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APPENDIX 12a - OVERVIEW OF THE PREPARATION AND PRESENTATION OF THE STIRLING LAND AUDIT 2001
STIRLING COUNCIL HLA
A database with related mapping, containing information on all housing sites, has been designed and is maintained and developed by the planning department. This allows detailed analysis of housing data according to specified criteria; and also the production of schedules which can provide detailed information on a site by site basis, as well as summary information on the aggregate housing land supply.
Stirling Council's housing land audit is the result of regular monitoring of planning applications for housing development; an annual survey of house builders' intentions over the next 5 years; and site visits to check the site progress and the number of completions on the ground. The information is consolidated to produce a draft audit, which is then sent for consultation to Homes for Scotland, Communities Scotland, Scottish Water, SEPA, and the Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park. Once all the responses to the draft have been received, discussions take place with Homes for Scotland, developers and other consultees with a view to reaching agreement on Stirling Council's housing land supply. In the past this usually culminated in a meeting with the housebuilders' representatives, but in recent years an exchange of correspondence with Homes for Scotland has sufficed to resolve any disputed sites and/or programming and so reach an agreed Audit.
Definitions
Sites included:
The housing land supply should include all sites with a capacity of 4 or more dwellings which the authority agrees have the potential to be developed for housing (excluding holiday, student, and hostel accommodation). This includes all land with planning permission for housing, including the remaining capacity of sites under construction, land allocated for housing in adopted local plans (including the residential element of mixed-use developments), and other land with potential, for example land identified in finalised local plans or regeneration programmes. Land in urban capacity studies is not generally included, as it is additional to the effective land supply. New build housing, conversions and sub-divisions are included. The Audit identifies sites for Affordable housing where this is known and completions on RSL - only sites will be assumed to fall into this category. However, separation of affordable completions on 'mixed' sites is not attempted.
Base date:
The base date for the audit is 30th June. A site must have some status at 30 June for it to be included in the land supply. The 30th June position regarding planning status (developed, under construction, consent, proposal) is adhered to. However, if other more up-to-date information (for example, on capacity, tenure or developer) becomes available during the monitoring process, it can be noted.
The established land supply:
This is the total housing supply including both constrained and unconstrained sites. It comprises the residual balance of sites under construction, consents, adopted local plan sites and other sites with agreed residential potential.
The effective land supply:
This is defined as the part of the housing land supply that is expected to be free of development constraints in the period under consideration, and will therefore be available for the construction of housing. For Stirling Council this is the programmed output over the next 5 years. The following development constraints are considered:
- ownership
- physical
- contamination
- infrastructure
- land use
- funding
- marketability
Database
Information on housing land sites is stored in a Microsoft Access database. Each site is given a unique reference number. The database contains a field which allows the sites to be included in the current year's audit to be identified as "active" sites and updated to the base date. Developed sites can also be filtered. New sites identified through the monitoring process are added to the database. When updated information has been input for all the relevant sites and the audit has been finalised, this year's database is "frozen", that is, no further amendments are allowed. This database is copied, creating a new database for the next year's audit. The fields containing the programming figures are adjusted to the relevant period under consideration, which is rolled forward each year.
Mapping
Mapping data, in the form of polygons for each site with associated information is stored in an Arcview 9.1 GIS shapefile. Polygons and information in the database can be linked through the unique reference number. When the year's audit is finalised, this shapefile is "frozen" and copied, so that new a new shapefile is created for the next year's housing land audit amendments.
Each audit year, a new GIS project is created. This contains among other layers, OS mapping data, the current year's housing land shapefile, last year's shapefile, planning application mapping data and other important boundary and constraints information.
Identification of New Sites to be included in the Audit
The starting point is identifying sites through the development management process. Planning applications are monitored throughout the year, and monitoring data is stored and manipulated in an Access database. Queries and reports are used to interrogate and extract information on planning applications over specific time periods, usually 1 July to 30 June, from the CAPS Uniform Development Management System.
Applications received and applications decided are noted. Residential planning applications for sites with 4 or more capacity are identified, and it is necessary to distinguish which applications are amendments for existing housing land sites, and which are for new housing land sites. This can be done using the planning application easting, northing, and boundary data together with housing land data on the GIS system. New sites are also identified from Local Plan updates, regeneration programmes, etc.
For each new site, a record is created in the housing land access database and a polygon is created in the housing land shapefile in the GIS system. In addition, a photograph and location map of each site is included in each site record.
Updating information For Each Housing Site
Developers' Intentions Survey:
Stirling Council carries out an annual survey of house builders intentions over the next 5 years. Questions are also asked about the number of housing units under construction at the base date and completed over the last year. For each housing land audit site in the access database, a report is produced (including a location plan and photograph of the site), which is used as a questionnaire. This is sent, along with a letter requesting updated information, to the known land owner/ developer/ RSL. Reminder letters are sent, and/ or phone calls made if the questionnaires are not returned in the timescale required (usually 3 weeks).
Data on each site is updated on the basis of replies received. This includes information on the current developer, site capacity, dwellings completed over the year, units under construction at 30 June, units remaining at 30 June, and anticipated programming over the coming 10 years (first 5 years in detail).
Where necessary (such as where 'Uniform' Building Warrant records have not been kept up to date), site visits are carried out as close to 30 June as possible to determine progress on the site over the year.
Monitoring and site visits generate a large amount of information which needs to be assessed and interpreted before it is used to update the land supply. The effectiveness of individual sites needs to be assessed, along with anticipated annual outputs over the next 10 years. Therefore meetings are held with planning officers to review data and programming. A variety of factors are considered when determining anticipated completions from each site, including:
- lead in times
- developer
- past performance
- site location and size
- tenure, type and cost of dwellings
- other housing being built in the area
Information on each site is recorded on the database.
Housing Land Audit Schedules and Maps
Using the querying and reporting tools of the access database, reports are prepared which give details on all sites included in the housing land audit, and on potential output from the land supply on a site, settlement and authority basis. This is presented in several different formats.
A development programming summary lists each site by settlement, giving the anticipated completions over the 5 years under consideration, along with total capacity, total built and total remaining capacity. Total capacities and programming are summed for each settlement.
A schedule of individual sites is also produced containing the following information:
- a location map
- a site plan
- a photograph
- site reference
- total capacity
- total built
- total remaining capacity
- programming by year
- planning status
- development type
- tenure
- developer
- house type
- length of time included in effective and established land supply
A summary lists the sites completed over the last year by settlement, giving details on units built and development type.
A statistical analysis is carried out of the effective and established land supply and illustrated by charts and maps. Analysis is carried out by Structure Plan sub area and includes: programming, planning status, greenfield/ brownfield split, and client group.
Resources
It is difficult to put any precise resource cost onto the Audit process. Stirling Council Planning service does not operate a formal time budget recording system. The Audit is not the sole function of dedicated staff, but rather one function of the Policy team's Research and Information Officer, to be fitted in with other work. Similarly it is difficult to give a timescale, as with any procedure that relies upon third parties responding to consultation and correspondence. A best guess is that the audit probably takes 3 - 4 weeks of the one officer's time during July - October, plus a few hours assistance from other planning officers for programming reviews and site visits.
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