Scottish Awards for Quality in Planning 2000
Commendation for development control
9. GLASGOW: SECONDARY EDUCATION: DEVELOPMENT CONTROL ROLE IN THE PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP INITIATIVE
nominated in 2000 by Glasgow City Council.
Approaching the problem: Demographic shifts in Glasgow over a number of years had resulted in a fall in the overall school roll and a subsequent overprovision in secondary school structural resources. This situation, particularly when allied to the problem that many of the buildings were in a poor state of repair, underscored the belief that a rationalisation programme was required for secondary education provision in Glasgow. An opportunity was therefore sought to refocus expenditure on achieving improved staffing levels and learning and teaching resources, including ensuring that all classrooms and pupils had access to the world-wide-web and a citywide learning network and at the same time, refurbishing existing buildings, or where appropriate, building brand new schools. Under normal procurement processes, this programme would have taken Glasgow City Council some 20 years to achieve fully and a decision was therefore reached to pursue a Public/Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement, with the aim of delivering the modernisation programme by the end of 2002, i.e. 2 years instead of 20!
The solution envisaged: The outline business case for the PPP initiative proposed an overall reduction in secondary schools from thirty-six to twenty-nine and included the construction of two new schools. Additionally, major extension were planned for a number of existing schools, including some occupying listed buildings, with all retained school buildings being subject to complete refurbishment. The subsequent appropriate disposal of all redundant sites would also be an integrated part of the programme.
Development control and the PFI: As set out in Planning Advice Note 55, the planning system has a central role to play in the delivery of PPP initiatives. The transfer of risks which characterise such projects are reflected in the differences between outline and full planning permission: it is the role of the Council to achieve the former and the responsibility of the private sector partner to secure the latter. However at all times it has to be borne in mind that one of the key benefits of any PPP initiative is the release of private sector innovation. In the period preceding the selection process designed to identify the Authorities preferred private sector partner, a corporate Strategic Planning Group (SPG) was established within the Council. This group was the core driver of the PPP project and included all Council services and major stakeholders who were likely to be involved in the delivery of the scheme. The SPG met on an almost weekly basis throughout the initial term of the project, with staff from Development Control playing a pivotal role in advising the group on all aspects of planning, whilst at the same time being involved in quasi pre-application meetings with prospective private sector bidders. New mechanisms were sought to allow the Council to seek appropriate outline consents for the identified surplus school sites and also to allow agreement in principle for extensions to listed buildings. Such scenarios did not appear to have been envisaged by the writers of the Planning Advice Note and at all times, extreme care was required to be exercised to ensure that the Councils responsibility as the planning authority was not compromised by any of the PPP considerations. As a result, a great deal was learned by all involved about how the PPP process and the planning system related to each other and about the advantages and pitfalls of future potential partnership arrangements. A further consideration was that the whole rationalisation process was both an emotional and sensitive issue for many involved and also that to an extent, the PPP process is in itself controversial. In some instances, significant numbers of objections were received and some very specific hurdles required to be overcome. The loss of playing field facilities was of particular concern to the Scottish Sports Council and extensive negotiations were required to ensure that their concerns were addressed in the final balance. The timescale for the project was also extremely tight, which in itself was an added pressure. When taken in combination with the number of applications for new schools, refurbishments and land disposals which were being dealt with simultaneously, most of which would be considered to be major applications, this all represented a significant additional workload for Development Control. The highly focused input that was required from staff and management to ensure that the project milestones were achieved cannot be underestimated.
The project outcome: Outline consents are now in place for the new build schools and for all of the proposed school extensions, a situation which with one exception also applies to all of the redundant school sites. To reach this stage, Development Control had to identify and apply, a dedicated resource to co-ordinate the processing and referral of all applications, as well as undertaking a Public Local Inquiry. Ultimately, the partnership and guidance approach used in the PPP process, will result in the Education Service in Glasgow acquiring 11 new schools rather than the 2 originally envisaged at the outset of the project. Many of the new schools will be of truly innovative design, while the overall scheme will see an investment in Glasgow's Education Service of some £420m over a two year period. The project once completed, should place Glasgow's secondary schools at the forefront of 21st century education provision, an achievement which would not have been possible without the pivotal role played by staff from Development Control.
The judges asked for a presentation on this nomination. Going over the timetable in detail and questioning several aspects of the approach, they were extremely impressed by the care which the development control service had taken in making the process as open, accountable and responsive as possible in the circumstances. When private finance is being harnessed for public works the interface with the planning service is critically sensitive. It calls for concentrated input of staff time and new approaches to procedure, as the 1998 entry in Moray also demonstrated. Noting that it would be valuable for the Scottish Executive to examine the implications on the planning process of PPP projects by local authorities in the light of recent experience, the judges congratulate Glasgow's Development Control staff for an outstanding and innovative response to urgent and sensitive requirements. They recommend it for commendation in this category.