Publication - Research and analysis
Evaluation of the Regional Land Use Framework Pilots
This report presents results from the evaluation of two local authority led Regional Land Use Framework pilot projects.
Appendix 2: Project Outputs
1. Aberdeenshire
Please note some outputs are currently retained by the JHI. It is anticipated that these will be made publicly available at or near the end of the project.
| Date | Title of Product | Description of Product | Target Audience | Issues information relevant to key research questions. Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 13 | Ecosystem Approach and Land use Workshop, Banchory Workshop Report | A report of a workshop in Banchory introducing a range of stakeholders to the pilot and exploring the ecosystem approach. | Stakeholders | Technical language of the ecosystems approach identified as a barrier to engagement and understanding. Audience familiar with issues for water due to catchment management planning experience, but struggling in particular with cultural services. Engagement of land managers seen as a key issue given new 'language' around ecosystem services. Limited feedback but value in terms of raising profile of the pilot and ecosystems approach. |
| Sept 13 | Project plan for pilot activities. | Project Team | Evidence of project management and planning | |
| Sept 13 | LUS Pilot Governance and Structure | A description of the governance structure and make up of the Project Board and affiliates. | Project Team | Evidence of project management and planning. |
| Sept 13 | Risk Register and issues log | Regularly updated risk register and issues log with process risks and issues and mitigation measures. | Project Team | Evidence of project management and planning. Issues include availability and compatibility of data, uneven data sources for different services. |
| Oct 13 | Land Use Benefits workshop Dee Catchment | Report of stakeholder workshop held at Ballater, Upper Dee. | Stakeholders | Active engagement with stakeholder interests. Private sector land and statutory interests. Community groups and some wider interest groups invited but were unable (insufficiently motivated?) to attend. Attempts made to look at non-spatial socio political land constraints such as 'public opinion.' |
| Nov 13 | SEA Screening report | A screening document setting out the need the framework to have a SEA. | Project Team | Evidence of assessment and compliance with SEA requirements. |
| Nov 13 | End Stage 1 Stakeholder Workshop | A workshop at which the products of stage 1 (maps) were reviewed by stakeholders. | Stakeholders | 50 maps presented. New local pilot area discussed. Stage 2 commences. 18 attendees. Complexity commented on and the lack of socio economic factors, difficulty of interpreting large amounts of information. Some concern at need to increase engagement with wider stakeholders. Issues around process for priority questions. |
| Dec 13 | Stage 1 Report | Summary of findings stage 1. | Project Team | Concerns participants had in relation to the questions approach proposed for the second stage of the pilot. No participant argued against the need to focus down the pilot's exploration of constraints and opportunities by asking key, land use change relevant questions. It was the nature of such questions that was a concern. The pilot responded to these concerns by framing the questions around some of the key policy targets that already exist (e.g. woodland expansion, renewable energy, flood management, food security, halting biodiversity loss, community engagement) so as to try to minimise the risk of bias or subjectivity. |
| Jan 14 | Land Use benefits workshop Huntly local area | Same methodology as Upper Dee Catchment, focussed on the Huntly local area. | Stakeholders | Fair distribution of stakeholder categories in terms of local community groups, businesses as well as statutory agencies. |
| May 14 | Stage 2 Stakeholder workshop | Workshop to review stage 2 of the pilot, constraints and opportunities and to inform stage 3 activity. | Stakeholders | Twenty nine attendees including seven Aberdeenshire Council and James Hutton Institute staff. |
| Jul 14 | Stage 2 Stakeholder workshop report | A review of stage 2 constraints and opportunities work, with stakeholders. | Stakeholders | Strong interest in the mapping process and its potential value. Some lack of understanding of pilot aims for some stakeholders, showing the challenge of communication. Some questions about transparency of weighting. |
| Oct 14 | Land Use Change Issues and Opportunities, Draft Report | Summarises significant issues in land use, presents them to stakeholders for feedback, to form the basis of suggested actions and framework. | Stakeholders | This report explores land use change issues and opportunities in Aberdeenshire. It highlights significant factors that are likely to influence land use change and assesses how the region could respond to them. It aims to present a broad overview which stimulates wider stakeholder involvement and further debate on future land use change in the region. It aims to aid strategic rural land use planning decisions. The report ends by suggesting a series of actions and an invitation for stakeholders to get involved. |
| Oct 14 | Land Use Scenarios Workshop Report | Report on third and final local area workshop held at Ballater. | Stakeholders | Report describes workshop activity that presented three possible future scenarios to participants, exploring interaction of variables in ecosystem services. The report concludes that participants valued an opportunity to learn and explore the complex relationship and interaction of issues in land use and land management. |
| Nov 14 | Land Use Scenarios Workshop Report | Report on third and final local area workshop held at Ballater. | Stakeholders | Report describes workshop activity that presented three possible future scenarios to participants, exploring interaction of variables in ecosystem services. The report concludes that participants valued an opportunity to learn and explore the complex relationship and interaction of issues in land use and land management. |
| Dec 14 | Stage 3 Report | A report of stage 3 activity and an overview of issues faced by the pilot. | Stakeholders | The report outlines activity of stage 3, in which a web based, interactive tool and gives an overview of land use change issues and opportunities. |
| Jan 15 | Land Use Change Issues and Opportunities, Final Report | Summarises significant issues in land use, presents them to stakeholders for feedback, to form the basis of suggested actions and framework. | Stakeholders | This report explores land use change issues and opportunities in Aberdeenshire. It highlights significant factors that are likely to influence land use change and assesses how the region could respond to them. It aims to present a broad overview which stimulates wider stakeholder involvement and further debate on future land use change in the region. It aims to aid strategic rural land use planning decisions. The report ends by suggesting a series of actions and an invitation for stakeholders to get involved. |
| Mar 15 | Habitats Risk Assessment | Assesses theoretical impact of pilot recommendations on policy and European habitat designations. | Stakeholders | Summarises a range of key messages and suggested actions from the pilot. A matrix is provided of the potential impacts of these suggested actions on European habitat sites and a matrix of potential policy impacts. |
| Mar 15 | SEA Environment Report | A report under SEA regulations to identify and address all the effects the plan is likely to have on the environment. | Stakeholders | The report concludes that the overall effects of the pilot plan will be positive on the environment, but that it is difficult to judge because of the nature of the pilot. |
| Mar 15 | SEA Post Adoption Statement | A report outlining responses to the SEA Environment report consultation and response by pilot to SEA findings. | Stakeholders | Evidence of consultation with stakeholders. |
| Feb 15 | Short Note of Aberdeenshire Pilot Event, Banchory, February 2015 | A note describing outcomes of the workshop discussion and Q&A session. | Stakeholders | Concern noted by some participants that it is too early for outputs from the pilot to influence the land use strategy. Generally positive about process, but a 'health warning' It needs further development. |
| Mar 15 | Final Report | A synopsis of the process and findings, with a description of key findings. | Stakeholders | No overarching framework to guide land use was prepared by the Pilot due to constraints of time, knowledge and data. |
2. The Scottish Borders
| Date | Title of Product | Description of Product | Target Audience | Issues information relevant to key research questions. Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 13 | Press release for Launch | Press release timed with ministerial announcement. | Public | Evidence of awareness raising of pilot with stakeholders and wider public. |
| Jul 13 | Borders LUS Communication Strategy | Identifies a range of audience groups, from lead organisations to the general public. The document sets out methods of engagement suited for different audiences, timescales and priorities. | Project Team | Messages developed are for communicating the purposes of the project. Shows effective planning of communications. |
| Aug 13 | Landing Page for Pilot on Scottish Borders Council (SBC) Website | A short description of the pilot. | Public | Evidence of awareness raising of pilot with stakeholders and wider public. |
| Aug 13 | Tweed Forum Pilot Website | A short description of the pilot. | Public | 1200 hits |
| Aug 13 | Facebook Page | A social network space allowing comment and interaction with public and stakeholders. | Public | 15 followers. Social media included as a means of reaching out to a wider audience, but there is little evidence to suggest that this is a preferred or effective channel for the pilot, given the nature of stakeholders engaged. |
| Sept 13 | Proposed Priority Catchments | A matrix setting out the key environmental, economic and social factors for proposed catchment areas, rationalising prioritisation and explaining this to stakeholders. | Stakeholders | A qualitative approach to prioritising catchments, showing efforts to ensure that the pilot encompasses a range of land use and land management factors to meet the brief. |
| Oct 13 | Baseline mapping, constraints and opportunity mapping and final framework. Environmental Systems (Baseline Spatial Mapping). | A report on the methodology for data gathering and mapping, with an assessment of ecosystem services. | Stakeholders | The report summarises the methodology for stage 1 of bringing together available data on ecosystem services, as a basis for identifying constraints and opportunities. With ecosystem services being a new science, the method relies on available data sets, which have an inherent bias to readily quantifiable and existing provision of data. The process of weighting is taken forward through consultation and will be dependent on the views of those stakeholders engaged. |
| Nov 13 | Stakeholder Engagement and Facilitation Meetings programme | A more detailed timeplan for of engagement and facilitation meetings with stakeholders. | Project Team | A more detailed plan and record of activity that tracks engagement activity with identified stakeholders. |
| Nov 13 | Policy Mapping Report | A summary of analysis of policies and strategies to identify existing spatial implications. | Project Team | The summary states that in the vast majority of cases, it is not possible to create a spatial dimension to a policy or plan (except soil erosion and woodland combined with local plan). Identifies the limits to the preferred spatial approach being developed by the LUS pilots. |
| Nov 13 | Appendix 1 Initial SEA Methodology | A document cross referencing requirements of SEA with the requirements of the LUS pilot | Project Team | |
| Nov 13 | Appendix 2 Pilot Phase 1 Mapping | Spatial representation of data, constraints and opportunities maps. | Stakeholders | No additional issues. Mapped representation of data in stage 1 report. |
| Nov 13 | RLUF Policy Mapping spreadsheet | Mapping content of plans and strategies against ecosystem services provision. | Project Team | A comprehensive assessment of a wide range of policies against ecosystem services. The analysis is comprehensive, encompassing land use and land management as required in the brief. |
| Nov 13 | Stakeholder Facilitation Strategy and Action Plan | A detailed plan of engagement methods for identified stakeholders. | Project Team | The document establishes a hierarchy for stakeholders, priority, key and important. This is based on level of interest and level of influence. |
| Nov 13 | Stakeholder Engagement Feedback Form | A summary of responses to 9 discussion points at stakeholder meetings. | Project Team | The responses to the discussion points are constructive and positive about the pilot. Respondents comments and priorities were linked to their specific areas of interest/concern. This is to be expected, but perhaps illustrates the challenge for those looking to develop integrated approaches and highlights the importance of representation, i.e. the absence of a subject/issue champion may mean that it does not get accounted for. |
| Nov 13 | End Stage 1 Report | Project management | Project Team | Reports on limits to spatial representation of policies. Reports on difficulty in accessing and utilising data sets. Technical issues with data reported. |
| Nov 13 | Stage 1 Exceptions Report | Project management | Project Team | Evidence of project management and planning processes for pilot. |
| Nov 13 | Stage 2 Plan | Project management | Project Team | Evidence of project management and planning processes for pilot. |
| Apr 14 | End Stage 2 Report | Project management document | Project Team | Evidence of project management and planning processes for pilot. |
| Apr 14 | Consultation Report for Scottish Borders Council on the Tweed Forum led Stakeholder Engagement | Full report of the process and findings emerging from the stakeholder events and engagement in stage 2. | SBC | A detailed report on the consultation findings of stage 2. It describes the response to the process, which is positive. There is some suspicion from the private sector that it is linked to land reform. The key land uses are identified and the constraint is identified but does not yet address them. |
| May 14 | SBC Internal Stakeholder engagement consultation report | A summary report of a consultation with SBC departments whose work may be informed by the pilot framework. | Project Team | Identification of potential mechanisms for impact, and inter relationship between LUS and LA policies and services Statutory planning, SRDP and neighbourhood services. Green space management identified as areas of potential opportunity. An important analysis that identifies potential for theoretical routes for the pilot to influence change through local authority practice and policy. |
| May 14 | LUS Pilot Issues report | A testing of scope and a direction check on the way forward for the framework and priority land uses. Requests feedback on how to continue or strengthen engagement with stakeholders including communities. | Stakeholders | Evidences the engagement with the key stakeholders and ongoing consultation at a key decision point. |
| May 14 | Summary version of the Consultation Report for Scottish Borders Council on the Tweed Forum led Stakeholder Engagement to Scottish Borders Council | Summary report of the process and findings emerging from the stakeholder events and engagement in stage 2. | Stakeholders | A summary of full report. |
| May 14 | Exceptions report Stage 2 | Project management document | Project Team | No significant issues. Slight delay to stage 2. Slight reconfiguration of consultation to bring it forward, but informal and not 12 weeks demanded of final framework. |
| May 14 | Stage 3 Plan | A plan for stage 3 to prepare a draft framework | Project Team | Evidence of project management and planning processes for pilot. |
| Aug 14 | Interim Consultation Report | 200 stakeholders who were consulted during the LUS pilot stakeholder engagement programme were asked to provide comments on interim findings from that consultation process. | Stakeholders | 200 consulted. 51 responses. A thorough document which explores stakeholder views of process and views on key land uses and constraints and opportunities. At this stage, difficult to see how trade offs and decisions will emerge from the different sector responses. Overall positive feedback to the process. |
| Aug 14 | Implementation Plan Questions | A supplementary consultation asking stakeholders to complete a matrix showing constraints/opportunities and conflicts between land uses as well as views on potential use of the framework for their organisation. | Stakeholders | A further in depth consultation with priority and key stakeholders, trying to develop deeper information on interactions between ecosystem services This includes: SEPA, SNH, FCS, SLA, NFUS, Scottish Water, RSPB, SUP and RPID. |
| Aug 14 | Letter to stakeholders | Guidance Letter to stakeholders explaining implementation plan consultation. | Stakeholders | Explanatory note of process for implementation plan consultation. |
| Aug 14 | Matrix of interactions | This accompanies the letter and the implementation plan questions. The matrix of interactions between ecosystem services in Scottish borders (+++ large to + small beneficial interaction / --- large to - small antagonistic effect). | Stakeholders | Evidences activity to understand basis for assessing trade offs and prioritisation. |
| Oct 14 | The Draft Framework | The draft framework, prepared for Committee approval. | Stakeholders | To be reviewed at next stage of the evaluation. |
| Oct 14 | Stage 3 Interim Report | Project management document | Project Team | Evidence of project management and planning processes for pilot. |
| Nov 14 | LUS Draft Environmental Report (ER). | The report identifies 3 main interactions in terms of significant potential for negative effects or multiple benefits i) interaction between delivery of ecosystem services and impacts on food production, ii) interaction between delivery of a range of ecosystem services and impacts on timber provision and iii) interaction where opportunities for delivery of multiple ecosystem services arise. | Stakeholders | 8 priority land uses are identified through expert rule base, stakeholder and steering group opinion. Main constraint interactions are identified. More work is suggested to explore opportunities of the inter relationships. |
| Nov 14 | ER Appendix 2 Policy Drivers | A matrix of policy drivers and their impacts on SEA topics. | Stakeholders | Evidence of work to assess interrelationship of SEA and LUS scope with a wide range of policy. Assesses impacts and inter relationship with existing policy. |
| Nov 14 | ER Appendix 3 Consultation Authority Scoping Report | Summary of consultation responses to the SEA scoping report. | Stakeholders | |
| Nov 14 | ER Appendix 4 Causal Chain assessments | Causal chain assessment of ecosystem services | Stakeholders | Evidences a complex assessment of the inter relationships of the 8 priority land uses and ecosystem services. |
| Nov 14 | ER Appendix 5 Policy drivers | A matrix of ecosystem services and their inter relationships | Stakeholders | Records complex interactions between the ecosystem services. |
| Dec 14 | Draft Framework | A draft land use framework for consultation. | Stakeholders | Key product of process and subject to detailed analysis |
| Jan 15 | LUS Consultation Questions | A set of questions to frame the consultation on the draft land use framework | Stakeholders | Evidence of consultation with stakeholders |
| Feb 15 | LUS SEA Statement Final | A one page summary of the findings of the SEA process and the final status of the framework. | Stakeholders | A key conclusion is the constraints between land use for food production and a range of alternative ecosystems services. Similar constraints are identified for timber production. The SEA acknowledges that there are many opportunities for delivery of multiple benefits through increases in other ecosystems services, but without food production and commercial timber production. Also states that the pilot will not finalise the draft framework. |
| Mar 15 | Consultation Responses to Draft Framework | Consultation responses to draft framework (redacted). | Project Team | Evidence of consultation on draft framework but redacted for data protection. |
| Mar 15 | Land Use Framework Consultation Report | Provides a summary of stakeholder responses to the draft final framework. | Stakeholders | Evidence of consultation and stakeholder responses to the framework. |
| Mar 15 | Stage 3 Final Report | Project management document | Project Team | Reports on the consultation process for the draft framework, SEA summary, a report on final stage products. |
Contact
Email: Linda Gateley
There is a problem
Thanks for your feedback