East Dunbartonshire Local Development Plan Pre Main Issues Report Initial Publicity & Engagement - Findings February 2012 Head of Development & Enterprise William Patrick Library 2nd Floor 2-4 West High Street Kirkintilloch Glasgow G66 1AD East Dunbartonshire Local Development Plan, Pre - Main Issues Report Publicity & Engagement Findings Contents: Summary of Pre - Main Issues Report, Workshop & Questionnaire Findings. Appendix 1 Pre - Main Issues Report Scoping Workshop, Held on 12.12.11, Produced by Nick Wright Planning Appendix 2 List of Questionnaire Respondents Appendix 3 Pre Main Issues Report Questionnaire, Note of Responses to Individual Questions Summary of Pre - Main Issues Report, Workshop & Questionnaire Findings. 1.0 This report aims to provide a summary of the key land use planning themes that emerged from the recent ‘pre-Main Issues Report’ workshop & questionnaire exercise, which was undertaken as part of the preparation for the Local Development Plan Main Issues Report. 2.0 Workshop 2.1 A workshop was held on Monday 12 December 2011 in Lenzie Hall. The workshop was a lively event and well attended, with over 70 participants. This included local residents, community councils, planning consultants and developers, the Scottish Government and key agencies (including SEPA, Transport Scotland, SNH, Scottish Water, Historic Scotland and SPT). A lot of useful information came out of the session, with affordable housing, town centres and transport among the key themes. Participants were grouped into tables of approximately 7-8 people and were asked to discuss and consider a number of questions such as: • What opportunities does East Dunbartonshire's have? • What challenges does the area face? • What are the key land use priorities for the area? At the end of the session, each table was tasked with creating a 'vision' for a specific area within East Dunbartonshire in 2025 using a variety of drawing tools, props and maps. 2.2 A number of common themes emerged from the various discussions: • Housing - Access to housing must improve, as at present many younger people and young families are prevented from either staying in the area or moving to it. Difficulties relate to the cost of housing, the need for more affordable housing, and the need for ways to access housing other than conventional mortgages. There was a clear sense that providing more housing – not just for younger people, but also for older people wishing to downsize – would help the situation; but the homes should be of good quality, and new neighbourhoods should be accessible to public transport, green space, jobs and facilities. • Transport - Discussion focused on the difficulties of getting around East Dunbartonshire (both in terms of public transport services and road infrastructure) as well as congestion on commuting routes in and out of the Council area. Suggested solutions included reducing the demand for commuting by encouraging local small businesses, social enterprises and home working; improved park and ride facilities; better and more responsive local public transport; and better walking and cycling facilities for local journeys. • Town Centres - Improving the quality of our town centres and developing a greater interest in the built environment was a common concern throughout the groups. Town centres were widely regarded as assets with greater potential as focal points for economic and social activity. In particular it was seen as important that retail trade is retained with East Dunbartonshire, and that leakage is minimised by improving the diversity of town centres and supporting smaller, more independent retail units. There was also a general recognition that town centres must anticipate future shopping and retail trends (e.g. internet shopping) by expanding their role and function. • Business & Employment - There was a strong focus on “local” employment. Participants wished to see more small businesses and social enterprises within individual towns and villages. There was a frequently expressed aspiration to support new ways of doing business, focusing on local, small-scale, community-based approaches. As with housing, there was an aspiration for more employment within East Dunbartonshire, to reduce out-commuting, create more local economic opportunities and strengthen communities. There was also a focus on making more of the area’s assets – a relatively large affluent retired population, hills and countryside, the canal – as sources of local economic development. It was noted that the area is attractive to live and work in, partly due to its proximity to Glasgow and other markets/ centres of population. The asset of the countryside and hills offer opportunities for recreation, business and green energy production. 2.3 Detailed outcomes from the workshop are included within the report prepared by the external facilitator, Nick Wright Planning, see Appendix 1. This report will form part of the evidence base informing the Main Issues Report. 3.0 Questionnaires 3.1 The purpose of the questionnaire was to provide an opportunity for everyone with an interest in the planning system in East Dunbartonshire to comment on what they regard as the main planning issues which the Council should focus on, for inclusion in the Main Issues Report. The Main Issues Report is due to be published in Autumn 2012. 3.2 Consultation ran for six weeks from Monday 7th November to Friday 19 December 2011. In total, approximately 160 questionnaire responses were received, broken down into the following categories: approximately 130 responses from individuals; 3 from community councils; 2 from key agencies; 18 from developers, consultancies and landowners; and 9 from other local and interest groups. Appendix 2 lists all the individuals & organisations that made comments, along with a reference number. The questions asked in the questionnaire are repeated in Appendix 3, along with a note of the responses given. 3.3 The following themes emerged from the questionnaire responses: • Town Centres and Retail - There was a strong feeling that a new role other than retailing must be found for our town centres, in order to ensure that they have a future when so much retail trade has moved to out-of- centre locations and the internet. Whilst it should still form an important element of the town centre experience, other uses are required to compliment residual retailing. Leisure, housing, restaurants, cafes and community facilities were all suggested as uses which should be encouraged in order to improve the vitality and viability of our town centres. ¾ The lack of parking emerged as the main land use issue within Bishopbriggs town centre. There was also a feeling that the diversity and quality of shops is generally quite poor, particularly in comparison with Strathkelvin Retail Park. Some respondents also pointed to the need for improvements to the public realm. ¾ Kirkintilloch was widely perceived to be underperforming and in urgent need of improvement. It was generally felt that there is an imbalance in terms of the diversity of uses. Non-retail uses should be encouraged and a more pedestrian friendly streetscape considered. The status of the Town Hall was another common concern, as was the availability of adequate parking. ¾ For Bearsden, the responses were strongly focused on infrastructure constraints and a lack of parking in particular. Parking issues also came through for Milngavie, albeit to a lesser extent. The need to increase the variety of shops and services was seen as the key issue by the majority of respondents in Milngavie. A number of comments also stressed the importance of exploiting Milngavie’s cultural, social and historical assets such as the West Highland Way, Town Hall and art gallery. • Transport & Infrastructure - Support for developing additional rail stations within East Dunbartonshire was highlighted by respondents in order to promote sustainable travel and satisfy current and forecast demand. Car parking at existing railway stations and surrounding areas, including town centres, was identified as an issue, with Park-&-Ride suggested as a possible intervention. Respondents suggested that improved bus routes and services between Bishopbriggs, Kirkintilloch, Bearsden and Milngavie were required in order to encourage sustainable travel within the Council locality. A number of responses highlighted that further investment is required in walking and cycling infrastructure in order to enhance and promote safe active travel. The volume of people travelling between East Dunbartonshire and Glasgow was identified as an issue. • Housing - The availability of housing emerged as a key concern for the majority of respondents. The need for affordable housing, particularly smaller houses for first time buyers and families, and housing for older people, including both publicly and privately provided retirement flats and sheltered housing came through very strongly. Respondents suggested that public, private and partnership delivery was required to meet unmet need and that a mix of affordable and market housing of all sizes should be built. In terms of locating new housing, brownfield sites, town centres and windfall sites within urban areas were preferred, although a number of responses stressed the importance of adopting a flexible approach with regard to the greenbelt boundary and well located greenbelt release where necessary. Residents and other stakeholders suggested a range of sites across the area that could be developed (see Appendix 3). • Employment - Responses