Executive Summary
The consultation on the draft SPP on Green Belts began in August 2005 and attracted 173 responses (Individual 81, Planning authority 24; Amenity group 20; Community council 16; Business & developer 12; Professional 11; National & regional agency 8; Other 1). Roughly half of these responses (85) were submitted in a standard form suggested by the Scottish Green Belt Alliance, largely by individuals.
There is wide support for Scotland's elderly green belt policy to be restated in the SPP series. Nearly all responses have views on the main objectives, many seeking a firmer line on sprawl and coalescence. There is a lot of comment about boundaries, timeframes, suitable uses in the green belt, land release, consistency between authorities, and the scope for applying green belt policy to some of our smaller settlements.
There is a gap here between achieving greater clarity and resilience and the near-inviolability that some are seeking. Green belts clearly continue to enjoy support and are valued as a well-recognised planning tool by organisations and the public, even though debate surrounds them. Strong guidance is sought, based on justifiable landscape and planning grounds, to define where development can and cannot take place in the longer term.
Opinions differ on the clarity of the draft SPP. Responses highlight the need for green belt policies to be firm and clear, since they will be relied on for guidance in development plans and deciding planning applications.
Respondents want more about the way green belt policy should link to other Scottish Planning Policies for housing, other land uses, and rural development. Some think community involvement should get stronger signals and more guidance in the document.
Many responses see green belt policy as largely about quality issues like settlement identity. Far from being just a planning tool, green belts have taken on a physical reality and a symbolic importance. Because individuals and businesses have now taken account of the green belt in their life choices and investment decisions, they are reluctant to see it tampered with or taken away.
Nevertheless, there is plenty of evidence that people from different interest groups are willing to engage with other points of view. The issues that most respondents are concerned with are mainly to do with quality and practicality. And many in the business of development and planning have suggestions that focus on precisely these factors.
In short, analysis shows that while there is broad support for many essentials of green belt policy, a few fairly well defined snagging-points in the present draft can be identified and these are detailed in this report.