South Ayrshire Local Plan

Chapter 4 - Housing

Introduction

Population and Households

Whilst the total population of South Ayrshire remains relatively static, the number of households is projected to continue to increase considerably, as the number of people in each household continues to fall. This rise in the number of households is expected to continue within the local plan period from approximately 48,800 in 2000 to some 53,200 households by 2012. This clearly has implications for the demand for housing in both the owner-occupied and rented housing sectors. As at 2000, the population of South Ayrshire was estimated at 113,920 persons, with the majority living in the urban areas of Ayr, Prestwick and Troon.

The Council must reconcile the need to protect and enhance the environmental quality of existing settlements and the countryside, while at the same time meeting the housing needs of the population. This section of the Plan sets out the various strategic and detailed policies which will promote and guide residential development, while addressing the environmental, economic and social issues of housing provision.

The housing objectives of the Plan are therefore:

	To maintain an adequate range, choice and distribution of effective housing sites to meet projected demand over the Plan period.
	To seek to ensure the needs of all tenures of housing demand are accommodated
	To stem the decline in population in certain rural parts of South Ayrshire by encouraging housing development in accordance with the Plan’s environmental objectives.
	To maintain and enhance the generally high environmental quality of the area by ensuring good quality residential development is provided in terms of its scale, density, layout, landscaping and facilities required.
	To assist the sustainable development aims of the Plan by seeking to accommodate housing demand within existing settlement boundaries.
	To ensure new sites selected for residential development meet, as far as possible, with the Plan’s aims for sustainable development by being economic to service and accessible by a range of modes of transport.