Author: LPL

We would like to inform you of a major project in Edinburgh that is currently a live Outline Planning Application (OPA) sitting with the City of Edinburgh Council.
The Leith Docks site in question is owned by landowners Forth Ports PLC who bought the company inclusive of the land from the British Government in 1992 for £33 million. The site consists predominantly of reclaimed land and has approximately 180 Hectares of developable land.

The City of Edinburgh should be taking a stronger leading role in the Edinburgh waterfront and Leith Docks development. They are currently undervaluing the heritage and merits of the city and they are insufficiently forward thinking when it comes to sustainability standards and contemporary design.

With regard to the Leith Docks site, the City of Edinburgh Council have never been presented with a planning application of this size. It is on a par with the development of the Edinburgh New Town and the planned proposal presented by the winning scheme by James Craig in 1766. (The development of Edinburgh’s New Town was competition led. There were seven entries with six submitted by the deadline of May 21st 1766).

Over the next 30 years the Edinburgh waterfront is to have 30,000 new homes built along it. We are not against development and acknowledge the need for more housing stock within the city of Edinburgh. However, we fundamentally question the process, procedures and resulting quality of what is rapidly happening around us and especially along the Edinburgh waterfront. Within the city of Edinburgh more and more campaigns are growing up in order to challenge the planning committees decisions.

The Leith Docks site is huge and is greater in size than the New Town of Edinburgh. As the city of Edinburgh is internationally renowned for planning with the historic and chaotic Old Town and exemplary New Town. Leith Docks unique character presents an excellent opportunity to create a contemporary and forward thinking new area within the city worthy of internationally merit. This site is to have 50% of all the new housing proposed for the Edinburgh waterfront. 15,900 new homes will be built over the next few years, spread between 9 “Villages” as the current live OPA outlines.

Forth Ports PLC have commissioned a master plan framework from RMJM Architects. If granted Outline Planning the land value of the Forth Ports site will vastly escalate. Current land values range between £2 – £6 million per acre. The profit that could be gained on land sales from the Leith Docks site is clearly vast. It is estimated that it will easily quadruple the value of the current site.

We have now formed a group called JUMP (Joined Up Master Planning) to question the original document, the Leith Docks Development Framework and the RMJM master plan framework.

Since the beginning of December 2007 the JUMP group have met every Thursday between 6pm – 8pm at the AiA Art in Architecture offices at 2 Commercial Street, Leith, Edinburgh EH6 6JA. JUMP is an open interactive group, welcoming to anyone interested in the development of the Edinburgh Waterfront and Leith Docks site. It welcomes input from professionals and non professionals alike, sharing a common interest in the long term quality of their local environment.

Transport, Housing Forms and Urban Grain are some of the topics being explored through the JUMP design workshop.

Some JUMP Design Workshop Ideas
Green Landscape, Canals, Draining some of the docks for use as recreational space, Major Events Park, Carbon Free Zone, No Cars, Pedestrian Friendly, Road / Rail Bridge to Fife from the east end of the city and linking to the A1, short and long haul Ferry Terminal in addition to the Forth Ports Cruise Linear docking station, continuation of the Shore Area, emphasising the Water of Leith river edge and creating more human scale retail outlets and café / restaurant culture, Housing Forms of various types from one, two and three level family housing to large blocks of predominantly one and two bedroom housing set within green space and having green roof tops and multi use facilities, Self Sustaining Energy.

The outcomes from the JUMP design workshop highlighted shortcomings in the Leith Docks Development Framework (LDDF) document that resulted in the live Outline Planning Application (OPA) by Forth Ports PLC and the RMJM master plan framework currently being considered by the City of Edinburgh Council. The JUMP design workshop also highlighted positive and negative discrepancies between the LDDF and RMJM master plan framework.

(It should be noted that the LDDF document was originally commissioned by Forth Ports PLC’s chosen consultants and then submitted to the City of Edinburgh Council who then tweaked the document and put it out to public consultation following which it was then adopted by the city. Therefore, whenever RMJM or Forth Ports are questioned over the OPA they will always respond by saying that the material they have supplied complies with the LDDF documentation approved by the City of Edinburgh Council.)

It should also be noted that the UK planning process does not currently effectively enforce planning conditions onto developers. This shortcoming in UK Planning Legislation is one of the fundamental reasons for the poor quality of the contemporary built environment and public space generated around us. The written applications presented for planning approval may be slick and propose to deliver the highest standards of Aims and Objectives, Best Practice, Environmental Sustainability and Industry Standards. However, because of the inability in the UK Planning System to enforce these written criteria onto developers they inevitably wriggle out of providing anything more than the basic standards that they know they can get away with in order to achieve the highest level of profit. These points are understandable – but it is the long term quality of our environment that we have to look out for and not just the short term gain.

Generally, other national and international cities that go through major city and waterfront development projects have done so based on a major international event happening. Edinburgh – to date – does not have this incentive. The 30 year plan to develop the Edinburgh Waterfront is an unrealistic time frame. To make an impact the City of Edinburgh should be able to say that there is a phased development strategy to take between 5 – 10 years. That way people may take note

Author: LPL

Across Scotland, development trusts hold land under community ownership or have the potential to acquire land. Many trusts have identified affordable housing as one of their key concerns and priorities for action. Housing associations can provide housing for rent but low cost ownership gives people in local communities a stake in the future. Trusts have been frustrated at the lack of progress and have lacked capacity and expertise to tackle the issue.

So DTA Scotland is joining forces with Green Homes pioneer, the Environment Trust, to pilot a programme of privately financed affordable environment friendly housing in Scotland.

The Environment Trust is the UK’s leading non- profit developer of affordable environment friendly housing. It is a development trust itself, and is establishing a Scottish charity- Environment Trust Scotland, to take forward the Green Homes programme in partnership with DTA Scotland. It has in principle support from RBS Scotland for the programme, and relationships with Unity Trust and Triodos banks and the Ecology Building Society.

The Trust’s approach is holistic and creative, seeking innovative and imaginative solutions to environmental problems. Previous developments have included public space, apprenticeships in construction, and workspace.

Green Homes are built to the Trust’s specification which maximises the use of environment friendly building materials and techniques and minimises energy and water consumption. All schemes depend on the investment of land to produce affordable housing, and are financed by bank loans, with purchase on a mortgage at 50 or 70% of market value. Sale at full market price can further cross subsidise the affordable housing, and the unsold equity is retained as a community asset.

The development process is straightforward. Trusts participating in the programme identify land suitable for development in their ownership. Environment Trust Scotland acts as the developer of the scheme. Once homes are sold, the equity retained is held by the local trust. The process will help empower and enrich participating trusts.

Environment Trust Scotland will:

– Work with local stakeholders and residents to agree the scope of the scheme
– Consult with planning authorities to agree a planning framework
– Assess market conditions and values
– Investigate and report on site conditions
– Appoint a full professional team to design, specify and cost the works
– Apply for planning permission
– Manage a tender process with a range of suitable builders
– Manage the development and sales process to completion and handover
– Charge its costs to the project, and take a modest 10% profit on sales

Scheme Example

10 new green homes in following mix:

4 x 3 bedroom houses @ 95sq m
3 x 2 bedroom apartments @70sq m
3 x 1 bedroom apartments @ 45sq m

Costs

Construction @ 1500 / sq m £1,087,500
Professional Fees & other costs £350,000
Profit £162,000

TOTAL £1,599,500

Income

100% Market Price Sales £900,000

2 x 3 bed @ £300,000
1 x 2 bed @ £200,000
1 x 1 bed @ £100,000

70% Market Price Sales £420,000

1 x 3 bed @ £210,000
1 x 2 bed @ £140,000
1 x 1 bed @ £ 70,000

50% Market Price Sales £300,000

1 x 3 bed @ £150,000
1 x 2 bed @ £100,000
1 x 1 bed @ £ 50,000

TOTAL £1,620,000

Equity Balance retained by local trust £480,000

The scheme example shows one approach, but the model is flexible.

For instance- the 50% sale homes could be financed by the local trust on a long term mortgage and rented out for holiday lets or local needs, or all could be sold at a lower discount.

Private finance, in the form of a loan, is available to meet the costs of the entire scheme once planning permission is granted and costs and values confirmed. So there is a liquidity hurdle to be overcome in order to develop a multi site implementation of the model. Each project will cost up to £200,000 before private finance can be drawn down.

Author: LPL

About Opportunity Kintyre
Opportunity Kintyre is a community based organisation committed to positively influencing the regeneration of the local economy in Kintyre for the benefit of both its residents and visitors. It hopes to achieve this through adherence to the Sirolli model of economic development and a process of Enterprise Facilitation®.

Based upon the work of Dr. Ernesto Sirolli, Opportunity Kintyre is about harnessing the resources and passion of the people of Kintyre in order to assist the creation and growth of new and existing businesses.
This model is truly ‘community based’ working ‘from the bottom upwards’. It focuses upon grass roots economic development relevant to the local community, and is based upon assisting individuals or established businesses to follow their instincts, sticking to what they know best and really enjoy, whilst gaining management support in the areas of business that they are less familiar with or enjoy least.

In many parts of the world, in many different communities, Enterprise Facilitation® has freed entrepreneurs to follow their dreams, build successful teams and carry on doing what they love to do – we hope that individuals from Kintyre will be tempted to do the same.

How It All Started
In September 2005, a small group of people from Kintyre headed for Glasgow, to meet and hear Ernesto Siroll.
We had heard that the Scottish Executive was looking for 3 communities to pilot a local economic regeneration project using Sirolli methods. On arrival, we noticed that most of the other delegates were from the public sector. The Sirolli Team seemed particularly impressed by Kintyre and the fact that representatives from a real community had attended. Ernesto himself advised our group that Kintyre was ideal in terms of size and location for this type of project.

Inspired by what we had heard, and the success of the Sirolli method in other communities like ours, we returned to Kintyre with a determination to submit a very competitive bid.

We formed a local Steering Group, made up of representatives from the Community Councils and other local people with an interest in Kintyre, and held several informal meetings at which we discussed the way forward and the substance of our bid. The name ‘Opportunity Kintyre’ was chosen as being the most appropriate. The wider community proved very supportive – in addition to the funding from Scottish Executive, we raised £50,000 by way of pledges of cash or in-kind support and submitted our bid by the deadline.

In February 2006 we heard that we had been successful.
In its first year of operation, Opportunity Kintyre has supported 55 local entrepreneurs and social enterprises to create and sustain local businesses in Kintyre. They have done this by providing a unique mix of one-to-one mentoring and the provision of relevant resources from a volunteer Community Panel and associated networks.

They have been successful in assisting in the creation of 5 new businesses, 1 business acquisition and 1 business retention. This has achieved the creation and retention of 9 jobs in Kintyre so far, and a contribution to the community (in terms of capital investment, sales and social capital) in excess of £266,000.

In 2008, Opportunity Kintyre will continue its valuable work at the heart of the Kintyre community – its clients have conservatively estimated further capital investments/sales in excess of £500,000 this year.

Author: LPL

Scottish Government’s Community Empowerment plans are expected to be published shortly – coming out of Communities Scotland’s national consultation. In the meantime the LPL steering group has revised our position statement on community empowerment which we urge our supporters to circulate as widely as possible Download document here

Author: LPL

Southside Media aims to be a model for the creation of sustainable not-for-profit hyperlocal citizen journalism across Scotland and beyond.

What do we mean?
Hyperlocal means that we try to provide news coverage of community-level events that are usually overlooked by bigger media.

When we talk about citizen journalism we mean that we try to encourage members of the community to share their own stories and images directly with their neighbours through our community websites. This content can also be published in our community newspapers and used as a guide for our staff, so that they can concentrate on the stories that are really important to local people.

Hyperlocal media
In June 2007 an article in the Sunday Herald named Southside Media as a pioneer in the publication of hyperlocal media in Scotland.

Newspapers
We produce not-for-profit papers with news and views that are right up your street.

Since December 2005 we’ve published a monthly community newspaper called G41, which serves the G41 postcode area in the southside of Glasgow, covering the communities of Dumbreck, Pollokshields, Shawlands, Strathbungo, Crossmyloof and Langside.

In August 2007 we started publication of a sister community newspaper called G42, serving the neighbouring G42 postcode area, including Govanhill, Crosshill, Toryglen, Mount Florida and Battlefield.

Both papers have 20 pages and are published in full colour. As well as hyperlocal news, sport, features and views, they have a shared What’s On guide full of information about local events.

Websites
We also publish and maintain two community websites at g41.org.uk and g42.org.uk.

We’re really interested in ideas about citizen journalism. Our sites give local people the chance to tell their own stories. Registered users can write their own articles for publication, submit events to a community calendar, take part in debates in forums and make comments about any content that’s submitted to the site. They can also share images and write their own blogs.

The idea is for people to share narratives about their community. We think this can help create stronger links in communities, gives people a sense of pride and encourage joint action for change.

The content posted by local people on our websites is often reproduced in our newspapers and is used as a guide for our staff, so that they can work on stories that they know are important to the community.

Author: LPL

These ten propositions and proposals are the result of extensive discussion and consultation. This work started with a large meeting of interested people from across Scotland held in the Scottish Parliament in 2007 to discuss the content of an Open Letter widely circulated towards the end of 2006.

Download document here

Author: LPL

On Monday 10th March, the community of Millport on the Isle of Cumbrae will celebrate the official opening of Garrison House following a two year restoration project.

Situated in the heart of Millport, the Garrison was destined for closure in 1997. Following a major fire in 2001, the building became a derelict eyesore.
The local community realised that the redevelopment of this significant landmark could be the catalyst for the regeneration of the whole island.

A group of individuals joined together and planned a campaign to save the Garrison. In 2003, they formally established Cumbrae Community Development Company and managed to raise over £5 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund, North Ayrshire Council, Historic Scotland, Argyll and Islands Enterprises and the European Regional Development Fund to refurbish the Garrison.

For the last two years, the house has undergone a major reconstruction, including the restoration of the 18th external stonework and the sunken garden designed by the arts and crafts architect, Robert Weir Schultz. The interior of the building has been opened up to create a modern, light space.

The end result is the transformation of the Garrison into the hub of community life and a centre for all visitors to the island. The house will hold the Museum of the Cumbraes, the library, Council services, GP practice, and a café.

Commenting from the Heritage Lottery Fund, Colin McLean, Manager for Scotland, said:

‘The re-opening of the Garrison will be welcomed by all who live and visit the Island of Cumbrae. This project is a credit to the local community who have driven this project forward with unfailing commitment. It will encourage and assist new initiatives that will benefit the whole island. We were delighted to help turn the fortunes of Garrison House and the Isle of Cumbrae.’

John Burtt, Chairman of Cumbrae Community Development Company, added:

‘This has been a long project but the end result is fantastic. Garrison House is right at the centre of Millport and its restoration will restore the heart and confidence of the local people. It will attract more tourists and encourage new businesses to the island.

‘We would like to thank all our funders for believing in us and investing in the long-term economic sustainability of Cumbrae.’

Author: LPL

The Canongate Community Forum is campaigning against plans to demolish listed buildings and people’s homes in the Canongate, which is part of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh`s World Heritage site. Caltongate is the controversial £300million project in Edinburgh`s Old Town. In the face of strong local representation, the majority of proposals contained in the Caltongate Masterplan were approved by the Council`s planning committee earlier this month. However it received and continues to receive damning criticism from Heritage bodies, leading figures in the Conservation world and from individuals locally and worldwide. UNESCO has already stated that it is concerned about Edinburgh. The Cockburn Society has consistently voiced its unease at the proposals. ICOMOS has expressd concern. SAVE Britain’s Heritage is the latest organisation to protest. These are organisations with a track record of knowing what of the historic built environment is worth preserving.

Most controversial are the proposed demolition of Listed Buildings and homes on the Royal Mile to create space for a 5 star hotel and the sale of common good land and publicly owned buildings to facilitate a conference centre, offices bars and ‘arty-farty’ (the developers description) retail blocking views through the Waverley Valley.

Canongate Community Forum have undertaken a significant level of continuous community consultation through public meetings, social evenings and even organised a very successful Street Party to demonstrate the potential for community uses of the publicly owned land on East Market St.

Despite campaigners having been called ‘professional protesters’ ‘communists’ and even ‘toxic’ by the developers and their team of architects and PR men, they have received letters of support for the Save Our Old Town campaign from leading conservation architects, heritage groups and many residential and community groups across the City. They share information and contribute to the Edinburgh at Risk group which was launched last year and have contributed to the debate in Government regarding the administration and management of the Common Good in Scotland.

Having now received Scottish Communities Action Research Funding from Communities Scotland a community shop will be opening soon in the Canongate where members of the community can come and trade ideas, experience and information with a view to creating a more sustainable and inclusive community for generations to come.

Find out more about the actions taken so far and what you can do to contribute or get more involved at

www.eh8.org.uk

Author: LPL

“Monolithic” housing associations from south of the border are threatening the existence of their locally based counterparts in Scotland it has been claimed.

Large associations based in England are setting up offices in Scotland to capitalize on the government’s Firm Foundations policy, which aims to boost the amount of affordable new builds in Scotland from 25,000 a year to 35,000.

According to an influential housing publication, at least six major English associations are hoping to set up bases or expand in Scotland.

Sunderland-based Gentoo has opened an office in Glasgow, while Circle Anglia has earmarked Scotland as a growth area.

Others such as Sanctuary and Places for People have had a presence in Scotland for several years.

But Scottish housing associations claim their asset -rich counterparts in England are driven mainly by expansion.

They claim the English model of housing associations is radically different and that tenant participation would all but cease.

Fraser Stewart heads the New Gorbals Housing Association. He said: “Tenants want local landlords they can trust and hold to account.

“There is nothing which large English housing associations can do which is not already being done better by community- based associations in Glasgow.”

Under the government’s Firm Foundations scheme only one housing association developer will be appointed as the lead developer in a particular area.

The West of Scotland Housing Association claims the proposal created the risk of the development programme in Scotland being undertaken by a handful of English associations.

Steven Strang of Elderslie Housing said tenants would not be happy with what amounted to an absent landlord. “The English model is very different,” he said, “So I don’t quite know what kind of additional value they would bring to the city. Housing Associations are charities and founded on not-for-profit principles.

We would fear that would be eroded if these kinds of housing associations settled north of the border, intent primarily on expansion,”

But Colin Rae, of Places for People, said: “We are extremely well-placed to offer something that is not being offered in the Scottish market,”

Author: LPL

More than 200 members of the volunteer army who manage rural Scotland’s Village Halls and other community facilities gathered in Aviemore last weekend, at the first ever Scottish Village Halls Summit. The response to the event was been described by the organisers as “overwhelming”, with every available place booked up two weeks in advance.

Representatives from every part of rural Scotland heard Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment, Richard Lochhead talk about the Government’s plans to support halls and other community facilities. Very significant new funding is coming on stream through the Scottish Rural Development Programme and the Minister also announced that he was making £200,000 available to SCVO to ensure that communities were supported through the application process.

Delegates were given an opportunity to put their questions and comments to the Minister about what needs to be done to ensure a sustainable future for village halls. Later in the day an expert panel were on hand to answer some specific questions about funding and support for community facilities.

The Conference was organised by the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO), who have had a long history of support for village halls, including managing the 21st Century Halls Millennium Funding which provided £7 million of funding to rebuild or refurbish 56 Scottish Village Halls. It was supported by the Scottish Government, Highlands & Islands Enterprise and ILA Scotland.

SCVO Rural Policy Manager Norman MacAskill said: “We were genuinely overwhelmed by the interest in this event, and the demand for places. We expected around a hundred people to sign up, but have ended up with more than double that number coming, showing the passionate commitment felt by people living in rural Scotland to the shared community spaces at the heart of their communities.”
“With SCVO’s Halls for All campaign last year and the first ever Village Halls Summit, we are doing our bit to help build a powerful collective voice for the volunteer army who manage rural Scotland’s Village Halls and other community facilities.”