A National Landscape Policy for Scotland
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Etching of Cambusnethan Priory from Strath-Clutha ‘Beauties of the Clyde; Joseph Swan, 1839 Institute of Landscape Architects (Scottish Group) & The National Trust for Scotland A National Landscape Policy for Scotland Report on Conference held on Cambusnethan Priory, Lanarkshire th Saturday, 16 June 1962 Institute of Landscape Architects (Scottish Group), & The National Trust for Scotland Proceedings of Conference at Cambusnethan Priory, Lanarkshire, Saturday June 16, 1962 A National Landscape Policy for Scotland Opening Remarks and Welcome by Peter Daniel, BArch MCD, ARIBA, AILA, AMTPI Ladies and Gentlemen, my wife and I are delighted to welcome you to Cambusnethan Priory and we greatly appreciate that many of you have travelled great distances to be with us on what we earnestly hope will be a most memorable and worthwhile event. We are surrounded here in the Clyde Valley, as in other parts of industrialised Britain, by towns which are to my mind too often an insult to human dignity, obscene parodies of architecture, landscape and planning. While they show us our re-apparent inability as communities to create satisfactory relationships of our towns within their landscape settings, they also warn us that changes in land use for economic and social reasons are inevitable. It is a tragedy that society should so often need protection against such change which always seems to be inimical. It is also an indictment that we should fear these changes, but I am afraid that this is so. How do we confront, intervene and manage this state of affairs? As the pressure to change land use increases and the penumbra of our urban centres casts it shadow over all of our country, we must surely strive to cherish and appreciate the contribution of the noble heritage of the past and the far sighted planning needed for the future, with an altogether deeper understanding of the planning ethos of landscape – truly transmitting a trust which goes far beyond our own life span. We must not allow our landscape to be stifled by political expediency, negative planning, the cupidity of the individual, ‘town house’ and professional feuds, specious economic arguments, or ‘Mickey Mouse’ design aesthetics. I make my case in support for a Landscape Commission for Scotland in these few reasons alone and, therefore, as the raison d’ etre for this conference. May I now introduce with much pleasure, Mr Frank Clark, our Chairman: H Frank Clark, FILA Vice President, Institute of Landscape Architects We are greatly privileged to share the worthwhile and relaxed occasion where underlying initiative of this Conference diverse views may be expressed freely with the National Trust for Scotland and may the government empower the who are and have been the national proposals now before them and voice and leader in the protection and establish the Landscape Commission conservation of our landscape and for Scotland. architectural heritage since the early 1930’s, a decade we share in our Without further ado may I now have the separate inceptions. We are also greatly pleasure of introducing the Morning challenged by the calibre of our Session and our first keynote speaker audience and the diversity of interests who needs little introduction and whom represented here today. It is we are both privileged and absolutely overwhelmingly gratifying to feel that delighted to welcome to the we are kindred spirits in a common Conference. cause. May this be for us all a highly Sir Robert Russell Chairman of the Town and Country Planning Committee, National Trust for Scotland. It gives me great pleasure on behalf of Speaking on behalf of the National the National Trust for Scotland to share Trust for Scotland may I remind the this platform with the Institute of meeting that the proposals which I am Landscape Architects who have so ably about to discuss have evolved gradually and imaginatively convened this event under the pressure of events. During the with the object of bringing together last twelve months, however, the members of the various professions situation has developed with increasing who are actively concerned in the speed. First came the Departmental making and conserving of landscapes, Committee of the Scottish Home to discuss in an open and unrestricted Department which was formed to manner the National Trust’s proposals advise the Secretary of State on Hydro for a Landscape Commission in Electric development in Scotland; Scotland. I am advised that eighty secondly; the Braemar meeting of the persons are in attendance representing Scottish Group of the Town Planning the core interests in the planning and Institute which was concerned primarily conserving of our landscape heritage. with the problems of tourism; then the National Trust for Scotland’s own 3 | Page report on the Highlands compiled by practice for establishing principles for W.H. Murray; The Scottish Tourist landscape conservation, no code of Board’s Conference on Tourism and standards. Where major development Landscape conservation; the NTS was concerned the statutory apparatus announcement of its proposals to the for consultation was inadequate and in Scottish Office for the forming of a operation was unsatisfactory. Landscape Commission; and finally, the Scottish Development Department’s Therefore, the National Trust for recent circular to County Authorities Scotland proposed, that the asking for landscape surveys and Government should establish in proposals on tourism in their various Scotland, a body comparable in some administrative areas. ways with the Historic Buildings Councils and in other ways with the NTS is convinced that statutory National Parks Commission for provision should be made at once to England and Wales to afford local place the preservation of areas of authorities in Scotland, on the advice of outstanding beauty on a National basis, this body, payment of Exchequer and to ensure that any decisions Grants at the rate of 100 per cent for affecting such areas are taken only after such purposes as the construction of car full consideration, and to establish a parks, picnic places, footpaths and source of intelligence and information bridges, the provision of information in addition to the facilities which local services and to meet the expenses authorities and others thought normal to involved in tree preservation orders. supply. Sir Robert said that this body would Sir Robert claimed that any machinery have some such title as the Landscape which was instituted must take into Commission for Scotland, that it should account firstly, the necessity to be appointed by the Secretary of State conserve and preserve areas of and that its chief functions should be: outstanding beauty in the country; secondly, that there should be means of ¾ to advise the Secretary of State access by the public to these areas; and on questions relating to thirdly, that conservation must be amenity and to bring to his reconciled with development. The attention questions relating to existing machinery was in no way amenity and natural beauty adequate nor had we yet commenced anywhere in Scotland; many of the surveys which were still necessary. Though a survey of the coastal scenery in the Highlands had ¾ to make recommendations to been carried out and though the Local Planning Authorities National Trust had implemented its and to make representations to own survey of the Highlands this was Ministers as to any action only a beginning and by no means the which in the Commission’s whole story. There was no code of opinion should be taken to 4 | Page protect areas or places of Commission should immediately, on its outstanding natural beauty or appointment, designate the areas to provide for greater public delineated by the National Parks Survey enjoyment of the countryside Committee namely: and in all these instances to make representations about the specific projects which are ¾ The Loch Lomond, Trossochs worthy of grant aid; area ¾ to advise the Secretary of State ¾ Glen Affric, Glen Cannich, on the giving of grants to Strathferrar Local Planning Authorities and others; ¾ The Cairngorms ¾ to advise the two Electricity ¾ Loch Torridon, Loch Maree, Boards, the Forestry Little Loch Broom Commission, other statutory undertakers and other developers on questions The boundary lines for these areas relating to amenity and natural should be redrawn where necessary, to beauty anywhere in Scotland; accord with developments over the past 18 years. ¾ to initiate its own investigations and researches Sir Robert said that it was thought that and to provide an intelligence if appointed, the Commission should service on landscape, design have a staff of its own which would and materials and on all comprise civil servants and technical matters pertaining to amenity advisers consisting of planners and and the preservation of areas landscape architects, and that the of outstanding natural beauty. Commission would function independently of the Scottish Sir Robert also informed the meeting Development Department and of any that it was suggested that the other interests. Discussion In the discussion, Frank Tindall Commission should not be just one suggested that the Commission might more ineffective advisory body. Peter be an executive one with powers and Daniel questioned why the aims of the finance to carry out development as Commission should be solely well as being an advisory one, and this concerned with the areas of outstanding point was made by other speakers who natural beauty as at present conceived were concerned that the Landscape or designated, and did not seem to be 5 | Page asked to investigate the landscape The precept of separating landscape degeneration in the areas surrounding into areas which were spoilt and and within our urban centres or of the unspoilt continued to concern the need to rehabilitate despoiled conference and William Gillespie made landscape. In his opinion, the County the strong plea for the intelligent Planning Authorities might also be engineering and landscape integration asked by the Department to prepare of new motor roads required to carry landscape rehabilitation plans at the tourists and other general users to their same time as preparing tourist attraction chosen destinations.