« Previous | Contents | Next »
Listen
APPENDIX 3 - Justification for Selection of the Sample of Authorities for Case Studies
Introduction
Eleven local authorities were chosen for the more detailed analysis conducted for Stage 2 of the study. The authorities chosen and the reasons for their selection are set out below.
Authorities selected with reasons for choosing them
Aberdeen: In the past the City has not secured much in the way of significant contributions and has lagged behind its neighbour. Aberdeen now shares dedicated officers with Aberdeenshire and there has been a lot of development activity in the City over the study period. The Council has Local Plan Policy and Supplementary Planning Guidance relating to planning gain but these are not formula based . The Finalised Local Plan requires masterplanning of large land releases and would seek contributions as part of the masterplanning of the site.
Aberdeenshire: The Council is considered to be one of the most innovative Authorities in terms of planning gain. The first to appoint dedicated officer and now has a team of three, which now also provides a service to Aberdeen City. The Aberdeenshire Local Plan contains Policy on planning gain, and is planning to introduce supplementary planning guidance this summer. Aberdeenshire are known to prefer using section 75 agreements.
Although few agreements have been concluded in the study period, they appear at first glance to be comprehensive agreements covering several types of contribution. With the Council favouring section 75 agreements, it is important to see how many of the agreements have actually been delivered. The majority of "in-kind" contributions relating to Affordable Housing, Open Space/ Environment and Roads Infrastructure are evident in the spreadsheet as well as direct financial contributions for similar.
Dundee: There has been a lot of development activity in Dundee over the study period. Some major housing developments have been approved on the fringe of the City including the new villages at Balmossie and Balgillo following the adoption of the Local Plan in 2006. Town centre and waterfront regeneration projects are underway and a number of new schools have been approved as part of a PPP programme. The Council has a Policy in the Local Plan which can be used to secure developer contributions to provide essential infrastructure related to the development where necessary, but no there is Supplementary Planning Guidance in place.
Stirling: Stirling does not have a dedicated Planning Gain Officer, however their supplementary guidance on developer contributions is clear and comprehensive, giving developers a clear indication of what is expected at an early stage as they appear to use a formula based approach.
The initial questionnaire and spreadsheet results indicate that the Council will use section 75 or section 69 to suit the type of agreement required. The spreadsheet results also indicate that Stirling requires on site provision for affordable housing as opposed to payment in lieu of on site provision. It is therefore considered to be an important authority to include in the detailed assessment of the value of in-kind contributions.
Scottish Borders: The Scottish Borders Council is an important case study. More than any other Authority it is seeking developer contributions from small scale developments. Only in few cases is Section 75 used with the vast majority of contributions secured via section 69.
The spreadsheet revealed that most of the agreements relate to the major infrastructure project in the area - the reinstatement of Waverley Line railway link between the Borders and Edinburgh - and it is considered that this could set a future trend. With the inherent scope to achieve contributions from even smaller scale development, this will be important for future forecasting.
North Lanarkshire: It appears that a significant number of contributions have been secured from major development in the area at Ravenscraig. However, there is no policy on developer contributions in the Development Plan and no approved SPG. The new Local Plan not at Finalised Stage yet, and SPG is only at draft. It was considered that this council would be a good case study to see where the contributions are being derived from and where they are being spent.
East Dunbartonshire: This Authority secured the most money from their contributions. Most agreements involved a financial payment, although they have used section 75 more often than not. The Development Plan contains some formula based policies and they have identified shortfalls in Affordable Housing, Open Space/Parks and Roads Infrastructure through audited assessment. Contributions appear to arise from both small scale and large scale developments. This is important in forecasting trends.
Edinburgh: This authority has been operating formula based contribution policies for several years, notably in relation to the Edinburgh Tram Project but also for education and affordable housing. They have only recently appointed a developer contribution officer. The City is under significant development pressure and can be expected to be in a strong position to secure financial contributions.
Glasgow: This authority places a strong emphasis on the use of s69 agreements with s75 agreements being only used exceptionally in more complex cases. The recently finalised Local Plan includes a new formula based policy for contributions to the Clyde Fastlink. The Council as been capturing financial contributions for open space and recreational provision from housing developers for several years and is now proposing to extend the policy to also capture contributions from major commercial developments in relation to civic realm improvements and maintenance. While the authority has a developer contribution officer, that post holder appears to concentrate primarily on capturing recreation/open space contributions secured in relation to new housing development.
Midlothian: The Stage 1 research indicates that many agreements have been concluded during the study period. The reason for this may be related to high development pressure in the area. Furthermore, the forthcoming Local Plan and the proposed new settlement at Shawfair are of particular interest in terms of forecasting future trends. The agreements concluded include one application which has both s75 and s69 agreements linked to it. The Council has developer contribution related policies within the Local Plan and has Supplementary Planning Guidance documents in place, and is also one of few authorities considering creating a dedicated post for planning gain.
West Lothian: This authority lies close to Edinburgh and is under considerable development pressure. It has tried to bring in innovative and wide reaching developer protocol frameworks in the recent past but these have been met with some resistance by developers. There is now a framework in place involving a number of innovative SPGs. When adopted, the new consolidated West Lothian Local Plan will establish a requirement for developers to provide the necessary infrastructure for Core Development Areas, including Winchburgh/East Broxburn, Armadale, and Livingston/Almond Valley, as set out in the Edinburgh and the Lothians Structure Plan.
« Previous | Contents | Next »