Open Space Strategy

3rd August 2011

South Ayrshire Council’s Open Space Strategy was prompted by:

o The requirements set out in Scottish Planning Policy (SPP) and PAN65 “Planning & Open Space” by carrying out a study and analysis of South Ayrshire’s Open Spaces.

o Heightened issues surrounding open space management.

Open Space Strategy is a means of co-ordinating the aims and objectives of different Council departments with responsibilities for open space.

Open Space Working Group has been established and is being led by Lorna Jarvie (Sustainability Officer). Working Group consists of representatives from the Council’s:o Sustainability Teamo Neighbourhood Serviceso Planning Serviceo Education

3 draft overarching aims have been identified which link to South Ayrshire Council’s Single Outcome Agreement: -

o To assist in creating attractive, safe and sustainable environments;

o To support outdoor leisure and recreation, which make a significant contribution to the quality of life in South Ayrshire; and

o To generate a positive image for South Ayrshire’s towns and villages.

From the draft overarching aims of the Strategy, the following draft objectives have been identified: o To provide quality, attractive and accessible open spaces which are functional

and meet the current and future needs of the community;o To encourage and facilitate healthy lifestyles and wellbeing for all;o To contribute to the economic prosperity of South Ayrshire by assisting in

attracting tourism and inward investment;o To provide and encourage the use of facilities and open space for educational

and cultural purposes;o To conserve, manage and enhance opportunities for biodiversity and wildlife;o To ensure that the aims, objectives and actions of the Open Space Strategy

contribute to the vision and goals of key PPP’s and facilitates partnership working e.g. Central Scotland Green Network, Ayrshire & Arran Woodland Strategy;

o To encourage and facilitate greater community engagement & participation in all aspects of Open Space management;

o To provide a framework for Best Value and improvement in the quality and delivery of South Ayrshire’s public open spaces;

o To inform the preparation of the forthcoming and subsequent Local development Plan(s) and to assist in the determination of planning applications; and

o To assist in the mitigation of Climate Change and to incorporate adaptation measures where appropriate e.g. SUDS

Working group has determined that the Open Space Strategy has the potential to significantly affect the environment. Therefore a Strategic Environment Assessment (SEA), as dictated by the Environmental Assessment (Scotland) Act 2005, requires to be undertaken while developing this strategy.

SEA scoping report has been drafted and has been/ is ready to be sent to consultation authorities.

SEA Environmental Report to be developed in tandem with the development of the Open Space Strategy.

Scoping report and a consultation questionnaire will form initial community consultation.

SPP & PAN65 requires local authorities to undertake an audit of open spaces within their area.

Audit should cover all types of open space, public and privately owned.

SPP & PAN65 do not, however, detail audit parameters and priorities. Audit parameters yet to be decided and have been incorporated into the consultation questionnaire.

o Access standards – should we have one in South Ayrshire? Greenspace Scotland suggest that everyone should be within a 300m walking distance of open space.

o Sizes of Open space – what size of open space should we measure down to?

o Landownership – 3 categories (Private, public and previously maintained council sites)

o Depth of urban fringe – areas beyond settlement boundaries – what distance should we measure?

o Should open space be categorised into public useable open space and functional open space?

Types of Open Space – what do the public consider to be open space? Is the PAN65 typology sufficient? Should beaches be included? Types of Open Space

Public parks and gardens

Private gardens or grounds

Amenity green space

Play space for children and teenagers

Sports areas Green corridors

Natural/ semi-natural greenspaces

Allotments and community growing spaces

Civic space

Burial grounds Other functional greenspace

Greenspace Scotland has produced a greenspace mapping dataset which provides South Ayrshire with a quantitative record of open spaces that exist within settlements of 3000+ population.

Mapping dataset is consistent with the typology set out in both SPP & PAN65.

However, rural parts of district include a number of settlements with population of <3000. Therefore, mapping dataset does not provide quantitative records for the majority of rural areas.

Working group considered it unreasonable to exclude populations of <3000 from audit. So all settlements, as identified by the SALP, to be subject to quantitative audit.

Web based application to be developed, which will be consistent with the methodology set out in the greenspace mapping dataset

Therefore, the quantitative audit will be more reflective of the needs of the community.

Qualitative assessment is probably the most complex area to secure consistent evaluation.

A scoring system will be developed and used to undertake the qualitative assessment.

The suggestion, at this stage, is that the Council’s Ground Maintenance Area foremen/ forewoman will be trained to undertake assessments of the various open spaces as: -o Council will save money by using own

employees;o Foremen/ forewoman know the area better than

anyone; ando More likely to get consistent assessment and

less variance.

Using the information from the audit, an Open Space Strategy will be developed which sets out the vision for new and improved open spaces and seeks to address any deficiencies identified.

The open space strategy will have a number of advantages:o Heightened public awareness of the resource and the

issues surrounding its protection and management;o Improved rationale for policy, land disposal and

spending decisions;o Stronger basis for accessing funds for improvements;

ando Basis for greater partnership working with other

organisations and bodies interested in the development, management and use of open space.

The Open Space Strategy is not an end in itself.

A Post Adoption Statement, within or additional to the strategy, will set out the detail of delivery and implementation, informed by the priorities and outcomes set out within the main strategy.

South Ayrshire Open Space Strategy

Proposed Timescale

Preparation of overarching outcomes, specific objectives and SEA Scoping Report

June/ July 2011 {COMPLETED}

Consult on the above Early August 2011 – mid September 2011

Completion of the audit Mid September 2011

Develop Open Space Strategy taking into consideration comments from initial consultation and findings from the audit

Early August 2011 – mid October 2011

Period of formal consultation Mid October – mid December 2011

Consider comments and finalise Open Space Strategy

Mid December – January 2012

Adoption of Plan January 2012