Where to build your university campus?

From Planning e Newsletter here

Extract:

...A group of regeneration professionals has written a letter to Swansea University bosses claiming that the building of a new campus out of town could result in the city losing out on £300million of economic growth.

The university received outline planning consent for a Science and Innovation Campus to teach 5,100 students in November 2010 from Swansea City and County Council and Neath Port Talbot Council.

The site, on Fabian Way, is on the boundary between Neath Port Talbot and the City and County of Swansea and about three miles from the city centre.

However, the letter calls for an alternative site, also on Fabian Way but on the city centre fringe and just one mile from the city centre. It says universities can have a significant impact on city-centre regeneration.

A letter has been written to the 28-member university council by 52 regeneration professionals, led by George Grace, the founder of TownCentred Consultants.

Other signatories include Professor Kevin Murray, a former president of the Royal Town Planning Institute, George Ferguson CBE a past president of the Royal Insitute of British Architects, and Dr Tim Williams, Planning blogger and a former adviser to the Wales and UK governments

The letter states: "Public sector spending in times of austerity must count not once, but twice, three times or more. An out-of-town university will in our view underscore in economic, social, financial and sustainability terms for the city of Swansea."

john.geoghegan@haymarket.com

Britain's 'most beautiful universities' - would you agree?

Link here

News just in - analysis of consultation responses now available

I featured details of the below listed consultations earlier in the year; well this arrived last night in an email from the Head of Planning Legislation:

"Dear Sir / Madam

PLANNING REFORM – NEXT STEPS CONSULTATONS

On March 28, 2012 Derek Mackay, Minister for Local Government and Planning, made a statement to the Scottish Parliament setting out the Scottish Government’s proposals for future reform of the planning system. As part of the Reform Package, views were invited, by June 22, 2012, on the following consultations:

·         Fees for Planning Applications

·         Development Delivery

·         Development Plan Examinations

·         Miscellaneous Amendments to the Planning System

·         General Permitted Development Order

Analyses of responses to these consultations are now available...

I would like to thank you for taking the time to consider the consultation papers and responding..."

So far, I have managed to source links for the 'analysis reports' for the middle (as above) three consultations  which can be found below:

Development Delivery  Consultation 2012 Analysis of Consultation Responses Main Report

Development Plan Examinations Consultation 2012 Analysis of Consultation Responses Main Report September 2012

Consultation on Miscellaneous  Amendments to the Planning System 2012 Analysis of Consultation Responses Main Report September 2012

(Responses to the Consultation on Miscellaneous Amendments to the Planning System 2012)

(I responded as an individual to the 'Development Plan Examinations' consultation but elected not to have my response published.  Anyone who wishes to read what I put forward is free to contact me on  the apt.intouch@live.co.uk email address.)

Boundary Commission 'revised proposals'

From THC web news item here

The Boundary Commission for Scotland today (Thursday) begins an eight week final consultation period with its Sixth Review of UK Parliament Constituencies.  The final consultation period allows comments to be made to the Commission concerning any of itsrevised proposals for constituencies.

Boundary Commission has prepared these revised proposals after considering all of the responses to the Initial Proposals which were published in October 2012. Most of the suggestions presented by The Highland Council have been accepted by the Commission.

Highland Ward 19 (Nairn) and all of the Moray Council area will comprise Moray and NairnConstituency. From the initial proposals, the constituency name has been changed from Moray and Strathspey.

Highland Ward 22 (Fort William and Ardnamurchan) and Ward 12 (Caol and Mallaig) and all of Argyll and Bute Council area will make up the Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber Constituency. From the Initial proposals, the constituency name has been changed from Argyll, Bute and Lochaber.

The main proposals include the creation of two constituencies in the Highland Council area, namely Caithness, Sutherland, Ross and Cromarty Constituency and Inverness and SkyeConstituency. The Council’s proposals to move Strathconon; Applecross/Lochcarron; Beauly/Kiltarlity into Inverness and Skye Constituency were not accepted.

Copies of the proposals, including maps of the new constituencies are available at main Council offices and from the home page of the Council’s web site:  www.highland.gov.uk.

More on that Award for the HwLDP

I must be missing something (?) help somebody, pleeease


I thought I would do a little research into the 'Scottish Awards for Quality in Planning'

Well, as you will read from clicking on the link above, this year was the 15th such process and there were 3 judges.

I found a very small booklet which lists out the categories and the winners and gives, very briefly, the reason behind the giving of the award / commendation.

For Highland Council, the reasoning is:

...This initiative has been given a Commendation because it has embraced the modernised planning system by streamlining all of its different local development plans into one ‘live’ map-based document that supports delivery on the ground. By offering services such as pre-application advice, the planning team have been able to improve the quality of the service to customers and move things through the system more quickly

One?  If there is only one 'live' document then how come the council web site says:

IMPORTANT NOTICE

The Highland-wide Local Development Plan was adopted on 5 April 2012 and supersedes the General Policies and other related material of this Local Plan. A Parliamentary Order has been made to retain other elements within the Local Plans listed below. This provides the necessary clarity about which parts of the Local Plans continue in force alongside the Highland-wide Local Development Plan until such time as the relevant Area Local Development Plans is adopted. A full schedule of the retained elements of the following plans are contained within Appendix 7 of the HwLDP. Click here to view or download the updated version of Appendix 7 (pdf 617kb).

When using the following adopted Local Plans these must be read in conjunction with the Highland-wide Local Development Plan.

Visit the Local Plan pages for each Area via the links below:

• Badenoch and Strathspey
• Caithness
• Inverness
• Nairnshire
• Ross and Cromarty East
• Sutherland
• Wester Ross
• West Highland and Islands

And then how many 'area' local plans are planned?

Well, here is one view from a 'Dundas and Wilson' Planning Alert (March 2012)

Link here

(Some of the material on this post was first covered on this blog on 06 April 2012 this page )