The Scottish Government

Name

Bill Lindsay

Job title

Organisation

Development Services, Fife Council

Address

Town House, 2 Wemyssfield, Kirkcaldy, KY1 1XW

Telephone

08451 55 55 55 + Ext 47 17 76 (Direct Line)

Fax

01592 583638

Email

Bill.Lindsay@fife.gov.uk

1 Scottish Natural Heritage

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Development Plans Development Management Development on the Ground Community Involvement

4 Title of entry

Fife's Local Landscape Designation Review

Professional knowledge Innovation Management Sustainable development

Partnership Community interest Regeneration Customer satisfaction

This project sought to refresh the use of local landscape designations in Fife. It was undertaken in accordance with the principles set out in the "Guidance on Local Landscape Designations" (2005, SNH and Historic Scotland). The project provides a transparent methodology for the evaluation of the different landscapes of Fife based on existing Landscape Character Assessment work. It developed a clear process for delineating proposed designated landscapes and describing their key attributes and regional value. The main purpose of this project was to provide a review of Fife's current local landscape designations - Areas of Great Landscape value ( AGLVs).

All of Fife's current Local plans include AGLVs and supporting planning policy. In 2007, Fife Council agreed to a review of the local landscape designations for Fife; that the work would be integrated into the Local Plan preparation. Land Use Consultants ( LUC) were appointed in October 2007 to provide a systematic and transparent review of the Fife landscape with the aim of identifying and justifying areas meriting local designation. Since then a Steering Group involving representatives of Fife Council (Development Services and Community Services) and Scottish Natural Heritage ( SNH) has led the work. This innovative work is the first of its kind completed in Scotland, following on from the City of Edinburgh Council where work is ongoing.

• To identify and justify Fife landscapes which have particular value and merit special attention as designated landscapes
• To inform a Fife wide 'all-landscapes' approach and future landscape objectives
• To inform the preparation of Fife's Development Plan
• To inform future design guidelines, development briefs, masterplans, and developers' concept statements

The Project Steering Group received LUC's final draft report in July 2008. The group is confident that the candidate Special Landscape Areas should be the basis for proposed new local landscape designations in the forthcoming local plans as they come forward during 2008-09. However, this is an ongoing project and there will be further opportunities to receive comment and consider amendments to the proposals as part of each local plan's consultation process. Fife's landscape character and qualities, and the way these are valued, will continue to change over time. The landscape designations proposed are not permanent and will need future review.

Each Special Landscape Area was supported by a Statement of Importance. This names the area, details and describes its mapped boundary, gives the reasons for its designation, considers forces for change, and gives management recommendations. It is this Statement which provides the justification for the designated area. These candidate areas were proposed through the consultant's survey and informed by online consultation and stakeholder meetings. The Steering Group was worked with the consultant to manage the consultation and validate the final recommendations. Fife Council's Planning Committee has approved the study's recommendations as the basis of informing the landscape designations in new local plans.

SNH co-sponsored the costs of the project and has worked closely with Fife Council in all stages of the project from the formulation of the brief through to validation of the proposed landscape designations. SNH has has a statutory responsibility in this project. With input from the organisation's landscape policy specialists, SNH helped tease out key issues in the published guidance and provided a broader national perspective on landscape designation matters to be fed into the project. SNH places particular importance in protecting and guiding change in areas of Scotland with designated landscape importance. The organisation has contributed through its partnership in funding, co-sponsoring of the project brief and in their participation in the Steering Group.

The outputs from the designation review are currently being incorporated into Fife's three local plans. Once the new designations are incorporated in new local plans, there will be a more rational distribution of local landscape designations across Fife than is currently the case. The proposed designations will also more accurately reflect the diversity and rich character of Fife's landscape as a whole. The new designated landscapes will have clearly justified boundaries and will be supported by up to date descriptions which will help provide useful information to supplement local plans. This information will be considered a material consideration and will assist in delivery of clear and well focussed development management in Fife.

While the use of local landscape designations in Fife was an established approach to protecting and guiding change, the earlier designated areas were poorly justified in terms of their geographic distribution, the rationale for their designation, and their overall applicabilty for development management purposes. The work outlined in this submission has sought to comprehensively reassess and reinvigorate the use of local landscape designations in Fife. The project has involved pioneering thinking and a collaborative approach to working between Fife Council, SNH, and the project consultants. We believe that the outputs from this project will be easier to understand and use in development management which, in turn, will lead to better protection and enhancement of landscapes in Fife, and lead national practice.

26 August 2008