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PLANNING Bulletin: Issue No 22 December 2003

Energy Renewable

Windfarms enjoy local public support

Research on Public Attitudes to Windfarms: A Survey of Local Residents in Scotland was published on 25 August 2003. The research, undertaken by Mori Scotland, shows that most people living close to Scotland's 10 largest windfarms support more of the country's energy being produced from renewable sources.

The main findings include:

• three times the number of residents say their local windfarm has had a broadly positive impact on the area (20%) as say it has had a negative impact (7%). Most people feel that it has had neither a positive nor a negative impact;
• people who lived in their homes before the windfarm was developed say that, in advance of the windfarm development, they thought that problems might be caused by its impact on the landscape (27%), traffic during construction (19%) and noise during construction (15%). By comparison, since the windfarm development, only 12% are concerned about the impact on the landscape, 6% say that during construction there were problems with additional traffic, and 4% say there was noise or disturbance during construction;
• there is substantial support for the idea of enlarging existing windfarm sites among those who live close to them, particularly if the increase in the number of turbines involves the addition of no more than 50% of the existing number. A majority (54%) would support an expansion of their local windfarm by half the number of turbines again, while one in eleven is opposed (9%);
• while many say that they feel that nuclear, coal and oil generation should be reduced, clear majorities favour increasing the proportion of electricity generated through wave (69%) and wind energy (82%).

The full research report is available at: www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/environment/pawslr-00.asp

The Executive is committed to generating 40% of electricity in Scotland from a variety of renewable sources - including wind, wave, hydro and biomass - by 2020.

RETAIL

Town Centres and Retailing

Research into the operation of NPPG8 was completed at the end of October and will be published on our website. Following last year's successful event, another Retail Forum was held at Victoria Quay on 30 October at which the researchers presented a summary of their conclusions. These indicated continuing support for the sequential approach in any future policy development, subject to the clarification of definitions and improved guidance. However, these also suggested the need for a higher profile for more broadly defined 'urban centres' which could qualify in equivalent policy terms to 'town centres' if they met particular attributes or credentials. There were also calls for a more proactive approach to development, involving the preparation of town centre strategies and an annual bidding process linked to a 'town centre improvement fund'; and the need to take a fresh look at transport links, including a more positive policy acceptance of controlled car use for shopping, linked with an investigation into parking charges in different retail locations.

The research will feed into the review of the guidance taking place during 2004.

TRANSPORT

Land Use and Transport Planning

Planning staff have once again been heavily involved in transport related work over the last year. From April, the process of combining National Planning Policy Guideline (NPPG) 9 The Provision of Roadside Facilities on Motorways and Other Trunk Roads in Scotland, NPPG17 Transport and Planning, and SPP17 Transport and Planning Maximum Parking Standards Addendum to NPPG17 has progressed well, with 2 meetings of an external advisory group comprising a wide range of stakeholders. A consultation draft of SPP17 Planning for Transport is expected to be published in January 2004. Revision of PAN57 Planning for Transport is proceeding in parallel.

The draft Guide to Transport Assessment has been out on consultation all year and responses are expected by the end of December 2003. It is proposed to allow a further 6 months for additional responses building on experience of Transport Assessments in use.

The Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance (STAG) to which planning contributed, was published in September 2003.

Work has continued all year on preparation for the Air Transport White Paper, working in collaboration with Department for Transport. Planning issues include allocating land for potential airport expansion proposals, and related safeguarding issues.

The rail industry has also kept planning staff busy. A major programme of feasibility work on the redevelopment of Waverley Station has involved representation on technical, commercial, planning and integration groups all working to the joint Strategic Rail Authority/Scottish Executive Steering Group. Related work on integration of tram, bus, and rail at Haymarket involved representation on the steering group for a wide ranging urban design/transport integration study. Other work has included liaison with SRA on their regional planning assessments of rail potential; planning advice on the use of a Light Rail Order for the Greenburn Opencast rail link in Ayrshire; advice on planning aspects of the provisions in the Waverley Railway (Scotland) Bill; and contribution to new guidance on Local Transport Strategies.

On the research front, two projects are ongoing: one on design of residential streets with a view to reducing the dominance of the motor car; and one on methods of capturing the uplift in the value of development arising from transport investment.

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