Scottish Natural Heritage

Scotland’s Greenspace Map in Action Case study 1: Informing strategy and planning in Fife

Scotland’s Greenspace Map (SGM) is a Geographical Information System (GIS) based map which provides comprehensive information on the location, extent and type of greenspace across urban Scotland.i

It was compiled from 32 individual local authority greenspace datasets. The datasets were produced using greenspace mapping characterisationii which involved using GIS maps and aerial photography to categorise greenspaces into 23 different open space types, based on the typology set out in Planning Advice Note 65.iii The Map was published in September 2011 and is thought to be the first of its kind in the world.

This series of case studies provides examples of how data from Scotland’s Greenspace Map has been used to inform the development of policy, practice and research at a range for scales, including local authority, regional and national.

Summary

Fife Council needed to have an accurate understanding of the greenspace resource in order to determine priorities for creating and managing greenspace in towns and villages across Fife. Scotland’s Greenspace Map (SGM) provided information on the amount and distribution of different types of greenspace. The Council used SGM data, alongside a data layer on greenspace quality, and an analysis of proximity of greenspace to residential dwellings to produce individual greenspace settlement accounts for every town and village. This enabled comparison of each settlement against a ‘Fife average’, in terms of amount, quality and access to greenspace, to inform the development of greenspace management priorities.

SGM provided robust data which enabled an evidence-based methodology to underpin the Council’s greenspace audit and strategy. The analysis subsequently informed the development of supplementary planning guidance, providing an evidence-informed basis on which developers would be asked to provide greenspace within new developments.

It also provided key data to inform the spatial definition and assessment of green networks for inclusion in the Local Development Plan. One of the key strengths of using SGM as the basis for the audit and strategy is that decisions about protecting greenspace from development are evidence-based.

Figure 1: Aerial view of Pittenweem and the east Neuk of Fife. ©P & A Macdonald/SNH

Case study 1: Informing strategy and planning in Fife Page 1

The amount of publicly usable greenspace within each settlement boundary was calculated. The ‘Fife average’ of public usable greenspace was calculated as 6 hectares per 1,000 people. This ‘average’ was used to provide a baseline against which to assess all settlements – with some surprising findings.

For example, Glenrothes (a post-war new town) had more than three times the Fife average of publicly usable greenspace (see Figure 2), whereas many of the villages in rural East Fife had much lower amounts of greenspace, in some cases as little as one-sixth of the Fife average (see Figure 3).

Using SGM data

Using data from SGM, the Council mapped the publicly available greenspace in 112 settlements.iv

SGM categorises greenspace in accordance with an expanded typology based on Planning Advice Note 65. There are 23 different open space types.

The Council was particularly interested in those greenspaces that the public have access to and so for the purpose of this analysis, they created a new overarching typology for ‘publicly usable’ greenspace for the audit. Publicly usable greenspace combines the following typologies:

- public parks and gardens

- amenity residential

- play areas

- sports areas – playing fields, tennis, bowls, cricket

- green corridors

- natural/semi-natural – e.g. woods, beaches

- growing spaces

Figure 2: Publicly useable greenspace map of Glenrothes

Fife Greenspace mapping

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Accessibility analysis

The Council now had a clear picture of the distribution, type and quality of the greenspace, the remaining question was how easy is it for people to access their local greenspace?

Fife Council decided to focus their accessibility standards on the needs of children and to distinguish between smaller and larger developments.

Accessibility was assessed based on domestic properties within 250 metres walking distance of a 0.2 hectare publicly usable greenspace.vi Network analysis was used to allow calculation of actual walking distances. This provides greater accuracy than buffering approaches and allows barriers to access to be identified (see Figure 4).

Adding quality data

The Council assessed the quality of greenspace in a representative sample of sites using the methodology in the greenspace scotland/Glasgow Clyde Valley Green Network Partnership guidance.v A score of between 1 and 5 was given to each greenspace and this quality rating was recorded alongside SGM data.

The results from the quality audit were used to determine a threshold scoring which represented the desired quality standard for greenspaces in Fife. By identifying which spaces were deemed to be succeeding and comparing their scores with the other spaces audited, a quality standard of 3.5 out of 5 or 70% was agreed. The quality of greenspaces across a settlement was also able to be assessed using the quality standard.

Overlaying the quality audit data on the SGM layer enabled easy visual identification of below standard greenspaces and a comparison between settlements.

Figure 3: Fife Greenspace Audit – quantity assessment of each settlement

Fife Greenspace Audit - Quantity Assessment

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Informing policy and guidance

Prior to this analysis and the development of the greenspace audit and strategy, open space policy for new developments had been based on the Fields in Trust ‘6 Acre’ Standard of 2.4 hectares per 1,000 people for play and sports space. This was a single quantity standard which was used for all open space regardless of type. The standard was not based on actual greenspace mapping data.

Using SGM and greenspace audit data enabled a more sophisticated and contextualised approach to be taken to develop new supplementary planning guidance for green infrastructure which includes quantity, quality and accessibility standards for greenspace in new developments.viii

Instead of one quantity standard, there are now three. To ensure there are usable spaces within walking distance of new developments, access and size standards are included. A list of greenspaces that need to be improved is also included. This means that if open space is not provided on-site, a financial contribution can be used off-site; thus linking the quality audit to the supplementary planning guidance.

The audit provides evidence for advising on the protection of greenspaces in development planning in settlements which had quantity deficits.

Determining strategic priorities

Combining the assessments for quantity, quality and accessibility generated very powerful information to inform strategic priorities.

For example, Cupar (a market town) had an insufficient quantity of greenspace with low levels of accessibility but the greenspaces were of good quality. This contrasts with, for example, Lochgelly (an ex-mining community) which had sufficient greenspace in terms of quantity and accessibility but the greenspaces were rated low on the quality scale.

Comparing the results with a data layer for the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation highlighted a strong link between areas of multiple deprivation and poor quality greenspace.

These findings led to different priorities being established in the greenspace strategy for different settlements.vii They also informed context-sensitive standards for greenspace in new developments in the draft supplementary planning guidance.

Figure 4: Extract from the greenspace accessibility audit for Cupar

Outcomes from integrated analysis

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Green network planning

SGM and greenspace audit data was also used to inform the spatial definition and assessment of green networks for inclusion in the draft Fife Local Development Plan (LDP).ix

The draft LDP includes policies and spatial proposals to safeguard and protect existing areas of interconnected green networks and identify opportunities to enhance them.

Key priorities were identified for green network planning in Fife. These include: connecting people and places; providing usable greenspace for communities; providing landscape setting and improving the quality of places; providing connected habitats for wildlife; and alleviating drainage and flooding problems.

Figure 5: Draft Green Network Plan for Glenrothes

Fife Council and SNH devised a workshop process to make best use of existing spatial data, information in adopted strategies and expert local knowledge from officers. Existing spatial data included the greenspace audit and strategy (which was derived from SGM), as well as information from the core path plan, cycling priorities, integrated habitat network, SEPA flood risk areas and coastal management plans. The workshops involved facilitated discussion to identify potential green networks and assessment against an evaluation matrix.x

Use of SGM data, alongside other data sets (including core path plan, flood risk and biodiversity), enabled consultative Draft Green Network plans to be prepared for the majority of towns and villages in Fife (see Figure 5).

The Green Network plans will be included in the new FIFEplan. Further work will include the creation of action plans to ensure delivery of the Green Networks.

1. Lochty Burn

3. River Leven Spurs

2. Boblingen Way

4. Balbirnie to Gilvenbank

5. Northern Glenrothes Web

6. Leslie North

Town Centre

Reproduced by permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of HMSO. © Crown copyright and database right [2012]. All rights reserved. Ordnance Survey Licence number 100023385.

±Scale

Enterprise, Planning& Protective Services1:10,000

Date: October 2012

Glenrothes Green NetworkExisting Green Network

Green Network Opportunities

Town Centre

Active Travel Routes

Green Network

Reproduced by permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of HMSO. © Crown copyright and database right [2012]. All rights reserved. Ordnance Survey Licence number 100023385.

Glenrothes Green Network

Existing Green Network

Green Network Opportunities

Town Centre

Active Travel Routes

Green Network

Case study 1: Informing strategy and planning in Fife Page 5

- The value of making data available across Council services and for use by the public and development planning consultants

- The importance of creating a clear methodology for assessing greenspace and presenting assessments in easily understood mapping and text

- Opportunities to use SGM with other datasets for more complex and integrated analysis

- The need to maintain and keep up-to-date SGM data to inform future iterations of audit, strategy and Local Development Plan

- The importance of a consistent, local authority-wide greenspace dataset for all settlements

- SGM provides robust data which enables evidence-based methodologies to be developed for spatial analysis and to inform decision-making, identification of strategic priorities, policy guidance and standards

- Options for flexibility by creating new overarching classifications (whilst retaining all standard typology classifications) to inform local analysis and decision-making

Key learning points

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© greenspace scotland

Scottish Natural Heritage

Scotland’s Greenspace Map in Action Case study 1: Informing strategy and planning in Fife

i Urban is defined as settlements with a population greater than 3000 with a 500 metre buffer applied to the urban fringe

ii More information about Scotland’s Greenspace Map and the mapping methodology can be found at www.greenspacescotland.org.uk/1scotlands-greenspace-map.aspx A publicly accessible version of SGM is available on the SNH website www.snh.gov.uk/planning-and-development/advice-for- planners-and-developers/greenspace-and-outdoor-access/open-space-audits-and-strategies/dataset/ and SEWeb www.environment.scotland.gov.uk/get_interactive.aspxiii Scottish Government (2008) Planning Advice Note: PAN 65 Planning and Open Space (2008) www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/05/30100623/0

iv This covered all of the settlements in Fife – from small villages (with populations of less than 200) to the large towns, like Kirkcaldy and Dunfermline (with populations of greater than 15,000). Whilst SGM provides data only for urban areas (i.e. settlements with a population greater than 3,000), Fife Council used the standard mapping methodology www.greenspacescotland.org.uk/greenspace-mapping.aspx to classify greenspace in all settlements regardless of population size.

v Greenspace quality: a guide to assessment, planning and strategic development www.greenspacescotland.org.uk/quality- guide.aspx

vi The rationale being that 250 metres is a five minute walk for an eight year old and 0.2 hectares is the smallest greenspace that can accommodate a ‘5 a side kick around’ or other free play.

vii Fife Greenspace Strategy 2011-2016 www.fifedirect.org.uk/publications/index.cfm?fuseaction=publication.pop&pubid=1B74044E-BE3D-0847-1D771D606B038738

viii The consultation draft green infrastructure supplementary planning guidance http://publications.1fife.org.uk/uploadfiles/publications/c64_Item07-Complete42.pdf

ix Fife Local Development Plan www.fife.gov.uk/topics/index.cfm?fuseaction=page.display&p2sid=D61AC1F5-DD4B-CE6A- 51E3BDDED79D5ABC&themeid=2B482E89-1CC4-E06A-52FBA69F838F4D24

x Further details of the methodology, evaluation matrices and green network plans can be found in ‘Green Networks in Fife – FIFEplan Background Paper’ http://lpconsult.fife.gov.uk/portal/fife_ldp/fifeplan_main_issure_report/ldp1- mir?pointId=s1355302891185

For more information about Scotland’s Greenspace Map contact:

Sue Munro Scottish Natural Heritage, Caspian House, Mariner Court,Clydebank Business Park, Clydebank, G81 2NR

Email: sue.munro@snh.gov.ukTel: 0141 951 4488

Acknowledgments

Thanks to Fife Council for generously sharing their experience of using Scotland’s Greenspace Map and providing images.

www.snh.gov.uk© Scottish Natural Heritage 2014

Produced in partnership with greenspace scotland

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References