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Application form
Please make sure you have read all the notes carefully before you start to fill in the application form. This application form can either be completed by hand or electronically - it is available on the Planning homepage at www.scotland.gov.uk/planning. Please complete all five sections. The deadline for submitting applications is 27 August 2008. An acknowledgement letter will be sent to the person who has completed this form.
1 Please provide a name and contact details of the lead organisation responsible for this work.
Name | Michaela Sullivan |
Job title | Head of Planning |
Organisation | Forth Ports Property Investments Ltd |
Address | 1 Prince of Wales Dock, Edinburgh, EH6 7DX |
Telephone | 0131 555 8708 |
Fax | 0131 555 0911 |
Email | michaela.sullivan@forthports.co.uk |
2 If this is a joint application, please list the other partners who had a key role. You should also inform your partners that you are nominating the project for an award.
1 Turley Associates | 2 Leith Harbour and Newhaven Community Council |
3 | 4 |
5 | 6 |
3 Tick one nomination category
4 Title of entry | Leith Docks Outline Planning Application Public Participation Strategy |
Please complete the form on the following pages by providing a brief summary of the piece of work you have entered. You must also conclude with a key reason as to why you think this work merits an Award. Only the two A4 pages supplied here can be used and your text must fit within the boxes. The font size should be no less than 12pt.
The judging criteria are set out below. Please tick only the key criteria relevant to your entry:
You must describe how the project relates to the criteria which you have ticked.
Description of project
The project involved a comprehensive community participation exercise carried out as part of the Outline Planning Application ( OPA) for Leith Docks in Edinburgh. The public participation exercise was a key component in informing the content of the planning application and the evolution of the Masterplan. The consultation strategy involved a number of innovative and practical techniques including community workshops, public exhibitions and the use of questionnaires. This successfully integrated the views of the public and stakeholder groups into the development of Forth Ports' development vision, by providing the structure and process through which they could contribute their views. |
Describe the background to the project
Leith Docks is one of the most significant brownfield sites in Scotland. Forth Ports has been working in partnership with City of Edinburgh Council ( CEC) and the local communities for the redevelopment and regeneration of Leith Docks since 2003. An outline planning application for the site was submitted in September 2007, building upon the Leith Docks Development Framework, prepared as supplementary planning guidance for the area and adopted by CEC in 2005. The planning application establishes the principle of development of the site for residential, community, leisure, business and industrial land uses. The community participation exercise formed a critical part of the planning submission as a means of integrating public views on the content and evolution of the development |
What are the aims and objectives of the project?
To engage with as many people as possible, across a wide spectrum of ages in order to develop a better understanding of local concerns and to listen to ideas. To gather comments from local people and organisations on priorities for the Leith Docks Development. To provide information to local people about the development proposals. To improve and refine the development proposals in response to the local context. To give guidance to the design team on how to integrate responses into the Outline Planning Application. |
Over what timescale has the project been developed?
Forth Ports agreed the content of the consultation strategy with CEC in early 2006. Following this, the first workshops were carried out with Community Councils, local schools and local groups. The next stage was a series of public exhibitions in late 2006. A workshop with local Councillors was then held in January 2007. Inputs from participation events were collated during March/April 2007, and used to refine the masterplan proposals. A feedback exhibition was held during the summer of 2007, prior to the submission of the planning application in September 2007. The City of Edinburgh Council has commended the consultation process, and subsequently resolved to grant planning permission in August 2008. |
Explain the process and action taken
A structured programme of community consultation was established, including a rolling programme of consultation workshops and public exhibitions, which were publicised in the local media. Consultation workshops were based around the use of visual prompts, aimed to actively engage participants and gather opinions. For example, photographs of urban environments around the world were used to stimulate debate. This provided a user friendly and innovative approach to participation. Later on in the process, presentations with consultation groups and additional rounds of exhibitions were carried out to provide feedback to the public on the planning process. This culminated in a further exhibition to explain the content of the submitted outline planning application. |
Explain the role of the key partners
Forth Ports own Leith Docks and is responsible for the submission of the outline planning application for the comprehensive redevelopment and regeneration of the area. They are committed to implementing best practice in all aspects of the development process, particularly community involvement. Turley Associates were responsible for designing and undertaking the consultation exercise throughout the course of the project. As well as being a participant, Leith Harbour and Newhaven Community Council were instrumental in providing an appropriate interface between the Forth Ports team and the community. |
What results were achieved?
The public participation events attracted a significant level of public interest, reflected in the good attendance at workshops, and high return rate of questionnaires from individuals attending exhibitions. There were 500 visits to the events and 320 completed questionnaires were received. The public participation strategy adopted for the Leith Docks development has successfully facilitated the integration of public views and opinions into the masterplan strategy. In particular, we learned that people wanted mixed use, safe public space, access to the water, and a scale and quality of development that would put Leith "on the map". The results of the community consultation were distilled into a Statement of Participation submitted with the planning application. |
In summary, why does this piece of work merit an Award?
The project provides an excellent example of how to involve communities and people in the planning process. It involved genuine participation in the process and not just "consultation". People were actively encouraged to take part through user friendly engagement techniques, thereby maximising the number of responses. It also provided participants with an understanding of the design and development process, which allowed for informed and meaningful feedback. Most importantly, the proposals were changed in a positive way as a direct result of the community response. The project therefore contributes significantly to informing best practice in the sphere of community participation and, in our view, advances the Government's 'culture change' agenda. |
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