Out-of town development; why no stats?

The daily E Planning newsletter reports that the (presumably English):

‘…Government is proposing to stop collecting its own data on the proportion of retail development taking place in town centres.’

The Item continues:

The move comes despite the abolition in 2009 by the Labour Government of the need test, which required developers to show need for proposed edge-of-town or out-of-town stores.

The abolition came despite warnings from the RTPI that it could accelerate the decline of the high street, and surveys that showed that twice as many senior local authority planning officers thought that it would undermine town centres than that it would not.

The Conservatives, then in opposition, said that if elected, they would reinstate the test.

The Department of Communities and Local Government pledged in 2008, in response to a select committee report, that it would publish data on the proportion of retail development that is located in town centres every year.

The committee had said that the Government needed to improve its collection and publication of statistics on town centres to ensure adequate monitoring of the results of the need test abolition.

However, in February last year a DCLG consultation document proposed releasing the data only biannually. A summary of responses to the consultation, published in October, said no decision had been made on the proposal.

But a wider DCLG consultation, launched in April this year, on departmental data-gathering proposes ending the collection of statistics on the extent of retail development taking place in town centres due to the "high cost of purchase and analysis" of the data.

The document suggests that, given the necessary resources, data could be procured from private companies offering monitoring services.

Planning journalists came across the latest proposal as they researched an article, which appears in the current issue of the magazine, exploring whether retail development was moving out of town.

Lobby group the British Council of Shopping Centres said it was concerned by the news. "More frequent and localised data on where development is taking place is essential if government is to monitor the impacts of policies and respond effectively," said executive director Edward Cooke.

Just off to check if they collect data in Scotland

(The article by Richard Garlick, Adam Branson and Susanna Gillman Thursday, 14 July 2011 can be found here)

Scottish Planning Series Circular 4 2009: Development Management Procedures

Extract

The planning system operates in the long term public interest. It does not exist to protect the interests of one person or business against the activities of another. In distinguishing between public and private interests, the basic question is whether the proposal would unacceptably affect the amenity and existing use of land and buildings which ought to be protected in the public interest, not whether owners or occupiers of neighbouring or other existing properties would experience financial or other loss from a particular development.

Full document here

Out of Town Retail; The Way Forward?

A survey of Sept 2008 apparently suggested (not a paid subscriber so cannot get access) that out-of town retail would be more successful than town centres in terms of instigating retail resurgence. This assertion is given some credence, perhaps, through the tone of a more recent item from June 2011 which talks of vacant shops triggering 'terminal' town decline,

The Inverness Courier however has news that 5 stores are to open in the 'Eastgate' in Inverness Town Centre, more here, and in the same paper a relatively recent item covered the proposals for six new restaurants etc at the out-of-town Inverness Retail Park

So could the wider Inverness / A96 corridor area be the exception? Could 'blanket' retail development - Tesco, Asda, Sainsburys, Co-op, Lidl, Aldi, Morrisons, Town Centre and 'Out-of Town' all work together to help us spend our way out of this recession?

Delnies decision awaits site visit

This application is now subject to a site visit possibly for the next INBS PAC August 30^th the public can attend a site visit

During the INBS PAC meeting Cllr D Kerr asked for site visit and Cllr S Park (for Nairn) questioned benefit of looking at fields then Cllr Kerr pressed his case for a site visit.

Cllr Balfour supported call for site visit along with Cllr Wynd (who cited possible impact of development on residents in adjacent ward) and Cllr Black supported call for site visit when asked by the Chairman.

INBS PAC Meeting web cast can now be viewed at http://www.highland.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/60386

450 potential, separate sites.

Highland Council's Development Planning in Highland blog reports the following:

The Inner Moray Firth Local Development Plan’s “Call for Sites” attracted 478 representations regarding 450 potential, separate sites.

More here on their blog about what they are doing now with CCs and what happens next

Inner Moray Firth Local Development Plan web page here and map of the Inner Moray Firth plan area here

A School at Delnies; now you see it, now you don't; now you see it...

Listed among the benefits which could be forthcoming from a new development at Delnies is the setting aside of land for a new primary school and the recommendation before the committee is that Planning Permission be granted subject a section 75 agreement - this agreement to include, 'The reservation of a site for a Primary School'.

Now, the preliminary concept masterplan (original layout June 2008) clearly shows an area 'Safeguarded' for a new primary school.

The preliminary concept masterplan (current layout Aug 2009) also shows an area (different arrangement perhaps) 'Safeguarded' for a new primary school.

Since then, with respect to the applicant's submission to the Highland-wide Local Development Plan - Proposed Plan consultation; whilst there is a recognition that the current concept masterplan - which forms part of their current extant planning application - includes an area of land for a future primary school, clarification of the word 'safeguarded' is provided in terms of the fact that this land was included in anticipation and support of the wider allocation of 2100 houses as per the A96 Corridor Framework. The applicants further clarify that if further land / house numbers were to be allocated to Delnies for the period 2021-2031 then there would be no objection to an area of land being reserved for a primary school.

However keen eyed observers may have noted the following statement in the appendix to the case officers report

Appendix 1 – Highland Wide Local Development Plan: Schedule 4 Submission

Original representations from White Young Green for Cawdor Maintenance Trust (325) and the Cawdor Farming No.1 Partnership (433) contained objection to the reservation of land for a Primary School, these have subsequently been withdrawn in letter dated 5 April 2011 (325) and by email of 27 April 2011 (433).

According to the council response in the Schedule 4 submission, the council appears to be maintaining its position with respect to the longer term allocation of housing:

With regard to longer term expansion of Delnies to the West, it is acknowledged that Delnies may have potential longer term but in light of the current need and demands assessment for the next 20 years, wider infrastructure requirements and community concerns over development to the west at mains issues stage, the council is minded not to change its position. It should be noted that the A96 Corridor Framework remains in place as non-statutory supplementary guidance, and later phases of development will be viewed in this context.

So a change of heart or circumstance perhaps on the part of the applicant perhaps?

East is East and West is...?

This proposal for outline planning permission now planning permission in principle)

is for a major scale mixed use development on some 638 ha. of land to the east of

Nairn at Delnies.

Will Delnies 'Reserve' Land move be promoted?

So 08/00080/OUTNA will be considered by the INBS PAC on 5th July. Officers are recommending the Grant of planning permission for this major development covering some 638no Ha west of Nairn at Delnies. However, the 300 residential units; Tourism and Heritage Centre; Hotel, Spa and Conference facilities; Golf Course, Equestrian Centre etc. may not be the total amount of development on the site in the period to 2031 and possibly beyond.

Some of this land is also allocated for 2,100 houses in the A96 framework (and by the by the boundary for the application does exceed that which is shown for the Delnies area on the A96 Framework.)

As I read it, Delnies is given a 300no house allocation during the period 2011-2020 in the HwLDP but nothing from 2021-2031 and in their representation to the HwLDP the landowners are requesting that if no allocation is given to Delnies in the medium and longer terms then the wider landholding (shown as green hatched areas north and south of the A96 on the submission here) should be given the status of 'Strategic Reserve Land'. This would be reserved for development to come forward in the event of Nairn South / Tornagrain / Whiteness failing to deliver the appropriate level of housing to meet the Plan's requirements and the longer term growth strategy of the A96 Corridor.

I must admit to being confused but won't go on any more with detail about HNDA and Nairn's allocation in the A96 Corridor - over the 30 years of the A96 Framework - and numbers for Nairn in the HwLDP.

So given my thoughts in previous posts about the change of emphasis on proposed development in the A96 Corridor it will be interesting to see if this area of land makes it into the reserves and from there, well who knows?

Read all about it HwLDP; 'Reporters Monthly Update for June 2011'

The latest from the HwLDP examination web pages:

Reporters Monthly Update for June 2011

"Following the receipt of the plan the initial administrative procedures have now been concluded. These included checking all the documentation is present and complies with the necessary legislative requirements. Part of this is an examination of the council's statement on its legal responsibilities regarding the consultation procedures followed during the preparation of the plan. After some clarification, this was all found to be in order.

The plan has now been passed formally to the reporters for the examination properly and an initial division made of the issues each will consider. A work programme has been prepared with the aim of delivering their report to the council by the end of November. Their next step is a thorough study of the plan to ensure they have a clear understanding of it, before looking at each issue in detail. The following stage will be an examination of the issues to assess whether they have enough information on each one, and if not the procedures that will be followed to acquire this. Options include further written submissions, or a hearing or inquiry session. Relevant objectors will be informed individually if they are required to take part in any further procedure."

Development Plan Assistant

The Scottish Government Directorate for Planning and Environmental Appeals

Campus seems to be main focus of City Vision

A Report to the Inverness City Committee gave over the better part of 2 of it 6 pages of text to an update of the progress of the Inverness Campus.

According to the Report proposals include:

Inverness College UHI, providing some 20,000 sq.m. of high
quality accommodation for FE, HE, research and enterprise
activity. Due to open summer 2014.

• Scottish Agricultural College (SAC), extends to 2,000 sq.m.
North of Scotland HQ for Training, Research, Consultancy
including a centre for epidemiological research. Opens in 2014.

• The Training Hotel, (partnership between Albyn Housing
Association and the Calman Trust) extending to 6000 sq.m. a
fully operational 120 bed commercial hotel offering additional
short-stay accommodation. Run as a social enterprise offering
employment and training opportunities for the disadvantaged.
Opens in 2014

• Centre for Health Science, Phase IV, project now under
development which may include: multi-disciplinary healthcare
practice; primary care, rural health & digital health research
activity; and business incubator. Planned opening 2015.

• Regional Sports Facility, offering enhanced facilities for
students and local community but also promoting excellence and
supporting elite athletes. Academic links with wellbeing and
sports medicine. Planned opening 2015.

• Student/short-term accommodation. Planned 1st Phase
opening 2014.

More here

Is 'The New Town' near Tornagrain about to disappear off the map?

For more than 6 years now there has been talk of building a New Town on a large greenfield site off the A96 - near to Inverness Airport and close to the tiny existing hamlet of Tornagrain; from which the New Town would take its name.

I attended the early public meetings at which the plans for this venture were outlined and heard Andres Duany say quite clearly that the blue dot (referring to the place on a map where the New Town would be situated) is /was 'not going away'.

Well there has been very little talk of this New Town recently but plenty of references to developments in other areas of Inverness and Nairn.

For example, the Inverness Courier today has an item on the new proposals for a site at Inverness Retail and Business Park - click here (and lets not forget that there is an outstanding application for 'bulky goods retail' a little further up the retail park site)

Then there's the item in the Press and Journal, also today:

Work on a new town centre to the east of Inverness could start by the end of the year as a legal agreement between the developers and Highland Council is set to be finalised shortly.

Consortium Inverness Estates has pledged to commit millions of pounds to infrastructure at the 2,500-home development at Stratton Farm, as part of the agreement which outlines planning gain.

The consortium, composed of Tulloch Homes of Inverness, Aviemore-based Upland Developments and Narden from Nairn, has agreed to instal roads and basic services, such as water and electrical supplies, at the 195-acre site, saving the council millions of pounds.

Read more: http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/2324426#ixzz1QCu4KjOJ

On June 20th a piece on the BBC web news, 'The Only Way is Essich' conveyed the views of Chartered Surveyors Souter and Jaffrey as being that:

...for much of the last decade developers have focused on east Inverness, but the firm expected the opening of the Asda and Tesco to revive interest in areas such as Lochardil and Holm.

Those living in the town of Nairn will know that Highland Council is preparing to consider whether or not to grant Planning in Principle for a planning application with significant and varied development on a very large site west of Nairn (the area of land here also contains an SSSI SPA and Ramsar site).

To this observer there certainly seems to have been a change of emphasis.

A short film to watch

An interesting piece at the link below

http://www.youtube.com/v/APkygNRylRY

See also 'The End of Sustainable Development' here and more about the speaker / author here

HwLDP examination; what's to come?

It is early days yet for the examination of the Highland-wide Local Development Plan; to get an idea of the sorts of things that the Reporter's unit asks for why not check out a couple of other Local Authority web sites:

• Mid Fife Local Plan examination page

• North Lanarkshire Local Plan examination page

DPEA Current Examinations page

It seems it may not take too long for the Highland Council's 'Examination' web page to fill up with requests for info - and details of hearings?

No right to be heard

The examination will be led by the Reporter, and neither the objector nor the planning authority have a right to be heard at a public local inquiry;

Recent changes to the Planning Act require planning authorities to prepare local development plans for their area. These are to replace the previous local plans.

If representations have been made to the planning authority about the plan and any matters of dispute have not been resolved, the planning authority must submit the plan to the Scottish Ministers for examination.

Ministers will appoint a person, or persons (normally Scottish Government Reporters), to carry out the examination.

The arrangements for the examination will be made by the Directorate for Planning and Environmental Appeals.

The main features of the new process are:

• The planning authority will be expected to submit, at the outset, all the material necessary for the examination, including a summary of the unresolved issues arising from the unwithdrawn objections;

• The Reporter will decide how to conduct the examination and, for each issue, whether s/he requires further information;

• The examination will be led by the Reporter, and neither the objector nor the planning authority have a right to be heard at a public local inquiry;

• For most issues, no further information should be required, but if it is, the Reporter will decide who will be asked to provide it;

• A written submission setting out the information requested should usually be sufficient;

• The Reporter may decide to hold a hearing if that is needed to explore the information further, and will decide who to invite to participate in the discussion at the hearing;Only exceptionally will an inquiry session be necessary to test the information through cross-examination;

• The Reporter will submit a report of the examination to the planning authority, containing his or her conclusions and recommendations on each issue; and

• Any modifications to the plan which are recommended by the Reporter will generally be binding on the planning authority.

Web page here

Examination update HwLDP - update

Planning asked to provide coloured copies of Maps more here

General Page here