BEN LEDI VIEW

The National Park's Draft Local Plan for development in and around Callander affects us all and we have until February 28th 2009 to comment on it.

Major new building schemes are proposed and it is crucial that, as residents, employees and business owners, we participate in and keep abreast of the decision-making process and its outcomes. Each of us knows why we stay in Callander - why we like it, what we don't like about it, and so on. In light of what we, as local residents know and feel about Callander, will the Draft Plan protect what we cherish about this town, this community and our environment, and will it deliver what we need from the town in future as we get older and as our children and young people grow up? The Draft Plan covers the town's development to 2020 and this is the only opportunity we'll have to make our thoughts known about whether it is right or wrong.

For instance, we are all aware of the local need for low-cost, accessible and sustainable housing; however, it is extremely difficult to quantify that demand unless people articulate what they need from planners in respect of future housing development. If we are bemused by prospective developers' suggestions for 'luxury', or simply large, housing schemes then we have only ourselves to blame for not speaking up.

There are other considerations too: the antiquated drainage and sewerage infrastructure is barely adequate for the needs of the existing population; only one road bridge exists across this part of the Teith; local services and infrastructure are already stretched. Most importantly, every time another building is put up, more soil is sealed, thus reducing natural drainage. It may not seem like a big thing but, collectively, every tree that's cut down, every bit of ground that's built on or paved over, every section of artificial drainage that's installed ... all of these things compromise the land's natural capacity to deal with this area's high rainfall. The consequences - increased vulnerability to flooding - are obvious. Given that climate scientists are now unanimous in predicting that Scotland's winters will become even wetter than they are already, the potential for flooding to worsen is a very serious consideration.

Development for housing always comes at a cost to natural ecosystems, and since Callander's environment is such an integral part of its economy - the town's beautiful surroundings and wildlife attract not only visitors but also long-term residents and businesses (in short, investment) - it is essential that the potential impact of all development proposals are considered thoroughly and with the assistance of appropriately qualified experts, particularly those at SEPA and Scottish Natural Heritage. Sustainability is no longer a matter of choice, it is crucial to Callander's future. Without our environment we are nothing.

Apathy is not an option

If we do not ensure that housing stock is within the financial reach of local people then first-time buyers will drift away and we shall lose our young people who are our town's future. However, if we fail to preserve Callander's unique character - its outstanding natural environment, wildlife and geomorphologic heritage, and its built heritage and archaeology - and we spoil it through poor design or over-development then it is likely that some residents and businesses will decide to sell up, and visitors will spend their holidays elsewhere. Needless to say, either outcome would spell social and economic ruin for Callander.

We need also to ensure that the Plan meets the needs of real people, not just numbers of people. Let us look at an example. According to the 2001 Census, 30 per cent of people in Callander are aged 60 or over. Roughly a fifth of our community live with a limiting long-term illness. Many of us are disabled. And yet this author cannot find a single mention of accessibility in the Draft Local Plan. Why is this important? Because housing policy that proposes development that is inaccessible (due to the locations of the planned estates) suggests that the planners' fixation on inward migration has led them to ignore what existing families really need from new housing.

In recent months another factor has entered the equation: the Credit Crunch - and, as the severity of the situation becomes apparent, the prospect of deep national and global recession. The long-term implications for Callander's housing market and tourism sectors are not yet clear, but what is clear is that the Local Plan was conceived in a very different economic climate to the one in which we find ourselves now. The Draft Local Plan proposes that 327 new houses and 15 flats are built in Callander between now and 2020 - roughly half of those between 2008 and 2015. (To imagine what that number of houses looks like, think of the Mollands in which there are just over 100 houses.)

The Draft Local Plan also includes proposals for two substantial tourism developments. The first, at Auchenlaich, would consist of an hotel, self-catering accommodation and camping and caravanning. The second, at Cambusmore, would be a large-scale tourism resort with an hotel/spa, self-catering/timeshare accommodation, and recreational facilities (walking, cycling, and possibly a golf course or equestrian centre).

One of the most striking things about the Draft Local Plan is that it is very vague about economic development. This is surprising because premises and infrastructure for enterprise, and job creation for existing residents (and, indeed, the greatly expanded population implied by the proposed housing developments), are the very things Callander so badly needs. For those who cannot find work locally, the inadequacy of public transport, as well as increasing costs of both fares and fuel, are serious problems, yet the Draft Plan does not address these issues at all. How are people supposed to be able to afford rent or mortgages - or, indeed, contribute to the local economy - if they have no work, cannot get to work, or if their salaries earned elsewhere are swallowed up by commuting costs? At a time in which all of us are looking at an uncertain economic future, these are - in this author's personal opinion - grave omissions. Substantially increasing a population without incorporating factors that will expand the local labour market could have extremely serious social and economic consequences.

Employment is of fundamental importance - not just for younger people for whom the town must provide a future, but also for middle-aged and older people whose job prospects now look shaky or whose pensions and savings are, as a result of the Crash, worth substantially less than they were a few months ago. The Draft Local Plan's buzz-word is sustainability; yet if there are many more adults of working age than there are jobs are economic or environmental sustainability really achievable? This is something that we all need to think about when considering the pros and cons of the Plan.

In short, our community needs to strike a balance and to think creatively and responsibly. We need to think long-term and in the broadest possible terms - to pull our heads out of the sand and work out where our town is heading. In doing so we must look at Callander in context: what developments are planned for neighbouring communities, and what employment opportunities are available, not only to our existing population but also to those who might choose to relocate to Callander? Indeed, in the UK's depressed housing market what is the likelihood that Callander will attract the kind of influx envisaged by the Draft Local Plan?

In other words, is it a good idea to expand Callander to this extent? And, if we do, are we, as a small town, capable of attracting community-spirited, enterprising people who will boost the local jobs market and enable us to break free from the seasonality of tourism? And crucially, is further development economically and environmentally sustainable?

The National Park has asked us for our views and it is incumbent on us all to stand up and be counted. We must take a holistic approach to planning Callander's future, and make our thoughts known: we must tell those at the National Park who are planning our town's future what we, who live and work here, really want.

We have until Saturday February 28th 2009 to submit our comments. Please do so. If you have not already read the proposals, hard copies of the Consultative Draft Local Plan and a summary document for this area called What's The Plan - The Draft Local Plan in The Trossachs, as well as response forms, are available from The National Park office in the Main Street. Also available from the office is the National Park's Callander Conservation Area Appraisal, which is an important companion document.

All of these publications and response forms can be downloaded from the National Park's website. The Draft Local Plan link is: www.lochlomond-trossachs.org/planning/local-plan/menu-id-176.html.

Should you wish to speak to someone at the National Park in person about the Draft Local Plan, call Forward Planning Team on 01389 722600 or

Photos: G Kuzmanovski and M Holek.

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