Aberdeenshire councillors have backed proposals to scrap planning regulations in the region’s biggest town to attract developers.
Members of the Buchan area committee met in Peterhead yesterday to consider creating a simplified planning zone to show that the port is open for business.
James Welsh, manager of the Energetica initiative which is striving to boost investment along the Buchan coast, said: “The purpose is essentially to encourage inward investment and activity.
“Simplified planning zones were originally designed to support development in defined areas by removing the planning hurdle.
“The policy has been around for some time, but it has recently been put forward at Hillington Park in Renfrewshire.”
Mr Welsh’s team is proposing that an industrial area in the south of the town be designated as a zone, but warned that the initiative could endanger design standards by giving up control of applications.
It would also reduce the planning application fees the council receives from developers.
The local authority’s area manager for Buchan, Chris White said: “This is a marketing tool to showcase what Peterhead has to offer.”
And councillor Stephen Smith said: “I welcome this, it promotes economic activity. We’ve heard it works well in other areas. It’s been tried and can have benefits for the regeneration of Peterhead.”
He added there may also be an opportunity to use the policy to redevelop run-down buildings in the town centre.
The committee unanimously agreed to send the report to Aberdeenshire’s infrastructure committee with their support.
If approved, the zone would last for 10 years. The scheme is at an early stage and the guidelines as to which types of development would and would not comply with the streamlined regulations have not been agreed.
In a report to Buchan councillors, Aberdeenshire’s infrastructure boss, Stephen Archer, said: “The designation removes the need to obtain planning permission for the types of development that are specified within a simplified planning zone scheme.”