ownership and responsibility towards Scotland’s National Parks and rural environment.
5. Promoting knowledge exchange and sharing development experience between rural areas, locally, nationally and internationally.
6. The Gaelic language.

Policy B5

Support under-represented groups to visit, work and live in the National Park and ensure a Park for All, with a particular focus on:

1. Ensuring equal access and opportunities that are affordable for all.  

Policy C1 

Enable sustainable patterns of settlement development, infrastructure and communications while maintaining the integrity of designated sites by:

1. Consolidating the role of the strategic settlements identified in the current and future Local Development Plans as the most sustainable places for future growth and the focus for housing land supply. 
2. Providing any additional flexibility in future land supply for housing at small sites around a wider range of settlements.
3. Supporting sensitively-designed improvements to the A9 and other trunk roads and the main railway line as an integral part of enhancing the connectivity of the Highlands.
4. Planning and improving integrated and sustainable local transport networks that allow for safe travel off-road and link with public transport.
5. Planning and improving integrated public transport that meets the needs of residents and visitors to the National Park.  
6. Planning and supporting improvements to the information technology network.
7. Planning and supporting improvements to the mobile communications network that improve access to new generation technology and minimise the need for visually intrusive infrastructure.

See Policy B1 1), 10) and 11) - housing

Policy C2

Support development of a low carbon economy, with a particular focus on:

1. Increasing renewable energy generation, especially biomass and hydro, that is compatible with conserving the special qualities of the National Park and maintaining the integrity of designated sites. Large-scale wind turbines are not compatible with the landscape character or special landscape qualities of the National Park. They are inappropriate within the National Park or in areas outside the National Park where they adversely affect its landscape character or special landscape qualities. 
2. Supporting businesses and communities to use less energy, reduce emissions, improve the energy efficiency of existing buildings, generate low impact renewable energy, reduce, reuse and recycle resources, and plan for a changing climate. 
3. Maximising the benefits to communities through direct use of locally generated energy or, where sold to the grid, reinvesting income to support community development.
4. Promoting high standards of sustainable design and efficient use of energy and materials in construction.
5. Electrifying public transport, and increase cycle-carrying capacity in trains, buses, and taxis.
6. Installing electric car and bike-charging facilities as well as disabled access toilets and changing places at visitor hubs when investing in upgrades or refurbishment.

Policy C3

Enhance the design and sense of place in new development and existing settlements, in particular:

1. Enabling new development which contributes positively to the sense of place.
2. Promoting a high standard of sustainable design, energy efficiency, sustainably sourced materials and construction in new development.
3. Supporting the retention and enhancement of local character.
4. Facilitating the rehabilitation of redundant rural buildings and recycling of resources.
5. Ensuring road upgrades and improvements respond to local landscape character.
6. Promoting active travel and public transport provision and reducing the reliance on private motor vehicles.

Policy C4

Develop plans to help manage visitor pressure in key areas, including:

1. Ensuring high-quality facilities and infrastructure are designed to manage the effects of visitor pressures on the natural heritage and communities.
2. Enhancing the provision of ranger services to deliver visitor welcome and promote responsible access.
3. Implementing a 'no open fires or barbecues outside private garden ground' policy between April and October.
4. Reducing waste in remote places.
5. Ensuring appropriate transport management to facilitate and enhance the visitor experience.  

Policy C5 

Promote sustainable tourism management, with a particular focus on:

1. Taking a co-ordinated approach to responsible tourism and the management of the Cairngorms National Park as a visitor destination.
2. Delivering a visitor / customer experience that spans organisational boundaries.
3. Providing high-quality co-ordinated information, setting visitor experiences in the context of the National Park.
4. Building on and promoting the National Park brand and the promise it delivers.

Policy C6 

Conserve and enhance the cultural heritage that helps to create the sense of place and identity of communities within the National Park by:

1. Protecting archaeological sites and their settings and promoting understanding of their significance.
2. Ensuring appropriate advice and investigation for archaeology is used to inform proposals for land use change.
3. Protecting and enhancing the built heritage and designed landscapes.
4. Promoting opportunities to enjoy and celebrate the cultural heritage of the National Park, including its arts, sports and community heritage.