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INVESTING IN QUALITY Improving the Design of New Housing in the Scottish Countryside |
| Chapter 2 Town and Country Planning 8 This chapter draws together the main aspects of planning policy, advice and practice in recent years as regards new housing in the countryside. It considers the major issues which arise. 9 A healthy, dynamic and prosperous countryside inevitably involves changes in land use and the construction of new buildings. There is a process of constant evolution. In recent years it has become increasingly obvious that new building techniques can overcome many of the traditional constraints such as siting and climate while off-site fabrication of standard structures can allow a speed and ease of construction unheard of a generation ago. Other factors which have led to more people being able to live in rural areas include higher levels of car ownership and an increasing percentage of the population being retired. The overall trend has been to soften the impact of the locational forces which have traditionally led to a fairly clear distinction between town and country. It is against this background that planning policy and planning decisions are being made. 10 The decision about whether or not a house can be built usually lies with the local Council as planning authority. A policy framework exists in which a Council's decisions are made. At the national level there are, for example, Regulations, Circulars, National Planning Policy Guidelines (NPPG). The Government have maintained a general policy stance over many years against the siting of houses in the open countryside unless the relevant development plan makes a specific provision allowing it. This continues to be the position in National Planning Policy Guidance (NPPG). 11 NPPG3, Land for Housing, was revised and re-issued in September
1996. The three principles governing development in the countryside are set out in
paragraph 48. 12 The first and key test in planning policy terms is to determine whether one or more houses will be acceptable within an identified area of countryside. Only then should the consideration of appropriate siting and design become paramount. The issues raised in this discussion paper should be read with that background firmly in mind. 13 Within this over-arching national framework planning authorities prepare generalised structure plans covering large areas and more detailed local plans for smaller ones. Some plans have made a specific provision for allowing more housing in the countryside. The flexibility which national policy has presented has been attractive to some of the Councils with extensive remoter areas where depopulation has been a traditional problem. In the more heavily populated areas a strict limit has been placed on this type of new housing and usually access to it has been confined to people having a justification based on local agricultural or similar employment. Controls have been particularly strongly applied in Green Belts and other land immediately around towns and cities. Nevertheless, within an overall policy of constraint, by the late 1980s, the Government were aware of widespread criticism about the number of prominent and poorly designed houses being built in some parts of the country. 14 Most of the demand in recent years has been met by the construction of standardised house types, notably timber-framed kit houses. This type of construction is economic, flexible in design terms and clearly very popular. Many houses have been built which fit well into their environments but there are criticisms that others do not and detract from the landscape in some areas. 15 Over the years most planning authorities have sought to try to
retain local distinctiveness and harmony between the new buildings and the landscape in
which they sit. But there was a period when confidence declined in requiring high
standards in the design of new build and, even where they were able to make the siting and
basic structures acceptable, authorities found it difficult to secure appropriate
architectural detailing. On the other hand, there have been concerns that rigorous and inflexible controls will stop innovation; that preventing the sub-standard might also exclude top-flight. This dichotomy remains at the core of the issue for planning authorities; the question of how to strike the right balance between prescription and innovation, traditional and modern. 16 The Government have advised on some of the elements which might provide a sensible and sensitive approach. Most notable are PAN36 and PAN44. Planning Advice Note (PAN36): the Siting and Design of New Housing in the Countryside 17 The Scottish Office issued PAN36 in 1991. The Advice emphasised the Government's preference for building new houses in existing settlements, called for more specificity in plans about those areas where more isolated houses might be built, underlined the importance of siting and design, and suggested that planning authorities should produce illustrated guides to their plans and policies. The advice was brief, to the point, and contained some striking illustrated examples. 18 The PAN contained two profound messages. It confirmed that planning authorities had a role in design matters and it encouraged them to be proactive in taking this interest forward. It has proved to be an extremely popular and influential document with local members, officials, the public at large and voluntary organisations. 19 A considerable number of planning authorities have been stimulated by the advice to prepare their own design guidance sometimes as part of the plan and sometimes supplementary. The material produced by Moray District in 1993, as part of their local plan, is particularly noteworthy. Among other things it addresses the relationship between design and local planning issues and tackles matters of setting and site selection. Some other authorities have developed similar approaches. Across the country as a whole however there is considerable reliance on the PAN as the basis for best practice locally. 20 There are several important advantages in providing for any new housing in the countryside in a planned and sensible way through policies in development plans. It seems to help to reduce the number of speculative planning applications which are made, members should be clear about the policy stance of their authority and should be more likely to make decisions on a more consistent basis. Planning authorities should also feel more confident in going to appeal on design issues when the policy background is solid. 21 The general view across a number of planning authorities is that design standards are improving, but slowly. While it has become easier to prevent poorly designed houses being built, the number of creative and excellent houses being constructed remains disappointingly low. On the other hand, an increasing number of people seem to be paying some attention to the vernacular and local traditions for their inspiration when building ordinary houses. The use of traditional materials seems to be increasing although they are not always worked well. 22 Sufficient time has possibly now passed for it to be reasonable to undertake a full review of the effectiveness in practice of the advice contained in PAN36. Among other things a review could consider how plans have incorporated and applied the advice, evaluate the content and appropriateness of related design guidance, consider if the balance between prescription and innovation is right across different authorities, and decide if a revised PAN underlining and expanding the advice would be likely to be helpful and welcome. Local planning officials place great store by central government advice on this theme and the time may be opportune for further reinforcement of the national position. Planning Advice Note (PAN44): Fitting New Housing Development into the Landscape 23 The environmental or aesthetic acceptability of a new house in the countryside is a combination of its design and its setting. More attention has tended to be paid to the former. In an attempt to redress the balance The Scottish Office issued PAN44 in 1994. It is a complement to the earlier PAN36. In addition to planning and policy advice it also summarises a recommended approach to site analysis. While the advice is more concerned with sizeable developments on the edge of towns it also has considerable relevance for single or small groups of houses in the more open countryside or added to villages. The capacity of different types of landscape to absorb development is considered. Climatic and topographical features in siting are also reviewed as well as landscape pattern. 24 There has been an increasing debate in recent years about the relationship between design and setting to achieve a harmonious result. The question of the most appropriate level at which to prepare an analysis arises. The preparation of Countryside Design Summaries and Village Design Statements has been tried in England as a means of reflecting the subtlety and uniqueness of many local circumstances and involving local communities more in development, siting and design issues. These might also be a reasonable way of involving local people more in Scotland and giving additional life and immediacy to the relevant parts of Local Plans. Work being done by Scottish Natural Heritage on landscape assessment could be helpful in this type of appraisal. Some conclusions from assessments have already been included in Local Plans, for example in Skye and Lochalsh. 25 Appropriate architectural details are also important in attaining a satisfactory design, for example types of windows used. In addition the application of some local authority standards, for example the type and width of road access demanded, can be very important in determining the eventual quality and acceptability of a development. The impression is that planning authorities have become fairly reluctant to engage at this level of detail even in special landscapes. Consequently there seems to be an area of planning interest here which might benefit from fresh attention. Some local plans and local design guidance have begun to address these issues where they are seen to be important but it might be beneficial if Government examined the issues in some detail to establish if fresh advice would be worthwhile and desirable. New Housing in Special Landscapes 26 The Secretary of State announced in September last year that National Parks would be established in Scotland starting with Loch Lomond and the Trossachs. The Government have asked SNH to consult on which areas should be designated National Parks, how they should be run, and what powers should be available. The Scottish Parliament will address these issues in detail. 27 In addition SNH has been asked by the Government to review the current selection of National Scenic Areas and to prepare proposals for public consultation on the protection which requires to be afforded to different landscapes. Landscapes of special value locally are identified by local planning authorities and are normally described as Areas of Great Landscape Value. Any new legislation required will be for the Scottish Parliament to consider. 28 While Planning policies aim to achieve good quality development over the whole country there is clearly a heightened interest, for example in terms of tourism, in ensuring that new developments in the most attractive scenery look particularly well. To what extent this has been achieved in recent years is unclear and this consultation might be of benefit in highlighting some aspects. 29 There seem to have been some improvements in the design quality of new housing in the countryside in recent years but there is enormous scope for more. A number of planning authorities have augmented their normal local plan policies on the scale and location of housing in the countryside with specific policies on the design of new housing. Some have produced supplementary design guidance. 30 It could be worthwhile finding out how effective the policies and design guidance, prepared in recent years by planning authorities, have been in influencing architects, builders and local people. It could establish how acceptable they have been in balancing prescription against innovation and whether further advice from Government would be desirable and in which particular areas. |
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