AYRSHIRE JOINT STRUCTURE PLAN
This 1999 nomination on behalf of East, North and South Ayrshire Councils is for the Ayrshire Joint Structure Plan. In March 1999, East, North and South Ayrshire Councils became the first of the joint structure plan groupings in Scotland to submit a finalised structure plan to the Secretary of State for Scotland for approval. Sub-titled "A Framework for the 21 st Century" the plan took only 27 months to complete and develops themes agreed with a wide range of consultees at two major stages of consultation. Local Government reorganisation in Scotland in 1996 created 32 all-purpose authorities from a previously two-tiered local government system involving both regions and districts. Each Council thus became a strategic planning authority in its own right. However, in recognition of the continued importance of the strategic level to the overall planning process, the Secretary of State confirmed a legal direction requiring several areas in Scotland, including the three Ayrshire Councils, to prepare structure plans jointly and by consensus. This was accepted readily by the three Ayrshire Councils and a Joint Committee established with support staff. In many ways, therefore, the Ayrshire Joint Structure Plan is a remarkable achievement by the three Ayrshire Councils given the intense changes to the Scottish planning system against which the plan has been prepared .
Key vision: The plan is based round four key statements of strategic intent which provide both a Vision Statement and an Ayrshire Development Strategy. These are:
- promotion of economic growth;
- protection and promotion of the vitality and viability of existing settlements;
- protection and enhancement of the countryside and the environment; and
- promotion of the principles of sustainable development.
The primary purpose of the plan is to establish a partnership with the community and key support agencies through which to identify land-use and environmental strategies that promote economic development and social inclusion. Sustainability and environmental quality figured highly in the community response back at the consultation stages, and the marriage of this to economic development is seen as the key motivator for the plan. As was a realisation that, despite former strategic policies to the contrary, Ayrshire is a largely self-contained living and working economy contributing almost 15% of total Scottish exports, and with the nationally significant Glasgow Prestwick International Airport at its heart. The plan is not all-embracing, tackling in the first instance only those topics regarded as strategically significant for Ayrshire as a whole, and nowhere strays into the realms of local planning - a common criticism of previous structure plans in Scotland. Indeed, work is already underway to continue further policy development, for example in forestry, and the identification of strategic targets and indicators. It presents, therefore, for the first time, a genuine strategic framework for the future of Ayrshire that will give fresh impetus to the development plan process and provides a link into economic and social policy.
Synergy: The plan has been prepared in parallel with Council-wide local plans, using common data and methodologies. There is thus a synergy between structure and local planning never before achieved. The structure plan and the local plans for the three Councils are following an inter-related course which should allow for an up-to-date development plan for much of the area to be completed quickly and in parallel. In addition, the Councils and the Structure Plan Team have been working closely with the Local Enterprise Company allowing for a cross-fertilisation between business strategies, economic development strategy and the strategic planning process. A process of continuous consultation with all key agencies has ensured a commonality of purpose. The joint plan is also the first in Scotland to mark a shift from highly technical and largely inaccessible (to the community) structure plans through the use of story-line and simple language to convey the message. All supporting data is placed in accompanying technical notes, hopefully leaving the reader free to concentrate on a focused consideration of the strategy and the accompanying policies. As such it represents one possible model for structure plans in the future.
The judges were particularly pleased to receive this nomination of a submitted structure plan and asked for a presentation. They were impressed by the plan's brevity and clarity, by the involvement of key agencies in its preparation, by the high degree of community involvement actively sought, and by the speed with which a strategic voice for Ayrshire had been established and expressed. The way in which each element of the strategy had been checked against sustainability criteria was of special interest. The judges unhesitatingly recommend the work on the Ayrshire Structure Plan for 1999 Commendation in this category