This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Quality open spaces
19/07/2005
New requirements to improve the quality of open spaces in Scotland and create a better built environment came a step closer today.
Executive research, published today, recommends minimum standards of open space for different types of developments, specifying how much there should be and how it should be used.
This could apply to all forms of new development such as housing, retail, industrial and leisure, and will differ according to the type of development. For instance, the recommendation for a new housing development of over ten houses is 60 square metres of open space per household.
Communities Minister Malcolm Chisholm said: "High quality open spaces make places attractive to live, work and play. Open space can encourage economic development by improving the environment to create business and tourism opportunities. And open spaces also promote healthy lives by providing places for walking, cycling or sport.
"If we can ensure developments have good design with the right balance between buildings and open space, we will go a long way to creating environments which are pleasant to live in and help to regenerate communities for the long term.
"I'd like to see a framework of basic standards which all councils should work from. Our job now is look closely at the research and discuss with councils, developers and environment and amenity groups, how we can create standards which are workable, which communities want and which will benefit the people who will use them."
Some councils already have their own strategies for open space, but the research suggests that there should be a requirement on all councils to prepare strategies and to develop open space standards. These standards could be set within a national framework and would look at quality and access of open space as well as the quantity. The research stresses that council strategies and standards should remain relevant to the needs of each area and be drawn up in consultation with local people.
To prevent the loss of open space, the research also recommends extending the presumption against the disposal and redevelopment of publicly owned open space to limit disposals that are not fully compliant with the council's open space strategy.
The research published today will inform a review of National Planning Policy 11: Sport, Physical Recreation and Open Space which will take place later this year, with a view to publishing a new Scottish Planning Policy for consultation in spring 2006.
The research recommends the following benchmarks for new developments:
- Housing sites and mixed use developments of more than 10 units or greater than 0.5 hectares: a total of 60 square metres open space per household comprising 40 square metres of parks, sports areas, green corridors, semi-natural space or civic space and 20 square metres of informal play and recreation space and equipped play areas
- Retail Parks greater than five hectares or 10,000 square metres: 12 - 18 square metres of open space per 10,000 square metres, divided between park, play, sports, green corridors and accessible semi-natural space
- Leisure Parks greater than five hectares or 10,000 square metres: 12 - 18 square metres of open space per 100 square metres, divided between park, green corridors and accessible semi-natural space and play space
- Business Parks greater than five hectares or 10,000 square metres: 9 - 15 square metres of open space per 100 square metres, divided between park, play, sports, green corridors and accessible semi-natural space
The research was commissioned by the Executive in June 2004 and was carried out by Ironside Farrar Ltd.
There is a Partnership Agreement commitment to set minimum standards for including public open space in new developments.