Green Belt East Dunbartonshire Council Local Development Plan 2013 MIR Background Report 6: Green Belt Review
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East Dunbartonshire Main Issues Report 2013 Background Report 6 Green Belt East Dunbartonshire Council Local Development Plan 2013 MIR Background Report 6: Green Belt Review Introduction The objectives of the study are to: Confirm the continuing strong, clear and defensible inner green Glasgow and Clyde Valley Strategic Development Plan (SDP) states belt boundaries in relation to contemporary green belt that the green belt should continue as designated, see Strategy strategic objectives; Support Measure 8 Green Infrastructure an Economic Reality. It Propose any minor adjustments which would be in line with also notes that the delivery of the Green Network and the review and definition of the inner and outer boundaries of the green belt current Local Plan2 green belt policies GB1 and GB2; and should be priorities for Local Development Plans (LDP), to ensure Strengthen the defensibility and clarity of the inner edge of the that key environmental objectives are achieved. green belt, including identifying opportunities for intervention to improve inner boundaries. Therefore as part of the preparation of the East Dunbartonshire LDP Main Issues Report (MIR) the Council commissioned the The envelopes of four small settlements, currently washed over by Planning and Environment Studio and Bayou Blue Environment to the green belt, were also reviewed. It identified new clearer, more carry out three separate studies covering: consistent potential green belt boundaries for each settlement and the green belt functions for each. Inner Green Belt Boundary Review Review of the Outer Green Belt Boundary at the Kilpatrick Review of the Outer Green Belt Boundary at the Hills Regional Scenic Area in East Dunbartonshire Kilpatrick Hills Regional Scenic Area in East Landscape Capacity Assessment of Pre-MIR Suggested Sites within the East Dunbartonshire Green Belt Dunbartonshire In the east, west and south the outer green belt in East The scope and objectives of these studies are outlined below. Dunbartonshire runs up to the local authority boundary. There is Inner Green Belt Boundary Review no need to review this position as it is adjacent to green belt in adjacent local authority areas and/or is defined by clear features such as railway or river. The inner green belt boundary follows the edges of the settlements in East Dunbartonshire. This refreshes the last review of 2007/08 The north eastern outer green belt boundary abuts the Campsie and incorporates updated SDP green belt objectives. It sets criteria Fells Regional Scenic Area (RSA). However the outer green belt to assess the validity and functionality of the inner green belt boundary at the North West washes over the Kilpatrick Hills RSA boundary. The review was carried out on a settlement basis and and is defined by the Council’s boundary with West identifies the green belt functions for each, See Appendix 2. Page | 1 East Dunbartonshire Council Local Development Plan 2013 MIR Background Report 6: Green Belt Review Dunbartonshire and Stirling. This is despite the Kilpatrick Hills RSA being an equivalent designation to the Campsie Fells RSA with This provides a strategic landscape sensitivity and capacity some strong landscape character parallels. The upland area in the assessment of the sites suggested for housing at Pre-MIR stage that Campsie Fells RSA and the stretch of the Kilpatrick Hills RSA in E fall within the green belt, outside current settlement limits, see Dunbartonshire are both in the Rugged Moorland Hills landscape Appendix 4. Its objectives are to: character area, defined in the Glasgow and Clyde Valley Landscape Analyse the landscape sensitivity of the Pre-MIR sites for Character Assessment. The current Kilpatrick Hills RSA boundary development. is indicative because it was based on the landscape character area Identify, in landscape terms, opportunities and constraints boundary, drawn at a very small scale. for development on the suggested sites Identify potential green belt boundary, landscape mitigation Green belt has its own policy objectives which can overlap and edge of site treatments, should any of these sites be landscape designations, with their own policy objectives. However selected for development. both the Campsie Fells and Kilpatrick Hills are upland areas unsuitable for urban development and their inclusion in the green A landscape record sheet has been provided for each site. It belt would act to weaken its integrity. These areas do not meet the includes landscape sensitivity assessment ‘summary values’ for green belt objective of directing urban growth, set out in the SDP categories addressing landscape character, landscape features and spatial strategy. In addition the objective of protecting the visual prominence. These are categorised into low, medium or high landscape value of RSAs is met by Policy NE 4 – Protection of sensitivities. Potential green belt boundaries and landscape Landscape Character and does not therefore need to be protected mitigation are identified. For each site an Overall Landscape by a green belt designation. Capacity Assessment is given within the Landscape Record, providing a broad assessment of the landscape capacity of the site Therefore the objective of this study was to: to accommodate new housing development. Redefine the RSA boundary to follow recognisable features on the Summary of the Green Belt Functions Currently ground and reflecting particular landscape characteristics. The outer green belt boundary within East Dunbartonshire can be Met on Each Pre Main Issues Report (MIR) Site. accurately realigned to abut the RSA, consistent with the approach adopted for the near-by Campsie Fells RSA, see Appendix 3. The analysis of current green belt functions on each Pre-MIR site is primarily based on the findings of: Inner Green Belt Boundary Landscape Capacity Assessment of Pre-MIR Review (2012), Landscape Capacity Assessment of Pre-MIR Suggested Sites within the East Dunbartonshire Proposed Sites within the Green Belt (2012) and comments from Green Belt Scottish Natural Heritage. Page | 2 East Dunbartonshire Council Local Development Plan 2013 MIR Background Report 6: Green Belt Review Appendix 1 below identifies the specific existing green belt The Inner Green Belt Boundary Review assessed national and functions for each Pre-MIR site. This has also been incorporated strategic planning policy and identified four main functions of Green into Background Paper 3 Site Assessment. The information in the Belts: table relates to the existing function of the green belt not the 1. Spatial Function merits of specific development proposals. Information for fifteen of 2. Community and Recreational Assets the proposed sites came from site surveys in the inner green belt 3. Visual Environmental Quality and Sense of Place review. The remaining thirty one proposed sites were not areas 4. Ecosystems Goods and Services. Please note that the subject to site survey as part of the Review. Therefore the Background Paper 3, Site Assessment, contains more indicators have been applied to these sites using site assessment information on Green Network opportunities, biodiversity, information and local knowledge. The information on the green flood risk, woodland and land capability for agriculture. belt function of Visual Environmental Quality and Sense of Place includes landscape sensitivity information from the Landscape The Review identified indicators for each of these functions. Firstly, Capacity Assessment. This did not cover eight sites which were the functionality of the green belt was examined around the main either late submissions or non- housing sites. The landscape settlements of the Council area as a desk top study. Secondly, sensitivity for these sites has therefore been assessed through site where functionality was initially considered to be low, site specific visits and local knowledge. survey was carried out to assess wider green belt functionality in specific areas. The Landscape Capacity Assessment also identified All of the development sites suggested during the pre-Main Issues landscape sensitivities for each pre-MIR site covering: Landscape Report stage that fall within the green belt have existing green belt Character & settlement form, Landscape Features and Visual functions, to varying degrees, worthy of maintenance. Prominence & Sensitive Views. The review found that the existing green belt inner boundary, as established within Local Plan 2 Conclusion (2011), remains almost entirely valid and serves to meet at least one, but usually multiple, aspirational green belt functions worthy of The inner green belt study has found that the existing boundary, as maintenance. established within Local Plan 2 (2011), remains almost entirely valid and serves to meet at least one, but usually multiple, aspirational green belt functions worthy of maintenance. In the limited areas of Page | 3 East Dunbartonshire Council Local Development Plan 2013 MIR Background Report 6: Green Belt Review green belt boundary where the current boundary delineation was green belt more consistent and is a minor issue which can be found to have weak or modest functionality, in most cases positive included in the LDP Proposed Plan. intervention measures should be prioritised over removal of land from the green belt. The green belt functions on development sites The outer green belt study suggests a proposed realignment of the suggested at Pre-MIR stage have fed into the LDP site assessment outer green belt boundary within East Dunbartonshire to follow