Hundreds of new homes are to be built in a Scottish national park, many of them affordable, as part of a five year plan aimed at attracting more young people to the area.
The masterplan from the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park which aims to increase visitor numbers as well as boosting the local population, includes plans for 375 new homes over the next five years with one in four falling into the affordable category.
‘We need to make focused efforts to ensure there are more opportunities for younger people and those of working age, to remain and move into the National Park. We also need more homes in the National Park to sustain and support our rural economy, as well as meeting communities’ housing needs,’ the plan says.
The National Park is famous for the iconic Loch Lomond and mountains, including Ben Lomond, as well as forests, wildlife, heritage and history, attracting four million visitors a year from across the world.
But there are concerns that there are too many commuters and retired people living in the park along with a large number of holiday and second homes, making it one of the most expensive places to buy a property with prices too high for young, local people.
Among the first homes to be built will be 20 new affordable properties in the village of Balmaha on the banks of Loch Lomond, consisting of 12 houses and eight flats and made up of a combination of homes for rent, shared equity ownership and properties specifically to be rented to local workers. There will also be two plots available for self-build homes on the site.
‘Housing is a key issue in the National Park, which is one of the most expensive places in Scotland to buy a home. This combined with the ageing population of the area, means it is increasingly difficult for younger, working age people and families to live in the Park. That has a knock on effect for the sustainability of communities,’ said Petra Biberbach, chair of the park’s planning and access committee.
‘The need for more affordable housing has been identified by the community in and around Balmaha,’ he explained. But there has been opposition, in particular over trees being removed to make way for the new houses.
‘Whilst some trees in the area will have to be removed to allow the development to go ahead, the trees earmarked for removal have been identified as young and not considered ancient woodland. The mature oak trees which are the most valuable feature of the woodland will remain and further planting of native species at the site is planned,’ Biberbach explained.
‘The National Park is a beautiful and important landscape, but it also supports living working communities that need well-considered developments like this to be able to grow sustainably and encourage younger, working age people to live and work in the area,’ she pointed out.
‘We recognise that there have been strong views both for and against this proposal. This was a well-considered application and we are confident that the balance has been struck between creating much needed new homes in a way that is sensitive to the special qualities of the environment,’ she added.
