The Scottish Government

Name

Ruth Findlay

Job title

Organisation

South Lanarkshire Council

Address

Montrose House, 154 Montrose Crescent, Hamilton, ML3 6LB

Telephone

01698 455943

Fax

Fax 01698 455948

Email

Email ruth.findlay@southlanarkshire.gov.uk

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Development Plans Development Management Development on the Ground Community Involvement

4 Title of entry

Community Growth Area Masterplan Development Frameworks

Professional knowledge Innovation Management Sustainable development

Partnership Community interest Regeneration Customer satisfaction

Masterplan Development Frameworks ( MDF) are documents that have been prep red for the Community Growth Areas ( CGA) identified in the emerging South Lanarkshire Local Plan (Finalised) 2006 ( SLLP) as a way to deliver national guidance/policy at the local level. The MDF's establish the link between policy (creating communities, meeting long-term housing requirements) and product (public local inquiry case, vision, masterplan and towards planning application). Through applying professional knowledge and working in partnership, the MDF's provides a design tool to deliver the place-making and streets and movement agenda. It provides guidance for delivering the Scottish Strategy for Sustainable Development and promotes national, regional and local policies and objectives.

The merging SLLP (Finalised) 2006 identifies five Community Growth Areas ( CGA) to m et long-term housing requirements in South Lanarkshire in accordance with the Glasgow and Clyde Valley Structure Plan 2006. In the Local Plan the Council set out high level requirements that the masterplans for the CGA's require to take account of. The MDF takes it a stage further and provides a vehicle to achieve the place making agenda by setting out the vision, effectiveness, value and deliverability of these CGA's. The document informs and guides the preparation of forth-coming masterplans and subsequent outline planning application. The MDF's have been developed in collaboration with developers and landowners who have been keen to engage early and share their knowledge to better inform the Frameworks.

To achieve the co-incidence of interests from: South Lanarkshire CounciI ( SLC) (Statutory Duty - Planning & Development, Local Plan Objectives, Public Local Inquiry: validate CGA's) + Developers (developable site, marketable site/ development, viable business case, manage planning risk) = Community Growth Area (sustainable, viable, well connected places). SLC is committed to achieving socially, economically and environmentally sustainable communities at the edge of town. The MDF has been developed in pursuit of the objectives contained within planning policy and best practice, as set out in the MDF: Place-Making Agenda; Architectural and Design Scotland; Street and Movement Agenda; Sustainable Places; Scottish Planning Policy; Local Plan Objectives.

The initial concept for this innovative document was taken forward for the preparation of the Public Local Inquiry. Supporting technical documents were prepared over a five month period from Nov 2006 - March 2007, which provided desk studies and assessments for each CGA. The content and structure of the MDF document was developed at the beginning of 2007. The Masterplan Development Framework was completed in August 2007 to meet the timescales for PLI for each CGA: Hamilton West, East Kilbride, Newton, Larkhall/Ferniegair and Carluke. The preparation of CGAMDF's support the Local Plan proposals to prove the CGA sites are effective and demonstrate the deliverability of the CGA's in the long term.

The action taken to develop the MDF involved sessions with the team which included Planning Officers and consultants. The team addressed key issues + objectives at the outset and decided upon the vehicle that would deliver our vision. Exe plary project management skills were shown as the documents had to meet tight timescales of the PLI. Once a route was devised to achieve the objectives, developers/landowners were brought on board and became an intricate part of the process and as knowledge was shared there was a greater understanding of the site's opportunities + constraints. There were higher level discussions of the MDF's to extend the engagement and explore the thinking as workshops were held with Stakeholders, the Community Planning Partnership and Corporate Management Team.

SLC Planning Officers applied their professional knowledge + project managed the process effectively + efficiently. The Planners worked closely with SLC Roads, Greenspace, Education, Housing, and Consultants (Landscape Architects, Technicians, Engineers, Urban Designers) within LPI timescales to achieve a quality and valuable document. To ensure the place-making agenda is deliverable key stakeholders were consulted + engaged in the process, they included; Health Service, Strathclyde Passenger Transport, Transport Scotland, SEPA, SNH, Glasgow & Clyde Valley Structure Plan, Communities Scotland, and Architecture & Design Scotland. Discussion with the Community Planning Partnership ( CPP) made certain CPP objectives were encompassed, connecting land use planning with community planning.

This project' involved the innovative approach of creating MDF's for each of the CGA s identified within the Local Plan to support the site's effectiveness through the PLI and demonstrate their deliverability. The documents are a link between the LOC~ Plan and Detailed Masterplan/ Developers Agreements. As the documents are prepared at development plan stage the Council's requirements for CGA's are take into account at the outset of proposed developments. Many challenges are addressed, from both the Council's and developer/landowner's interest early in the process rather than at the development management stage, for example design, road and water management issues. This in turn has benefits for the Council and the a plicants in terms of time, efficiency and delivery of the place-making agenda.

The process undertaken to produce the MDF's, encompassing our vision for the CGAs, is an innovative and collaborative approach developed by SLC and represents an excellent example of delivering the 'place making' agenda. The Frameworks demonstrate a co-incidence of interests between the Council and developers which has been successful through the drive, commitment and diligence of the Planners. The MDF's supported the Council's case for the CGA sites at the PLI, together with providing a comprehensive 'design tool' to developers in the preparation of their detailed masterplans. To deliver the MDF's required effective project management, negotiation skills, applying professional knowledge, expertise and partnership working to provide a model to achieve sustainable development.

25 August 2008