South Ayrshire Local Plan

Chapter 1 - The Settlement Strategy

The settlement strategy is a major element of the Plan. The settlement strategy provides the framework for the detailed planning policies that account for the diversity of South Ayrshire’s environment.

The settlement strategy has been developed by having regard to a range of factors relating to the physical environment, the economic structure and the social structure of South Ayrshire. An assessment has been made of these factors and trends in order to address development needs and priorities in the context of meeting the vision, aims and objectives of the Plan.

The settlement strategy can be viewed as the foundation upon which all the subsequent policies in the Plan are built. Whilst the following chapters of the Plan are concerned with managing all the processes that impact upon the physical environment, the settlement strategy provides the vision for how the Council wishes to see the towns and countryside areas of South Ayrshire develop in the next 10 years. In essence the settlement strategy is concerned with providing a framework that best contributes towards the principles of maximising sustainable economic development and growth.

The following core objectives have been identified as those that are most able to maximise sustainable economic development. These sustainable development objectives have been incorporated into the objectives of all of the subsequent chapters in the Plan:

To protect, enhance and improve the environment of the countryside generally, and particularly within the Greenbelt, to limit the extent of urban intrusion and control the growth of built-up areas;
To maximise sustainable economic growth by seeking, where possible, to locate development within existing towns and villages so as to reduce the need for greenfield development;
To maximise the efficient use of infrastructure and to reduce the need to travel to alternative locations by directing major land uses to Ayr, Prestwick, Troon, Maybole and Girvan;
To minimise the need to travel, especially by car, by seeking to locate development that generates high density travel towards areas where there is frequent and reliable public transport; and
To conserve and enhance valued resources of the natural and built environments and to maximise the environmental quality of towns and countryside areas.

The primary aim of the settlement strategy is to guide development towards existing settlements in order to maximise their viability, and to provide protection to the setting of settlements. Outwith settlements the remainder of South Ayrshire is defined as countryside within which measures to sustain the rural economy are promoted; and significant environmental resources protected. In the southern part of South Ayrshire a rural diversification area is defined with policies specifically aimed at maintaining the viability of existing settlements and combating rural economic decline.

The two primary components of the settlement strategy are firstly the towns and secondly the countryside.

Towns and Villages (settlements)

The towns and villages with a population of more than 100 and with a recognised nucleus of village life, such as a school, local shop or public house, have been defined on the Proposals Map and referred to collectively in this Plan as “settlements”. The boundaries defined include activities and land uses normally considered as being an integral element of these areas – (schools, shops, factories, houses and their gardens being prime examples of these). Great care has been taken in defining the boundaries of the settlements to allow for planned expansion whilst providing a clear distinction between what is “town or country”.

Land Outwith Settlements (the countryside)

The countryside lying outwith settlements is highly diverse, containing many valued built and natural heritage assets, including some of the best quality agricultural land. The designation of the countryside area aims to protect these resources. Increasingly, the countryside is also being used as a leisure and recreational resource. Many of these activities are recognised as being normal and traditional countryside activities.

The countryside is not uniform in terms of its landscape or land uses and the Council recognises that some parts of South Ayrshire are under great pressure for development (broadly relating to their proximity to the major urban areas of Ayr, Prestwick and Troon and their buoyant economies), to their potential detriment. Other parts of the countryside are under a lower level of pressure for built development, but still require careful management to ensure that they remain an asset to the environment and contribute to the wider economy. For these reasons, this Local Plan divides the countryside into three broad policy areas as follows:

a. Greenbelt
b. Rural Protection Area
c. Rural Diversification Area

The Settlements

The importance of sustaining and improving the environmental and economic health of towns and villages is widely recognised as assisting in making them attractive places to live, work or visit and makes them more attractive for investment and further development, especially within town centres. In addition, the pressure for development to locate elsewhere will be reduced. The Council will therefore seek to direct development to locate within settlements in preference to alternative locations in the open countryside. This policy approach complies with the principles of sustainable development as outlined in the above listed objectives.

The Council seeks to enhance the important function of the larger settlements of Ayr, Prestwick and, Troon, as centres for major residential, economic, commercial educational and community development. The Council will also promote Maybole and Girvan for such development in recognition of their importance within their hinterlands. These settlements are referred to in the Plan as “The five main towns”.

In general, the purpose of the following strategic policies and subsequent, more detailed development guidance policies is to maintain and enhance the vitality and viability of settlements whilst protecting and enhancing both natural and built resources and ensuring the minimal use of non-renewable resources.

STRATEGIC POLICY STRAT1#

The Council will direct development to defined settlements and in particular to vacant or derelict sites in preference to greenfield locations. Large scale proposals will be directed to the five main towns of Ayr, Prestwick, Troon, Maybole and Girvan, especially where the proposed development is to provide a service for more than one settlement.

Small hamlets or clusters of houses and farms in the countryside have not been specifically identified on the Proposals Map. Although they are important in their local context, they are not regarded as settlements (towns or villages) where services and facilities are more readily available. With the exception of the Rural Diversification Area, where development is more dispersed, allowing new development in these ‘cluster areas’ would be inconsistent with the sustainable development objectives of the Plan.

The settlements, which are recognised and identified on the Proposals Map, comprise:

Annbank	Dundonald	Monkton
Ayr	Dunure	Mossblown
Ballantrae	Failford	Prestwick
Barr	Fisherton	St. Quivox
Barrhill	Girvan	Straiton
Colmonell	Kirkmichael	Symington
Coylton	Kirkoswald	Tarbolton
Craigie	Loans	Troon
Crosshill	Maidens	Turnberry
Dailly	Minishant