Place Objectives

C4. Village and town centres

Numerous opportunities and challenges have faced the town and village centres of the National Park as shopping habits have changed. New businesses and activities will need to be supported to ensure these spaces continue to provide services and value to communities. In general, commercial properties should remain so and should only be converted to residential as a last resort.

Image of Kingussie High Street. Photo by Liam Anderstrem.The concept of 20-minute neighbourhoods is one way of to ensure that services are accessible, help tackle societal causes of inequality, and reduce social isolation and loneliness. 20-minute neighbourhoods are places that are designed so that residents can meet their day-to-day needs within a 20-minute walk or cycle of their home; however, this concept will clearly require some translation in a rural context, where services and people are more dispersed.

Key Objectives and targets

Ensure villages and town centres in the National Park are thriving places where people live, shop and meet.

An increasing number of 20-minute neighbourhoods (or rural equivalent).

The percentage of vacant commercial properties on high streets of the National Park reduces.

  • Review mechanisms available to the public sector to encourage regeneration of our town and village centres.
  • Promote business and community-led collaborative projects to encourage local expenditure and supply chains.
  • Develop a rural approach to the 20-minute neighbourhood concept in the National Park.
  • Heritage Horizons: Cairngorms 2030 programme.

Local authorities, Scottish Government, Federation of Small Businesses, Cairngorms Business Partnership, Growbiz, Sustrans.

Facts

0 %
of new housing will be for social rental, mid-market rental or other affordable categories by 2030
0 %
of visitors will get to the National Park by public transport by 2045