Click the link below for the 'NPF3 Resource Pack' from the Scottish Government web pages
Friday, 12 October 2012
Inverness case study: Visioning at the scale of a small city
Apologies but I have only just come across this now;
Scottish Government Case Study
Organisation Architecture and Design Scotland (A+DS)
Date Completed July 2010
Extract:
...A+DS and Highland Council planners had concluded that the lack of a spatial plan for the city was making it very difficult to ensure that the development of what was then one of Europe’s fastest growing cities was producing the right benefits for the whole city.
A staged city visioning exercise brought together a City Vision Team and various different interest and user groups to consider a place based approach to
policy formulation.
The process led to the development of a clear diagram describing the spatial structure of the city, and the proposal to draft more detailed spatial frameworks for a number of priority areas.
Full item here
Planning - Current Scottish Government Work
Some good stuff here.
Click on the link below to find a table containing ...details of current Planning and Architecture Division, and wider Scottish Government work of relevance to planning. It is used by PAD territorial planners to inform planning authorities of current work and provide key contacts.
The page at the link above is well worth a look now and in the future if you are interested in how your local area is likely to develop.
A planning committee ordered to 'stand down' in Cambridge
The first time I have come across something like this.
The BBC reports - 12 October 2012 Last updated at 13:31:
All 14 members of a Cambridgeshire council's planning committee have been ordered to stand down in a row over supermarket planning applications.
Full story here
NPF3 Events - why not mark it in the diary now!
Update – National Planning Framework 3 and Scottish Planning Policy Consultation Events in November 2012
'...a series of stakeholder and public consultation events around the country during November. At each location there will be:
- Stakeholder events, aimed at local authorities, public and private organisations. This will include a presentation and discussion session. Invitations are being issued directly to key stakeholders, but there may also be some space available for others to come along. Participants must register their interest in attending with thenpfteam@scotland.gsi.gov.uk by October 26, 2012.
- An open public ‘drop in’ event, that anyone can attend, whether an individual, group, public or private organisation. This will be informal and participative, with officials from the NPF3 and SPP teams attending to discuss views and answer questions on a one to one basis. There is no need to pre-register for these events.13 November 2012Inverness – Eden Court Theatre12pm - 2pm Stakeholder Event (pre-registration required)3pm - 7pm Public Event (drop in at any time)For more details and a list of the other events in Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Dumfries and Glasgow click on link here
Problems with THC e-Planning but consultation deadlines extended
On THC web site - link here
.
...The Highland Council is advising anyone accessing its e-Planning service that they are working to fix problems with the system and the time to respond to current consultations will be extended to take into account the difficulties experienced by users.
A Council spokesperson said: “We are aware that people are currently experiencing difficulty accessing planning application documents on line through our ePlanning system. We are currently seeking to resolve the matter and hope to allow public access to the documents as quickly as practicable.
"Public access to documents has been affected since Tuesday afternoon and we would wish to apologise for the lack of public access to our system over this period. Unfortunately the source of the problem is outwith the Council’s control, and the system supplier is now seeking to resolve the problem as a matter of urgency.
"Consultation deadlines will be extended, where relevant to reflect the time period the system was down to ensure that people have an opportunity to view documents before making comments on planning applications."
Wednesday, 10 October 2012
Very good reasons to keep up with what is going with the ' Third National Plan' and other reforms to planning policy
In the words of an RTPI representative*:
...Stephen Tucker, Chair of RTPI Scotland’s planning policy sub committee said,
“Scottish Government deserves some credit for establishing a National Planning Framework for Scotland in the first place. There are also signs that they have sought to incrementally improve the document with each edition. At the RTPI we hope that NPF3 will continue this process and perhaps for the first time, provide a long term physical vision for the country. If it does then we truly have a Plan Led system where the national plan provides the context for all development plans further down the tiers..” (APTSec highlight)
(*from the opening page of the Aug 2012 issue of 'Scottish Planner - The Journal of RTPI Scotland' here)
So this plan, this 'Third National Planning Framework for Scotland' will be...
THE BIG ONE
...especially in the light of the all the planned reforms to the planning system in Scotland and the determination of the Local government and Planning Minister, Derek Mackay, to make these reforms a working reality.
What to do now
Why not do a little reading to familiarise yourself with what is about to take place - time has a habit of flying by.
A Participation Statement , published on line, sets out the publication timetable and forthcoming consultation opportunities. NPF3 is due to be published by 25 June 2014, according to the document.
The Scottish Government has launched a call for Candidate National Developments - which is open until 14 December - to be considered for inclusion in the final NPF. The selected developments must make a significant contribution to Scotland's sustainable economic growth and be of national, rather than regional, significance. They must also make a significant contribution to one or more specified criteria including emissions reduction; renewable energy targets; skills development; strengthening Scotland's international links, and improving the country's digital, transport, utilities or green infrastructure networks.
Don't forget that anything that gets designated as a 'National Development' in the Third NPF will effectively be a 'shoe in' to a Local Development Plan because the 'Need for such' will have been established through the National Plan.
RSPB says NPF3 'Must deliver for Scotland's Environment'
In an item from their web site dating back to 18 September 2012.
Extract:
RSPB Scotland has welcomed the Scottish Government’s continued commitment to a robust Scottish planning system and to the National Planning Framework for Scotland.
In a Ministerial announcement today Planning Minister, Derek Mackay, confirmed that work was commencing on the Third National Planning Framework for Scotland (NPF3).
NPF3 will set out a spatial framework for the development of Scotland over the next 20-30 years. However the wildlife conservation charity has warned that if not managed properly, with too much emphasis on short-term economic growth without considering the full impact on the environment, it could be damaging to the sustainable development of Scotland.
The current National Planning Framework, NPF2, encountered difficulties by identifying a new coal fired power station at Hunterston in Ayrshire as a “National Development”. This became the most unpopular planning application in Scottish Planning History, with over 22,000 objections submitted before the developers eventually abandoned the project.
Aedán Smith, Head of Planning and Development for RSPB Scotland said: “The National Planning Framework offers a great opportunity for Government to set out its vision for how Scotland can become more successful. However, this must not involve growth at all costs. If we want all of Scotland to benefit in the long term, it is critical that the new national planning framework also provides for the protection and enhancement of Scotland’s natural environment.”
“There is a particular need to improve the process by which national developments are identified. The inclusion of the proposed Hunterston Coal Fired Power Station in NPF2 damaged the reputation of the planning process and this needs to be rectified in the development of NPF3. Hunterston must be removed as a National Development and communities and the Scottish Parliament must be given a greater say over the final form of the planning framework to prevent it just becoming a developer’s wish list.”
RSPB site here
He is being called the 'Quiet reformer'
"I'm convinced this will genuinely incentivise planning authorities to perform in the way we want them to..."
I came across this rather worrying article (dated last Friday) regarding the new SNP Minister for L Gov and Planning, Derek Mackay and his plans for the future of the planning system in Scotland. It seems that we really can expect very big changes to planning from this new SNP Government Minister. I know that I have already mentioned a lot about all the proposed planning reforms but seeing everything laid out here in this article certainly gave me a far stronger sense of foreboding than I had before and increased my concerns that any talk of community empowerment from the Government will remain just that, talk, for evermore.
The article begins:
The extent of the changes to Scotland's planning system may be as significant as those in England, but the country's planning minister is trying to avoid provocation in his dealings with the sector, reports John Geoghegan.
One thing that particularly stands out from the article is when the author writes:
...The most eye-catching initiative among these is a plan to link improved planning performance by local authorities with a rise in the fees they can charge for processing applications. The government is proposing to allow councils to charge up to £100,000, up from a current cap of £15,950. But if an authority fails to raise its game, it will be forced to return to the current fee level and repay any charges made above that level. The performance of authorities will be judged on the basis of the government's new Planning Performance Framework (PPF), which provides a checklist for councils to measure their performance against. Speed of decisions is a central factor but it also includes other issues such as quality of development, customer service and level of resources.
Mackay says developers have told him that they are willing to pay more if he can create an improved system based on "certainty, fairness and swift assessment". Critics, however, say penalising already hard-hit local authorities will not improve performance. Mackay replies that the sanction would only be a last resort and would follow a probe into why a particular authority was performing poorly.
"I'm convinced this will genuinely incentivise planning authorities to perform in the way we want them to. I don't think it will ever come to using the sanction, but if I need to use it, I will."
The article continues further on:
Despite Mackay's eagerness to shake-up the system and improve performance, don't expect any Westminster-style pronouncements of planners as "enemies of enterprise". Mackay says he enjoys "a positive relationship with planners", adding: "You can only get the buy-in of the profession if you work with them. I don't see bashing folk over the head for the sake of it as a helpful way to deliver change."
Mackay claims that this "constructive and positive" approach has helped Scotland to get ahead of the curve compared with the rest of the UK on planning reform. (APTSec underline) "We are delivering a quiet revolution in planning, but we are doing it methodically and with stakeholders," he says. "We are focused on delivering growth, but protecting our heritage too. That's part of our economic strategy."
Further extracts from article:
Derek Mackay isn't messing about. Scotland's minister for local government and planning may only have started the job last December, but he is already driving wholescale reform of the planning system. And the reform process, which began before Mackay's arrival in the post, is as far-reaching as anything currently taking place in England.
In March, he announced a package of measures designed to streamline and improve the planning system, in a document titled Planning Reform - Next Steps. Then last month, Mackay told the Scottish Parliament that the government intended to carry out a further shake-up by updating two national planning strategies.
First, he announced a review of Scottish Planning Policy (SPP), which guides how planning authorities should deal with applications and development plans, and is the equivalent of England's National Planning Policy Framework. Second, he laid out a programme for drawing up the third National Planning Framework (NPF3), Scotland's top-level spatial document that sets out strategic priorities, including major developments, for the next 20 to 30 years.
The full article can be found here
Town Centre Retail Projects Stalled
According to today's e Planning newsletter:
Extract:
'More than two thirds of town centre and edge of centre retail developments in Scotland are currently stalled, according to a report published today.'
'The report from consultancy GVA says that 68 per cent of projects have stalled, with local authorities blaming a variety of factors including lack of development finance, lack of developer interest and weak occupier demand.
The report also asked local authorities in Scotland how they were responding to the lack of retail development and found that 76 per cent intended to prepare town centre strategies in the next 12 months and that 56 per cent intended to allow greater flexibility of use types within their town centres.'
A copy of the report will be available shortly.
Full item here
Politicians and Us
Thanks to a contact who has passed on the following comment she heard from a friend:
"...the huge gulf between political idealism and real life means that we need a translator to understand each other".
Thursday, 4 October 2012
Homelessness, Garages and Office Accomodation
Latest HC Press Releases
There's,
The Highland Council has welcomed the latest quarterly statistics on homelessness which show a 36% reduction in homeless presentations in the Highlands compared to a national reduction of 13%.
The Council has also reported that they are meeting the Scottish Government’s targets in relation to priority need assessments in 94% of cases compared to 93% nationally, and that they are well placed to meet the target required by 31 December 2012.
Councillor Dave Fallows, Chairman of the Finance Housing and Resources Committee, said: “We have also seen a reduction of 17% in the number of households in temporary accommodation compared to a reduction of 6% nationally. Link here
Then there's,
Highland Councillors have agreed to consult with current garage tenants and residents living close to Council garages and garage sites on the number currently vacant and on how to make better use of these areas.
The council owns and manages 1,820 individual garages and 904 individual garage sites. Currently 1,425 garages are rented out and 653 sites are occupied.
As part of its review the Council will also be seeking views on whether there are opportunities for these premises to be used to help individual micro businesses to start up or be put to greater community use. Link here
And then there's,
Committee members were advised the outline business case highlighted the scope to achieve savings of £1.45 million per year by reducing office space by 44%.
The next phase of work would identify where the offices will be located and how the project is to be funded. Link here
Wednesday, 3 October 2012
Inverness City Centre Development Brief
To be found at the end of the report at this link
Extract from the report:
City Vision by identifying and promoting opportunities and actions for the
redevelopment and enhancement of the city core. Under the new Scheme of
Delegation powers available to the Inverness City Committee, Members are asked to
approve the City Centre Development Brief as Supplementary Guidance to the
Highland-wide Local Development Plan.
Thursday, 27 September 2012
Wonder where Highland's figures are?
From Planning: Regeneration and Renewal link here
Changes to funding for affordable housing led to a drop of almost a third in the number of homes granted planning permission in Scotland during 2011-12, according to the Scottish government.
An estimated 4,767 affordable homes were granted permission during the year, a drop of 28 per cent from 2010-11, and a reduction of 29 per cent from the annual average between 2008 and 2011.
The figures were revealed in a statistical bulletin compiled by the Scottish Government.
The figures exclude Highland Council because it failed to submit its returns, according to the bulletin.
The figures were revealed in a statistical bulletin compiled by the Scottish Government.
The figures exclude Highland Council because it failed to submit its returns, according to the bulletin.
Also from SG web pages
Scotland’s Chief Statistician today (260912) published Rural Scotland Key Facts 2012.
Some examples of the results contained in the publication are provided below. Comparisons between rural areas (remote and accessible), and the rest of Scotland show that rural areas have:
- a faster rising population than the rest of Scotland and higher rates of in-migration
- higher rates of economically active people and more households where total income exceeds £20,000 per year
- longer life expectancies, fewer emergency hospital admissions and fewer people who smoke
- a higher proportion of people who volunteer in their community and rate their neighbourhood as a ‘very good’ place to live
Rural areas also have:
- more expensive housing stock and a higher rate of households in fuel poverty
- a higher proportion of households spending over £100 a month on fuel for cars
- fewer residents who find key services convenient and who are in close proximity to public transport options
- fewer children who walk or cycle to school and fewer adults using active or public transport to work or education
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