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Scottish Awards for Quality in Planning 2003

Application form

This application form can either be completed by hand or electronically (pdf version) on the Planning homepage at www.scotland.gov.uk/planning . Please complete all four questions. The deadline is 12 September 2003. An acknowledgement letter will be sent to the person who has completed this form.

Please provide a name and contact details of the organisation responsible for this work. If partners were involved, identify the lead organisation, and then list the other partners/bodies who had a key role.

Name of key partners (if appropriate)

Please complete the form by providing a brief summary (in no more than the space provided) 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.

Please tick the key criteria which relate to this entry:

You must describe in your written submission (below) how the criteria which you have ticked relates to your project.

Description of project

A key consideration in the preparation of the Finalised Dundee Local Plan Review has been the production of a Plan that is easy to use by the diverse range of interested parties.

The format of the Plan is considered to be innovative. It contains a clear statement of the Sustainable Development Strategy that sets a context for the detailed policy matters that follow. Traditional chapter headings have been replaced by more broadly themed sections. This seeks to recognise the linkages that exist between different land uses.

The layout of the Plan too seeks to aid accessibility. Each broadly themed policy area is clearly referenced. Confusing policy references such as EMP1 or ENV12 have been avoided. Each Policy has its own number and a title. In devising policy tiles, care has been taken to ensure that it meaningfully conveys the matter under consideration. Clarity in the Proposals Map has also been improved by removing policy references and focusing on strong linkages between the map and the key.

The Plan has been produced in a loose-leaf format with the vast majority of policies beginning on a new page. As well as aiding clarity, this will allow for easy updating of the Plan as it progresses through its statutory stages. Pre-inquiry changes will be produced in a format that allows incorporation into the Finalised Local Plan.

Following adoption, the use of the loose-leaf format will also have advantages. For example, where the Council's approach to a particular policy issue changes or requires to be updated to reflect new circumstances, it is intended to produce an update page that could be incorporated into the Plan itself. Through the use of different colour paper it will be possible to differentiate between statutory and non-statutory parts of the Local Plan.

The use of the internet has been embraced to further promote accessibility to the Plan and the Plan preparation process. Public involvement in the different stages of Plan preparation has been promoted through the Dundee City Council website. For the most recent development of this approach the City Council engaged Cook Hammond & kell to produce a fully interactive version of the Finalised Dundee Local Plan Review. This version allows interrogation of the Proposals Map on-line to identify policies and proposals relevant to a specific area of the City or a specific site. It also provides direct access to the full text of the Written Statement including all policies, proposals and appendices.

This website uses innovative software that has been developed and designed by Cook Hammond & kell to assist local authorities in meeting their 'e-government' objectives.

Timescale (over which the project has developed)

The Notice of Intention to Start Preparation of the Dundee Local Plan Review was published in June 2001.

An initial leaflet was produced in July 2001 and issued to a range of interested parties as well as being placed in libraries and other public information points.

Issues Papers covering a range of mailers to be included in the Local Plan were published in November 2001. As well as being sent to a wide range of consultees, the Issues Papers were published on the City Council's website.

The Consultative Draft Dundee Local Plan Review was approved by the City Council's Planning and Transportation Committee in June 2002 and published in August 2002. The Draft Plan was also published on the Council's website and the opportunity was given for comments on the Draft Plan to be submitted electronically.

The Finalised Dundee Local Plan Review was approved by the City Council's Planning and Transportation Committee in January 2003. Although not published until April 2003, immediately following its approval by Committee the Plan was made available on the Council's website. Coincident with the publication of the Finalised Local Plan, a fully interactive version of the Plan was produced, accessed via the Council's website. In addition, a CD version of the Plan was made available in small numbers to further enhance the range of options available for accessing the Plan.

Careful management of the process has ensured that good progress towards Plan production has been achieved. Changes in circumstances and responding to issues and events during the process have not been allowed to deflect attention away from the challenging timetable that is being set for different stages of Plan preparation.

Context (the problem which had to be addressed)

How to best meet the demands of the diverse range of users of the Local Plan was a key consideration in the preparation of the Finalised Dundee Local Plan Review. For professionals and developers, the Plan is required to be sufficiently detailed and comprehensive. However, for members of the public, whose interest may be more limited, the Plan must also be accessible. The traditional format of a Local Plan is often criticised for being daunting and difficult to understand by members of the public. The lack of a clear statement of the Plan strategy at the outset can hamper understanding of the Plan. The format of the 1998 Dundee Local Plan has drawn the comment that the whole Plan must be read to gain an understanding of the "big picture".

The traditional chapter format is somewhat inflexible. Certain policy issues do not fit neatly into specific chapters.

The layout of the Plan and the method of binding makes updating difficult. A fresh approach to the format of the Local Plan was necessary.

Despite advances in technology, the cost of publishing the Local Plan remains high. Whilst copies of the Local Plan were issued free of charge to statutory consultees, a charge requires to be imposed on all other parties. This can dissuade some people from becoming involved in the process. Whilst making copies of the Plan available in libraries and other public places, it is recognised that large sections of the population are not reached. The growing use of the internet presented an opportunity to significantly increase the accessibility of the Plan.

Action taken

A new Local Plan format was devised that presented the Plan in two main parts. Part 1 sets out the development strategy for the Local Plan area, setting out the key land use issues facing the City and how the Local Plan proposes to tackle them.

Part 2 of the Local Plan contains the more detailed policies and proposals. These are grouped under five broad headings, each of which is clearly referenced. The general approach of a single policy on each page simplifies understanding and enables easy updating.

The Finalised Local Plan has been produced in a loose-leaf format to allow easy incorporation of pre-Inquiry changes.

The use of the internet has enabled a wider audience to be reached during the Local Plan preparation process as well as providing a cheap and convenient method for many people to access the Plan. The continuing improvement of technology has enabled greater interaction between the Proposals Map and the written statement and has contributed significantly to understanding of the content of the Local Plan.

The production of a CD version of the Finalised Local Plan provided a further cost effective method of accessing the Plan.

Results achieved

In the light of experience with previous user surveys that have failed to elicit meaningful responses, this method of seeking feedback has not been used. However, the reaction to the format of the Finalised Local Plan Review from a wide range of users including members of the public, professional consultants and other public bodies has been very positive.

Other staff within the City Council have commented that the format of the Local Plan is very straightforward and easy to understand.

The use of the internet has enabled the City Council to substantially reduce the production of printed copies of the Plan, bringing significant cost savings.

The number of visitors to the Local Plan website between January and June 2003 was 8,500.

Conclusion - Why does this piece of work merit an Award?

The approach towards the preparation and production of the Finalised Dundee Local Plan Review sits comfortably with Scottish Executive aims of increasing involvement in the planning process and drives forward the promotion of e-government.

Improving the format of the Plan and making it easier to use has encouraged deeper understanding of the Plan's content by a wide range of interested parties and is considered to have improved the quality of contributions made at different stages.

The loose-leaf format adopted will help ensure clarity as the Plan moves towards adoption by enabling pre-Inquiry changes and post-Inquiry modifications to be incorporated.

Making use of the internet has significantly broadened the audience that can readily gain access to the Local Plan and this has assisted their involvement in the process.

There are therefore considered to be compelling reasons for encouraging and rewarding innovative approaches to the presentation of Local Plans.

Date
11 September 2003

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