GLASGOW AND THE CLYDE VALLEY JOINT STRUCTURE PLAN
annualreview2006
Going for Growth F
or the first time since the 1960s, long-term Planning in the metropolitan region is to follow a Growth Agenda. The Joint Committee s 2006 review of its Strategic Development Plan (the Structure Plan), approved by the Scottish Ministers in 2002, sets out a refreshed twenty year development strategy based around regeneration and sustainable growth. This new agenda promotes a major shift in the competitive position of the Glasgow metropolitan area, providing for an additional 53,000 households and 30,000 extra jobs by 2011 and a further 56,000 households and 40,000 extra jobs by 2018. Key to success will be accelerating the delivery of the strategic regeneration priorities, the Metropolitan Flagship Initiatives of Clyde Waterfront, Clyde Gateway and Ravenscraig. These are to be complemented by strategic roles for Glasgow City Centre and Glasgow Airport
Convener s
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and a new focus on the Glasgow West Educational and Cultural Quarter. The long-standing momentum of physical regeneration continues, but will be complemented by growing selected communities, known as Community Growth Areas (CGAs), where masterplans will design in new sustainable housing, business and community facilities. These CGAs have a focus on sustainable integrated community development. Their selection reflects the importance of critical transport corridors and their potential to address strategic sustainability issues, such as modal shift from private car to public transport, or the re-use of degrade land, or the reduction in the need to travel longer distances. In doing so, they will address some of the key political imperatives of Scottish Ministers in terms of sustainable long-term development.
region, guiding billions of investment monies and leaving a legacy for future generations, is a massive responsibility. We in the Joint Committee take this seriously, and with no little pride, enjoy reporting accelerating progress on delivering our Development Strategy throughout 2006.
would like to welcome you to the first publication of the Glasgow and the Clyde Valley Structure Plan Joint Committee s Annual Review. This publication, looking back over 2006, is an innovation for us.
For the first time in decades, we have set out an ambitious Agenda for Sustained Growth, with the confidence that it will bring long-term economic prosperity to our communities.
Whilst readers won t think of our work (outlined overleaf) as exciting or indeed even be conscious of it, as Convener, I can assure you that being responsible for the future shape of Glasgow s metropolitan area, right at the heart of the renaissance of this great city-
Our strategic priorities, Clyde Gateway, Clyde Waterfront and Ravenscraig have received more national recognition during 2006. I am particularly pleased with the progress made in establishing a partnership to deliver the Green Network, another of our strategic
STRUCTURE PLAN JOINT GLASGOW AND THE CLYDE VALLEY JOINT STRUCTURE PLAN COMMITTEE 2006 STRUCTURE PLAN ALTERATION
GLASGOW AND 2006 THE CLYDE VALLEY JOINT STRUCTURE title line 2PLAN 2006 SUBTITLE
THE TWENTY YEAR DEVELOPMENT VISION Date month 2006 WRITTEN STATEMENT April 2006
Wrapping around and through the metropolitan area will be the Green Network, a partnership priority for the Joint Committee to create a high quality environment for place, health, recreation and nature. The Joint Committee recognises the vital role of partnership working in achieving the Agenda for Sustained Growth and will support the growing co-operation between Glasgow and Edinburgh in promoting Central Scotland as a destination for business and investment.
foundations. As to the future, the Joint Committee will partner its stakeholders as it addresses new policy areas such as climate change or affordable housing. We are acutely conscious that monitoring the Strategy and developing Action Programmes are essential in managing and delivering our vision. This Review highlights many of the key Strategy milestones of 2006 and the Joint Committee look forward to reporting continued progress in the future years.
Hanzala Malik Convener of the Joint Committee
majorprojects Green light for Ravenscraig
Scottish Planning Policy 21
Masterplans back on the agenda
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This decision mirrors that of Scotland s Inner Court of Session, March 2005, in dismissing a joint Appeal by Land Securities and Standard Life. The way is now paved for a new community to grow from the ashes of Ravenscraig.
The Joint Committee, amongst others, was represented on the Task Force steering this review, and takes considerable pleasure in the outcome of the review, if not also with a few concerns. The key outcome is that in 2006, Green Belt is now firmly a key strategic tool for shaping urban areas and a key tool in the drive to regenerate our cities, a role for which the Joint Committee argued strongly.
he redevelopment of one the Europe s largest brownfield sites took a giant step forward in October when the House of Lords dismissed an appeal by Land Securities plc against Scottish Ministers approval of Ravenscraig - Strategic Planning Role, the First Alteration to the 2000 Glasgow and the Clyde Valley Joint Structure Plan.
The 450 hectare former steelworks site, which closed in 1992, over the next twenty years will see 3,500 new houses and up to 10,000 people; some 8,000 jobs (not including 4,000 construction); a new town centre, high quality industrial business campus, major educational and recreational facilities. The new Ravenscraig will meet the need in this part of Lanarkshire to address its fragmented urban structure, by creating a greater sense of place, providing better located employment and retail opportunities, a wider range of housing, a better physical environment and better quality of services.
his year saw the publication by the Scottish Executive of an important and long-overdue review of the Scottish Ministers policy guidance on Green Belt, one of the few strategic planning policies instantly recognisable by the public. Any revision consequently has real meaning.
What has gone unnoticed in this review, however, is the future role of masterplans in the Development Plan system. This Policy integrates them fully into the system. Where development land is released from Green Belt, it must be sufficient for twenty years of development. SPP 21 therefore brings back into profile the role of masterplans in the controlling the timing of this development, and provides the opportunity for local communities to shape their future from the outset, working with developers and planners.
Major projects clear hurdles
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wo major infrastructure projects, key supporting elements of the Metropolitan Development Strategy, cleared legal and political hurdles in 2006, paving the way for their delivery. In June, Friends of the Earth Scotland withdrew an appeal against the completion of the M74. The eight kilometre route, from Fullerton Road to the Kingston Bridge, will complete the metropolitan motorway network and create new strategic road capacity. This investment will improve accessibility to the western conurbation, the source of over 45%, by value, of Scotland s exports. At the same time, it will address major accessibility issues for the Clyde Gateway and address significant
vacant and derelict land resources for future development. In November, the Scottish Parliament approved Glasgow Airport Rail Link (GARL), a key element in the economic base of the metropolitan area and a further demonstration of continuing investment in the metropolitan rail network. The new line involves upgrading over five miles of track and laying one mile of new track, and could be in operation in 2009, liking Glasgow Airport with Glasgow Central Station and its new investment in platform capabilities. Together, these schemes will produce a significant increase in strategic transport capacity in the metropolitan area.
flagshipprojects Scottish Ministers adopt Flagship Projects T
he Joint Committee s Metropolitan Flagship Initiatives, the engines of its Development Strategy, received more endorsement in February 2006, in the Scottish Ministers Regeneration Policy Statement. Reinforcing the role of city regions in driving their regional economy, the Ministers recognised the Clyde Corridor as a national regeneration and renewal priority, offering an outstanding regeneration opportunity impacting significantly on the Scottish economy.
Clyde Waterfront The regeneration of the Clyde Waterfront has been one of the most striking symbols of metropolitan Glasgow s continuing renewal. Key new developments in 2006 includes the new £20m Clyde Arc bridge, the first road bridge to be built across the River Clyde in over 35 years, linking Finnieston to Pacific Quay/Govan on the south bank. Progress continues apace with the new residential riverside quarters, e.g. Glasgow Harbour, and their linkage to established city communities, including infrastructure work to lower the Clydeside Expressway. Site clearance for the iconic new Transport Museum has also been undertaken. Work on the new media campus at Pacific Quay in 2006 saw the construction of both the new BBC Scotland and Scottish Media Group TV headquarters. Renfrewshire Riverside opened the Xscape leisure facility incorporating the UK s biggest real indoor ski slope, adjacent to the Braehead Shopping Centre.
Clyde Gateway The Clyde Gateway project, a multi-agency project to tackle the physical and economic renewal of much of the East End of Glasgow and South Lanarkshire took two giants steps forward during 2006. In June, Malcolm Chisholm, Minister for Communities launched the Clyde Gateway Regeneration Initiative, signing a formal Partnership Agreement between the Scottish Executive, Glasgow City Council, South Lanarkshire Council, Communities Scotland and Scottish Enterprise. Also in June, the withdrawal of the appeal by Friends of the Earth Scotland against the construction of the M74 was announced. The 8 km completion of the M74 from Fullerton Road to west of the Kingston Bridge will complete the strategic motorway network in the West of Scotland. Together, these announcements should pave the way for significant progress to be made with the project in the next few years. In addition Glasgow City Council announced in August, that its bid to host the 2014 Commonwealth Games would be based around a new Games Village in Dalmarnock, in the heart of the Gateway area, adjacent to a National Indoor Sports Arena and National Velodrome.
greennetwork Glasgow and the Clyde Valley Green Network
Preparing the Ground
A quantum shift to a higher quality metropolitan environment and setting is a key target of the Joint Committee s Strategy. Recent research points to the importance of the urban environment in economic competitiveness and quality of life and their role in attracting and holding creative people. At the same time, environmental quality has a key role to play in health, in recreation, in living environs and in fostering biodiversity. These roles have been recognised and acted on by other major metropolitan cites, such as Stockholm, London and Brussels.
The Process of setting up the Board and its Team has not halted the initial steps in delivering the Green Network.
Branding the Green Network The Glasgow and the Clyde Valley Green Network is the Joint Committee s answer to these demands. The Green Network is to be a brand and already has significant financial commitment and buy-in from a range of Agencies and other stakeholder groups. It is a long-term project, designed to be an integral foundation of the Joint Committee s Metropolitan Development Strategy. It will see a network of interconnected green spaces threaded through the metropolitan area, linking town and country. It will see urban woodlands developed, new park areas, brownfield land turned into greenspace. It will see long-distance paths linking the Clyde Valley to the Kilpatrick Hills and Loch Lomond, linking the Campsies to the Renfrew Hills and Clyde Muirshiel. It will see new neighbourhood environs, and the Green Network integrated into new communities through Master-Plans.
The Partnership During 2006, the Joint Committee and its partners moved to establish the Green Network Partnership Board, under the guiding hand of Councillor Robert MacBean of Glasgow City Council, to drive forward delivery. The Partnership is unique in Scotland, both in terms of scale and scope. Nowhere else has such a high level of cross-boundary and cross-institutional working on a regional scale. Strategic partners include the Forestry Commission Scotland, Scottish Natural Heritage, Communities Scotland, Scottish Enterprise, Glasgow Centre for Population Health and the eight Authorities of the metropolitan area. Other key stakeholders include myriad groups who already make a substantial contribution through local projects. Significant resources have been made available to the Green Network through the support of the Scottish Executive s City Growth Fund, whilst key partners such as the FCS and SNH have given wonderful leadership and funding support. The Board is in the process of setting up a small executive Team to drive forward ownership of the brand and to facilitate delivery of its key strategic components.
A consultant was employed to produce a Business Plan that sets the context for the work of the Partnership. It identified three main headings of flagship projects, neighbourhood projects and cross cutting themes such as health, biodiversity and greenspace management, through which the Green Network programme would initially be delivered. The Board has initiated the development of pilot projects under each of the three headings with the aim that they can be taken forward as templates for future projects. This work has progressed at a considerable rate and several projects involving board members and wider stakeholders are in progress. These include: Clyde Waterfront Study - A consultancy study was completed in July 2006 that takes a strategic look at greenspace provision in the Waterfront area and highlights a range of strategic interventions that would assist in providing a suitable level of greenspace provision along the heart of the metropolitan area. This study was led by Clyde Waterfront Partnership with the assistance of the FCS, Glasgow City Council, Renfrewshire Council and SNH. The outcomes of this project for the Govan area now being developed in more detail. Clyde Gateway - A similar project has recently been commissioned to identify greenspace opportunities in the Gateway Flagship Area including the proposed site for the Commonwealth Games Village. Neighbourhood projects - Project plans are being developed in several of the authorities to produce greenspace enhancement programmes that will link in with urban renewal programmes and the creation of new communities. Biodiversity - The partnership is developing a site specific project in the Bishops Loch area with the aim of extending the current nature conservation area. This project is being developed in relation to large scale housing development proposed for the area. Greening of Vacant and Derelict Land - A consultancy project was completed in late summer which investigated the opportunities for greening vacant and derelict land in two of the growth corridors identified in the 2006 Structure Plan Alteration. Action in some of the locations identified is being progressed as part of the biodiversity projects at Bishops Loch and other sites.
Widening the Partnership The Green Network Partnership is also at the forefront of a national project that aims to produce methodologies for the assessment of greenspace quality. This is being led by Greenspace Scotland, the national greenspace advocacy organisation. Greenspace Scotland has received funding to carry out a national project that will identify standards for assessing the quality of greenspace. The Green Network Partnership is assisting with this project by piloting the development and testing of the project at a local level. The outcomes of this exercise will not only be vital in the development of future Partnership work but also greatly assist the local authorities in the production of their own greenspace strategies. Although the Green Network Partnership is only in its infancy the work it has developed is already being used as a template in other parts of Scotland. Greenspace Scotland are also undertaking a national greenspace characterisation exercise and the Green Network PartnershipÂ’s award-winning methodology, detailed on the back page of this Annual Review, is being used as the template. Members of the Structure Plan Team are assisting Greenspace Scotland with the progression of this major exercise. It is also proposed to utilise an innovative modelling technique to identify possible habitat networks across the GCV area. The work is being done with the help of several Green Network Partners including RSPB, SNH and the local authorities with the actual modelling being carried out by Forest Research in the spring of 2007.
Images courtesy of the Forstry Commission Picture Library
landusemonitor 2005 Housing Land
Total housing completions in the Glasgow and Clyde Valley area were 6,103 units. The housing land supply for the area is 77,146 units, its highest recorded level. A total of 4,270 units were completed on brownfield land, whilst 1,833 units were on greenfield land. Brownfield completions have been sustained at around 70% reflecting the long term success of Structure Plan policies for urban renewal.
2006 Vacant and Derelict Land
The Glasgow and Clyde Valley area has 4,634 ha of vacant and derelict land (44% of ScotlandÂ’s total) of which 3,407 ha is within the urban area. Glasgow, North Lanarkshire and South Lanarkshire account for 78% (2,668 ha) of the total urban vacant and derelict land in the Structure Plan area. 30% of all sites, amounting to 1,185 ha, have been vacant and derelict since 1985. There were 299 ha of take up for development, residential development accounts for 94 ha, industrial / business 49 ha and 33 ha for retailing.
internationalcontext The Joint Committee and EU Programmes
The Joint Committee in Europe and beyond
The Joint Committee is a founder member of METREX, the Network of European Metropolitan Regions and Areas, a fastgrowing and increasingly influential voice in 2006 within the metropolitan debate in Europe, and a sponsor of cutting-edge projects within the EU Programme structure.
The work of the Joint Committee has a high profile across Europe and indeed across the globe.
Consequently, the Joint Committee s standing in Europe has been given a powerful boost by the its leading role throughout 2006 in the INTERREG IIIC programme, where it is the Lead Partner in the largest project there InterMETREX, a major study into self-assessment and benchmarking of strategic planning.
In previous years, the Joint Committee has welcomed visitors from as far away as China, Japan, New Zealand, Canada, as well as significant numbers from across Europe, all looking to study and understand the Joint Committee s model of joint working and partnership. This year, 2006, was no different. The Joint Committee played host to visitors from Canada, from Norway (twice), Germany, Lithuania, Switzerland, Italy, Finland and other European nations.
The Joint Committee, with Swedish and Italian partners, looks certain to lead an evolution of the InterMETREX project to address the current hot topic of climate change and strategic development planning s response to it. Over and above these roles, the Joint Committee also is a partner in another METREX-sponsored project running through 2006 PolyMETREX a study of competitiveness in areas peripheral to the European heartland. Additionally, the Joint Committee, in 2006, committed itself to the URBACT programme, an EU sponsored and led project addressing the interaction of social inclusion and the strategic planning response.
Planners from across Europe see the progress along the Clyde Waterfront Flagship Initiative
jointcommittee Hanzala Malik Convener
Jim McGuigan Vice Convener
Robert MacBean
James Coyle
Graham Scott
Dennis McKenna
Alan Lafferty
Ian Hutchison
John Green
John Hood
Eric Forbes
Jim Hunter
Connie O Sullivan
Douglas McAlister
Gordon MacDonald
Edward McGaughrin
Glasgow City Council
Renfrewshire Council
North Lanarkshire Council
Renfrewshire Council
Glasgow City Council
Inverclyde Council
North Lanarkshire Council
Inverclyde Council
The work of the Joint Committee Under a Scottish Ministerial Direction, the eight Planning Authorities of the Glasgow and Clyde Valley area East Dunbartonshire, East Renfrewshire, Glasgow City, Inverclyde, North Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire, South Lanarkshire and West Dunbartonshire are required jointly to produce a long-term strategic development plan for the area. The Authorities constituted the Joint Committee for this purpose. At the core of its remit is the preparation, monitoring and review of the Structure Plan/Strategic Development Plan for the city-region; its approval by the constituent Authorities and its submission to and approval by the Scottish Ministers. The Joint Committee views this role as central to integrated public policy and action and therefore has built its Strategy work upon partnership and capacity-building with a wide range of agencies and organisations. Glasgow City currently holds the convenership of the Joint Committee, following that of Renfrewshire and North Lanarkshire. The Joint Committee is supported by a Management Team of the senior Directors of the Authorities and its own professional Executive Team. Secretariat and support services are provided by Renfrewshire Council.
Glasgow and the Clyde Valley Structure Plan Joint Committee Lower Ground Floor, 125 West Regent Street, Glasgow G2 2SA tel 0141 229 7730 fax 0141 221 4518 email info@gcvcore.gov.uk web www.gcvcore.gov.uk
South Lanarkshire Council
West Dunbartonshire Council
South Lanarkshire Council
West Dunbartonshire Council
East Renfrewshire Council
East Dunbartonshire Council
East Renfrewshire Council
East Dunbartonshire Council
Another award for the Joint Committee and partners In previous years, the Joint Committee has been recognised at the UK level for its innovative approaches to strategic development planning. In 2006, the Joint Committee, working this time at the technical level with its partners, the Forestry Commission Scotland and Scottish Natural Heritage, garnered a top award; on this occasion at the British Cartographical Society s Awards 2006, for their work on Audits and Mapping of Metropolitan Greenspace. This award demonstrates the Joint Committee s technical prowess, at the forefront of GIS and remote-sensing-based spatial mapping and analysis, as the evidential-base for policy and project delivery.