PLANNING SURVEY SCOTLAND 2004 Survey of planning websites in Scotland

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1 PLANNING SURVEY SCOTLAND 2004 Survey of planning websites in Scotland Commissioned by The Scottish Executive Prepared by Peter Pendleton & Associates Ltd Upper Floors 97 Lower Marsh London SE1 7AB

2 CONTENTS SECTION 1 o Method o The Pendleton Criteria o The Pendleton Structure Plan Criteria SECTION 2 o Key findings for the Scottish Local & National Park Authority Websites SECTION 3 o Overview of e-planning Performance in Scotland Breakdown of Results by Criteria o 2004 Scottish Local & National Park Authority Planning Website Rankings SECTION 4 o Key findings for the Scottish Structure Plan Websites FIGURES Figure 1: Pendleton Criteria Figure 2: Pendleton Structure Plan Criteria Figure 3: Total of Scottish Local & National Park Authorities Meeting Each Pendleton Criterion Figure 4: Total of Pendleton Criteria met by Each Scottish Local & National Park Authority APPENDICES Appendix 1: Individual Score Breakdowns for the Planning Authority Websites (spreadsheet format) Appendix 2: Individual Score Breakdowns for the Structure Plan Websites (spreadsheet format) Appendix 3: Invitations to Authorities 2

3 SECTION 1 METHOD 3

4 1.1 Defining Planning Websites For the purpose of this study, the term planning websites is defined as the provision of general and area-specific planning information and services by an authority via their local government website. The scope of the survey criteria includes the development control process, development plans and policy at district and structure plan level but does not include the enforcement process. 1.2 The Area Surveyed The planning websites of 34 Scottish local and National Park authorities (National Parks are marked with an N.P) and 2 structure plan teams have been surveyed: Local Authorities o Aberdeen City o Aberdeenshire o Angus o Argyll & Bute o Cairngorms N.P (limited powers) o City of Edinburgh o City of Glasgow o Clackmannanshire o Dumfries & Galloway o Dundee City o East Ayrshire o East Dunbartonshire o East Lothian o East Renfrewshire o Falkirk o Fife o Highland o Inverclyde o Loch Lomond & Trossachs N.P o Midlothian o Moray o North Ayrshire o North Lanarkshire o Orkney o Perth & Kinross o Renfrewshire o Scottish Borders o Shetland o South Ayrshire o South Lanarkshire o Stirling o West Dunbartonshire o West Lothian o Western Isles (Eilean Siar) Structure Plan Websites: o Ayrshire Joint Structure Plan & Transportation Committee o Glasgow & Clyde Valley Structure Plan Joint Committee. 1.3 The Criteria The Pendleton Criteria were originally applied to local authorities in England and Wales as part of the PPA National Planning Website Review The criteria were designed to measure the availability of online planning information and services on local authority 4

5 websites. The criteria were subsequently adopted by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister as one of the tools to assist in the measurement of local authority progress in the delivery of e-planning and e-governance in England and Wales. For this survey the original 21 Pendleton Criteria have been applied to Scottish planning authority websites and a pilot version of the criteria have been applied to two dedicated Structure Plan websites. The criteria have been modified to reflect the roles and responsibilities of the Scottish planning bodies and the Scottish planning & appeal process A point is awarded for each criterion that is met by a local planning authority or planning body. Additional information for example, the period of time covered by application and decision registers was recorded for interest purposes but points were not awarded for this information. 1.4 The Assessment, Presentation and Ranking of Planning Websites: The assessment was aimed at the needs of both regular and one-off users of Council planning services. The criteria were designed to reflect the services most frequently utilised from downloading advice, guidance and forms, to submitting applications and looking up local plan policy. A qualitative assessment has been made based on whether the service homepages were accessible and presented in a comprehensive format, whether the scope of the online information and services available met the users requirements and would reduce the user s need to make telephone enquires or visit Council offices For this survey testing of the on-line services was from the point of view of the web-user. For this study we worked with the following scenarios: o Citizens wanting to find out about planning applications in their area and comment on an application online o Agent/Applicant wishing to make and monitor applications o Citizens/Agent wishing to find out the planning history for a property o A homeowner investigating if changes to their house would require permission o Citizens wishing to know more about the planning process o Citizens checking if they want to attend the next committee meeting o Citizens/Agents checking for any land designations on a specific site Points were only awarded where the services or level of information required to meet the criterion was available online and functioning at the time of testing and the information 5

6 provided was up-to-date and considered accessible to the user. For a service to be classified as accessible it must be made clear to the user on the planning web pages which services are available and how to access them The survey data is presented in spreadsheet format. The spreadsheet lists each local/ National Park authority and Structure Plan website surveyed, the criteria met by the individual authorities and their overall score. The score given to each local authority is based on the number of criteria met by the local authority, out of a total of 21. The 34 local authorities and National Park authorities have been ranked based on this score. The maximum score available to the Structure Plan websites surveyed was 11 points. 1.5 External Websites Links to external planning websites that offer functions like planning advice and guidance on behalf of the local authority have been included in the scoring for that authority only where there is a named service direct link from the Council website to the external site. A logo alone is not sufficient; it must be accompanied by a brief explanation of the services available on the external website. 1.6 The Data Collection & Validation Process Each website was tested on a minimum of two separate occasions by different researchers to ensure the accuracy of the results. The final survey of each website was carried out on the 1 st of November 2004; this date was taken as the survey date and the results were correct on this date Websites with links or services that did not function/failed to download or were out of date were repeat-tested by a different researcher over the course of the survey period, and for a final time on the 1 st of November. Those that remain inoperative on this date were regarded as absent Once the websites had been surveyed by PPA researchers, the survey results for each authority were available to view on the Peter Pendleton & Associates website ( Authorities were invited by the Scottish Executive to validate that the results listed on the website were correct at the time of testing. Local authorities could only validate their own score and were given a period from the 3 rd -10 th of November to submit a response. 6

7 1.6.4 Local authorities that agreed with their scores were asked to confirm this with PPA via a dedicated address (planningsurvey@pendleton-assoc.com). Authorities that did not agree with the score listed on the website were asked to highlight the services that they required to be rechecked. The validation period was not designed to enable authorities to update the services available on the web points could not be awarded for new services that were added to the site during the validation period PPA applied a 7 stage data collection and validation process: Stage 1: Notification to Authorities Authorities were notified via on 25 th October- before the survey began to inform authorities when the survey was to take place and advising when and how the survey results could be viewed and details of the validation period. A copy of the is given in Appendix 2. The distribution list for all authorities was obtained from the Scottish Executive. s for Heads of Planning were used as the primary point of contact, with s to Chief Executives as an alternative contact. Where s bounced back as undelivered to local authorities PPA made all reasonable attempts to contact the authority via an alternative e.g. a general planning/development control provided on the planning pages of the authority website. Stage 2: Initial Data Collection 29 th October 2004 The research team conducted the first-stage survey of all local government planning websites in Scotland on the 29 th of October. The aim of the first survey was to collect preliminary data that was subject to reassessment on the 1 st of November. Each planning website was assessed by logging onto the individual local authority websites, navigating to the planning and related web pages and assessing the availability and quality of the online information provided against the relevant Pendleton Criteria. Where direct links to the information/services were not available, a search engine / A-Z of services were used check to locate the information/services. Criteria not found on the dedicated service page, via a link, or by A-Z search of the website were regarded as absent and not rewarded a point. Stage 3: Second Data Collection 1 st November 2004 The research team conducted the second survey of all planning websites in England and Wales on the 1 st November Each planning website was assessed by logging back into the individual local authority websites, navigating to the planning and related web pages and re-assessing the availability and quality of the online information provided 7

8 against the relevant Pendleton Criteria. The results were recorded as correct on the 1 st November 2004 Stage 4: Comparison between Stage 1 and 2 Data The Stage 1 and Stage 2 data were compared for accuracy. Any discrepancies between the two sets of data were re-checked by a researcher for a third time to ensure final results are correct. Final data sets were produced listing all council websites. Stage 5: The Verification Period -3 rd -10 th November 2004 The final data spreadsheets were available to view on the PPA website from 3 rd of November Planning authorities were invited to log onto the site, click on the Planning Survey Scotland 2004 link on the homepage and view the proposed individual criteria breakdown and score for each authority. A dedicated address was available to enable local authorities to validate their score directly to PPA. If no response was received within the verification period it was assumed by PPA that the local authority/ National Park / Structure Plan Team were satisfied with their score and the results were automatically verified. Stage 6: Reminder s to Planning Authorities 5 th November 2004 A follow-up was sent to local authorities on the 5 th November 2004 to remind them that the survey had been completed and to invite authorities to verify the results by the 10 th November. The was sent to the Heads of Planning and Chief Executives at each authority and to the Structure Plan Teams. A copy of the reminder is given in Appendix 2. Stage 7: The Finalised Results The verified results were passed from PPA to the Scottish Executive on 10 th November 2004 in Excel Spreadsheet format. This report accompanies these results. 1.7 The Report Section 2 and 3 of this report summarise the findings from the survey, presented as: o Key survey findings for Scottish local and National Park authority websites o An overview of e-planning performance in Scotland presented as a breakdown of the criteria o Planning website rankings for Scottish local and National Park authorities o Key Findings for the Structure Plan Teams. 8

9 FIGURE 1: The Pendleton Criteria Local Authorities and National Park Authorities in Scotland have been surveyed against 21 criteria the original Pendleton Criteria applied during the Planning Website Survey 2003 modified to reflect the Scottish Planning and Appeal process. criterion number Criteria Description Criteria Definition 1 Planning page accessible from council home page Has a direct link from the home page to the planning page(s) or enables the user to directly locate the planning page through a simple A-Z search. 2 Online application register Online list of planning applications lodged with the council, current or past. At a minimum these can be static records that list site address, application number and description of the proposed development. Must be kept up to date. 3 Can you view application drawings & attachments? Enable the user to view online any drawings, photographs and documents accompanying a planning application 4 Can you view appeals? Record of appeals lodged against the authority. List must give as minimum site address, ref. number & proposal description 5 Facility to comment on applications? Representations about individual applications can be submitted electronically. Does not include forms that can be filled out online but have to be printed and posted to the Council. 6 Facility to monitor applications online User can track progress of an application from registration to determination - provides active up-to-date information for each current application. Listing whether the application is current or decided is not sufficient unless some level of additional monitoring information is provided e.g. key dates 7 Online decision registers? Record of applications determined by the council providing at minimum: site address, application ref. number, description of the development and whether permission was granted or refused. A point is not awarded for list of decisions given in committee reports unless the list includes both delegated and non-delegated decisions. 8 Can the decision notice be viewed? The statutory decision notice issued by the Council is available to view in full online 9 Are the conditions/reasons for refusal listed? The user can view conditions attached to a planning permission, or reasons for refusal for each application, in full for the delegated and non-delegated decisions. 9

10 10 Can Officer s Reports be viewed? Electronic versions of officer's reports for individual applications on the committee agenda. Summarising the relevant planning issues and making a recommendation about the decision. Reports must be provided in full Can Committee meeting schedule/agenda be viewed? Can records of committee meetings be viewed? Is there online planning helptext? An online calendar or schedule for forthcoming planning committee meeting. Must enable the user to look up the date of the next meeting. Online minutes from previous meetings, at a minimum the most recent Web-based planning guidance and answers to basic planning enquires. Includes planning FAQ s, leaflets, links to advice on other planning related websites. 14 Online application submission? The process of filling out a planning application form online and submitting it electronically either directly to the council or via a supporting external planning site Can you pay the application fee online? Can drawings/documents etc associated with the online application be attached to an electronic application? The statutory application fee to accompany an electronically submitted application can also be paid online. Applicants can submit attach documents and files to accompany the application form submitted online. Guidance on the online process should be given. 17 Downloadable forms? Electronic copies of standard planning forms can be downloaded and printed from the Councils website, filled in and submitted as a paper copy(not electronically) Is the local plan text available? Is the proposals map available? Is the proposals map linked to policy? Includes either the adopted or draft deposit local plan but only when provided in full text format. Councils providing a synopsis of their plan, design briefs, master plans or a summary of the development plan review process were not awarded a point. Where the authority has more than one local plan, the plan text(s) relate to a minimum of 80% of the population of the administrative area to be awarded a point. The proposal map accompanying the development plan is available online. Can be presented as a single map or in sections but must cover the whole administrative area. Where the authority has more than one local plan, the online proposals map(s) must cover a minimum of 80% of the population of the administrative area to be awarded a point. Only if the user can access a list of relevant policies and designations for an individual site by clicking on that area on the proposal map or via address or postcode search. It is an interactive process. 21 Is the proposals map comprehensive and easy to use? Ability to identify street names and/or locate an individual site on the map via a postcode search or other means. Users must be able to adequately locate and determine policy designations for application sites. Inset maps covering all of the area or built-up area that are comprehensive and easy to use will be awarded a point for the Criterion. 10

11 FIGURE 2: THE PENDLETON STRUCTURE PLAN CRITERIA Criterion Number Criteria Description Criteria Definition 1 Is the Structure Plan text available? The Approved or Draft Structure Plan is available to view online. Must be provided in full Is the Structure Plan Key Diagram available to view? Is the Key Diagram linked to policy? Facility to comment on the Structure Plan process? The Key Diagram accompanying the Structure Plan is available online. Can be presented as a single map or in sections but must cover the whole Structure Plan area. The user can access the relevant policies shown by clicking on that area on the Key Diagram, key or via address, postcode search or by clicking on the key. It is an interactive process. Representations about the Structure Plan process and policies can be submitted electronically. Does not include forms that can be filled out online but have to be printed and posted to the Structure Plan Team. 5 Facility to monitor stages of the Structure Plan process? Users can track the progress of the Structure Plan process- information is provided online for each stage e.g. draft copies of the report, reports, consultation papers and/or key dates etc Copies of the Structure Plan and supporting documents can be ordered online? An online register of Planning Application that have been referred to the Structure Plan Team for Comment? Can Joint Committee meeting schedules /agendas be viewed? The Structure Plan and related documents can be ordered online either by or by completing an order form An online list of planning applications that have been referred from the local authority for comment by the Structure Plan Team, including at a minimum the site address, proposal and date of the application. An online calendar or schedule for forthcoming Joint Committee meeting. Must enable the user to look up the date of the next meeting. 9 Can Minutes of Joint Committee meetings be viewed? Online minutes from previous meetings, at a minimum the most recent Links to the Local Authority Partners? Links to other Partners/relevant bodies? The website has working links to the website of each local authority that forms part of the Joint Structure Plan Team The website has working links to the websites of other partners and relevant bodies e.g. the Scottish Executive, SEPA etc. 11

12 SECTION 2 KEY FINDINGS FOR THE SCOTTISH LOCAL & NATIONAL PARK AUTHORITY WEBSITES 12

13 Of the 34 Scottish local authority and National Park authority websites surveyed: met more than half of the 21 Pendleton Criteria and of those, 4 scored between 15 and 18 points. The remaining 22 authorities scored between 10 and 1 point, with all but 3 authorities meeting at least 5 of the 21 criteria. The mean criteria score for the Scottish authorities was 9.2. Figure 1 shows the level of e-planning information and services met by the Scottish Authorities. 2.2 East Lothian was the top ranking Scottish authority meeting 18 of the 21 Pendleton Criteria, followed closely by the City of Edinburgh with a score of 17. Clackmannanshire and Stirling were ranked in joint third position both with a score of 15. Aberdeen, Argyll & Bute, Dundee city, East Dunbartonshire and East Renfrewshire met just under two thirds of the criteria with scores of 13 and East Ayrshire, Shetland and South Ayrshire with scores of 12. Aberdeen City narrowly missed the half mark meeting 10 of the 21 criteria. Dumfries & Galloway, Highland, Loch Lomond & Trossachs National park, Midlothian and North Ayrshire met 9, Angus, Falkirk, Orkney, Renfrewshire and west Lothian met 8 and Fife met 7. The remaining 10 Authorities scored 6 or less criterion. See Figure 2 for a summary of the individual results % of the 34 authorities had accessible planning websites and of those 72% had direct links from the council homepage to the planning pages % had up-to-date online planning registers or weekly lists of planning applications online. 2 of the registers covered a period of 5 years or more % of authorities enabled the user to view drawings and/or applications form and/or documents accompanying a planning application % enabled the user to download or view details of appeals lodged against the authority. Of these, 4 authorities provided the information within the planning committee minutes % enabled the user to submit representations about current planning applications online either by or by completing an online comments form % enabled the user to monitor the progress of an application by providing up-to-date progressive information from submission of the application, validation and consultation through to the decision. 13

14 2.9 29% of authorities provided online decision registers or lists of delegated and nondelegated decisions on the planning web pages or within the planning committee minutes % enabled the user to view statutory decision notices online and a further 12% listed the conditions attached to planning applications/reasons for refusal as part of the application register/list % had an online schedule of planning committee meetings, providing at minimum details of the forthcoming meeting. This was the most widely available type of planning information available online at the time of the survey. 67% enabled the user to download the officer s reports for non-delegated planning applications and 88% enabled the user to view planning committee minutes % of authorities provided online help text generally in the form of text on the website, downloadable leaflets and guidance notes, Frequently Answered Questions and links to external planning websites of the authorities enabled the user to submit planning applications electronically, submit application drawings and documents online or pay the statutory application fee online. However, 25 (74%) provided downloadable forms online % of the authorities had their local plan text online and 65% had an electronic version of their proposals map online. Of those with proposals maps, 15% were interactively linked to the development plan text and 41% were classified as comprehensive and easy to read. 14

15 FIGURE 3: Total of Scottish Local & National Park Authorities Meeting Each Pendleton Criterion Ease of Access to planning pages 32 Online application register 27 Application frms, drwngs, attchmnts online 5 Details of appeals online 15 Comment on applications electronically 15 Monitor application progress 3 Online Decision Register 10 View decision notices online 3 Lists planning conditions online 4 Officer's Committee reports online 22 Committee schedules online 30 Committee minutes online 28 Online Help Text 26 Online Application Submission 1 Downloadable forms 25 Application fee payment online docs/drwngs attchd to online app. 1 1 Local plan text online 24 Local plan map online 22 Map linked to policy text Usable Proposal Map 5 14 Total number of authorities that scored 15

16 FIGURE 4: Total of Pendleton Criteria met by Each Scottish Local & National Park Authority East Lothian 18 City of Edinburgh 17 Clackmannanshire Stirling Aberdeen City Argyll & Bute Dundee City East Dunbartonshire East Renfrewshire East Ayrshire Shetland South Ayrshire Aberdeenshire 10 Dumfries & Galloway Highland Loch Lomond & Trossachs N.P. Midlothian North Ayrshire Angus Falkirk Orkney Renfrewshire West Lothian Fife 7 Moray North Lanarkshire Perth & Kinross Cairngorms N.P (limited powers) City of Glasgow West Dunbartonshire Western Isles (Eilean Siar) Scottish Borders 4 Inverclyde 2 South Lanarkshire 1 16

17 SECTION 3 OVERVIEW OF E-PLANNING PERFORMANCE IN SCOTLAND BREAKDOWN OF SURVEY RESULTS BY CRITERIA 17

18 3.1 Breakdown of Results by Criteria: 3.2 Ease of Access to the Planning webpage: of the 34 local authority and National Park websites surveyed had planning/development control web pages that were easily accessible from the Council home page. Of these, 23 (72%) had a direct web link to the planning web pages from the authority s main homepage. The remaining 11 authorities had planning web pages that were accessible via an A-Z or key word search. 3.3 Online Application Register: of the 34 websites surveyed allowed the user to access information about planning applications online - current and/or determined in the form of an application register The information provided in the registers was generally basic: site address, applicant/agent details, and a brief description of the development and the application number. Some included whether the application was to be delegated or determined by committee. The information was either presented in a searchable database or published weekly lists in PDF or Word format Applications listed in the registers were generally groups by date. The period of time covered by the registers varied with Stirling providing a list of applications dating back to 1989 and Edinburgh back to registers dated back between 1 and 3 years. The planning applications registers on the Aberdeen city, Aberdeenshire Angus Clackmannanshire, Falkirk, Perth & Kinross, Shetland and West Dunbartonshire websites dated back to 2004 or late The application register on the Renfrewshire and Dumfries & Galloway websites included applications from the past month. Argyll & Bute, Dundee, East Ayrshire, Highland and North Lanarkshire had weekly lists of applications. 3.4 Viewing Electronic Application Drawings and/or Attachments Of the 34 Scottish sites surveyed only 5 Clackmannanshire, East Lothian, East Renfrewshire, City of Edinburgh and Shetland - enabled the user to view documents/plans accompanying applications as part of their applications register. 18

19 3.5 Online Appeals Information of the 34 authorities surveyed provided details of appeal lodged against the authority online: Stirling, Aberdeenshire, City of Edinburgh and Fife located the appeal information within the planning pages, the remaining 11 authorities presented appeal information within the committee minutes. Information located with in the planning committee minutes was generally harder to locate, particularly where no guidance was given on the planning page directing the user to their location. 3.6 Submission of Electronic Application Representations At the time of the survey 15 of the 34 authorities enabled the user to submit electronic representations about planning applications, either via an address or an online representation form. It should be noted that while some authorities accepted ed representations, only those that made it clear that was an acceptable way to submit comments were awarded a point for this criterion. The authorities awarded a point for this criterion were: Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Argyll & Bute, Clackmannanshire, Dumfries & Galloway, Dundee City, East Dunbartonshire, East Lothian, City of Edinburgh, Fife, North Lanarkshire, Perth & Kinross, Renfrewshire, South Ayrshire and Stirling It was encouraging to note the facility to representations about emerging local plans was available on a number of authority websites. This criterion was not a tested as part of the Pendleton Criteria, therefore it is not possible to provide a precise number of authorities. 3.7 Facility to Monitor Applications Online Of the 34 authorities surveyed, 3 - Clackmannanshire, City of Edinburgh and Stirling - enabled the user to monitor the progress of a current application online by providing the updated status of the application from submission and validation through to consultation and determination: 3.8 Online Decision Registers Of the 34 authority websites surveyed, 10 had a register or list of planning application decisions online: Argyll & Bute, Clackmannanshire, East Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire. 19

20 East Lothian, City of Edinburgh, Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park, Shetland, South Ayrshire and Stirling. The registers were in the form of a weekly decisions list, a dedicated decisions registers or a joint application and decisions register. The most usable joint application-decision registers were those that provided an option menu that enabled the user to filter and select the type of application they wished to search Basic application information was provided as part of the decision register - e.g. site address, applicant, reference number, brief description of proposal and whether the application was approved, refused, withdrawn or deferred The decisions registers were generally organised by date (most commonly by weekly list). The user is therefore required to know the date that the planning decision was issued in order to locate the details of a specific application. This can create problems for the user when searching planning histories for a property. The more advanced decision registers also enabled the user to search by street name and/or ward and/or application type, which enabled greater flexibility and ease of access for the user, It was common for details of planning decisions chiefly non-delegated decisions to be listed within the planning committee minutes. Whilst it was helpful for the user to have access to this information, decisions listed within committee minutes were often not easy to locate as little or no guidance was given on the planning page advising the user that decisions lists were available within the committee section or how to access the information. The user is also required to know the date of decision in order to access the correct committee minutes. A point was only awarded for criteria 7 (online decisions registers) in cases where lists for both delegated and non-delegated decisions were given in all committee minutes and researchers considered the information was accessible from the perspective of the user. 3.9 Period of Time Covered by Decision Registers The period of time covered by the decisions registers varied considerably for example, East Ayrshire had the previous week s decisions, City of Edinburgh had decisions dating back to at least 1998 and Stirling to The register on the Argyll & Bute and East Dunbartonshire sites dated back to 2002 and 2001 respectively. The Clackmannanshire decisions register dated back to late 2003 and the South Ayrshire register to early These dates were correct at the time of testing. 20

21 3.10 Downloadable Statutory Decision Notices & Conditions/Reasons for Refusal Of the 34 authorities surveyed, 3 - Clackmannanshire, East Lothian and City of Edinburgh - provided electronic copies of decision notices online Conditions/Reasons for Refusal The 3 authorities with online decision notices - Clackmannanshire, East Lothian and the City of Edinburgh provided full lists of conditions for planning consents or reasons for refusal as part of the decision notice. Shetland did not provide a copy of the decision notice online, instead listing the conditions/reasons for refusal for delegated and nondelegated decisions as details within the decision/application register Downloadable Officer s Planning Application Reports Of the 34 authorities surveyed 22 had downloadable copies of officer s planning reports for committee online Copies of officer s reports were generally located within the committee agendas or minutes for the last planning meeting and were available as far back as the committee minutes/agendas were dated. To locate an officer s report for a specific planning application the user was generally required to know the date that the application went to committee in order to locate it within the correct meeting records Downloadable Committee Schedules All but 4 of the authority websites surveyed had schedules for forthcoming committee meetings, either in the form of a calendar or list. This information was generally presented as part of the council s general committee schedule in a separate section to planning. To be awarded a point for this criterion the schedule had to contain at a minimum the date and time of the next development control meeting, although most were in the form of a calendar listing all the planning meetings for the forthcoming months or the next year The majority of authorities with online committee schedules, minutes and offices reports did not have direct link from the planning page to the council s committee pages. 21

22 3.14 Online Committee Minutes of the 34 authority websites surveyed enabled the user to download copies of committee minutes online. These were almost without exception located within the committee section of the webpage. Generally the committee minutes were arranged by date and did not enable the user to search via application address/number Online Planning Help Text/Guidance of the websites had online advice text and guidance about the planning process. The most common advice given online related to the requirement for planning permission and on how planning decisions were made by local authorities Online advice varied in content and quality and was given in a range of formats. The most common types of planning guidance were text on the planning web pages (e.g. frequently answered questions) and downloadable leaflets and guidance notes. A number of sites had/also had links to external planning-related sites. A point was awarded to those with links only if the user was directed to the link to obtain planning guidance Online Application Services At the time of testing East Lothian was the only Scottish authority website surveyed that enabled the user to submit applications for planning consent electronically, pay the statutory application fee online and attach drawings and documents to the online application Downloadable forms Of the 34 Scottish authority websites surveyed 24 enabled the user to download standard planning application forms from the planning page or had a clear link directing the user to access the forms from an external planning website Online Development Plan Text Of the 34 Scottish authority websites surveyed 24 had all of their local plan texts online, either draft or adopted versions. These were generally downloadable by chapter or 22

23 topic. To be awarded a point for local plan text it was necessary for the online local plan to cover 80% or more of the population of the local authority administrative area. Fife, Perth & Kinross and West Dunbartonshire had more than one local plan covering their administrative area and provided some but not all of the local plan text online. In these cases a point could did not be awarded for the local plan criterion, although it is acknowledged that these authorities did provide a proportion of their local plan text online. This also applies to their local plan maps Online Proposals Map Of the 34 websites surveyed 22 had online proposals maps. To be awarded a point for this criterion the local plan map had to cover at least 80% of the population of the administrative area. The Highlands authority, for example, had more than one local plan but only provided one map covering the West Ross area Interactive Policy Text and Proposals Map Of the 34 websites surveyed 5 had a proposals map that was interactively linked to the policies contained in the local plan: Stirling, East Renfrewshire, East Ayrshire, Dundee City and Aberdeen City. The interactive element was access by clicking on the map key or a specific area on the map itself, which linked to the specific policy text. This enables the user to look up a specific site, check any land/policy designations and go directly to the relevant policy Usability of Proposals Map of the authority websites surveyed had proposals maps that enabled the user to locate and identify specific sites either via a postcode/street name search facility or by zooming to a greater scale on map to enable street names to be identified. The authorities with this facility were: Aberdeen City, Argyll & Bute, Dundee City, East Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire, East Renfrewshire, City of Edinburgh, Falkirk, Midlothian, Moray, North Ayrshire, Orkney, South Ayrshire and Stirling. 23

24 PLANNING AUTHORITY WEBSITE RANKINGS SCOTTISH LOCAL & NATIONAL PARK AUTHORITY PLANNING WEBSITE RANKINGS 24

25 Local Authorities/ National Park Authorities meeting the same number of criteria have been given a joint ranking position and are listed alphabetically. Websites are ranked according to the number of PPA Planning criteria met at the time of testing. The scores are out of 21. RANKED Scottish Authority Ranking 2004 SCORE 1 East Lothian 18 2 City of Edinburgh 17 3 Clackmannanshire Stirling 15 Aberdeen City 13 Argyll & Bute 13 Dundee City 13 East Dunbartonshire 13 East Renfrewshire 13 East Ayrshire 12 Shetland 12 South Ayrshire Aberdeenshire Dumfries & Galloway 9 Highland 9 Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park 9 Midlothian 9 19 North Ayrshire 9 Angus 8 Falkirk 8 Orkney 8 Renfrewshire 8 West Lothian 8 24 Fife 7 25 Moray 6 North Lanarkshire 6 28 Perth & Kinross 6 Cairngorms National Park (limited planning powers) 5 City of Glasgow 5 West Dunbartonshire 5 Western Isles (Eilean Siar) 5 32 Scottish Borders 4 33 Inverclyde 2 34 South Lanarkshire 1 25

26 SECTION 4 KEY FINDINGS - THE STRUCTURE PLAN WEBSITES 4 SUMMARY OF FINDINGS: THE STRUCTURE PLAN WEBSITES 26

27 4.1 As a pilot to test the new Pendleton Structure Plan Criteria, two structure plan websites in Scotland were surveyed against a set of 11 criteria. The website factors selected were based on the original 21 Pendleton Criteria but modified to reflect the roles and responsibilities of joint structure plan teams, which include the preparation, consultation and monitoring of the joint structure plan and providing feedback about strategic planning applications as part of the application consultation process. 4.2 The survey looked at the Ayrshire Joint Structure Plan and the Glasgow and Clyde Valley Joint Structure Plan. Both of these are governed by joint committees of the constituent local authorities and have dedicated staff, offices and websites. The Ayrshire Joint Structure Plan site met 10 of the criteria, and the Glasgow & Clyde Valley Joint Structure Plan site met 6. See Appendix 2 for a breakdown of the scores. 4.3 Both the Ayrshire and the Glasgow & Clyde Structure Plan websites had their Joint Structure Plan text and Key Diagrams available to view online: The Ayrshire plan was dated 1999 and the Glasgow & Clyde Valley plan was dated Glasgow & Clyde Valley s website also has the Strathclyde Structure Plan from 1995 online. 4.4 Neither of the Structure Plan Key Diagrams were interactively linked to the Structure Plan Policy. 4.5 At the time of testing the Ayrshire website had the facility to enable members of the public to submit online representations about the forthcoming Structure Plan, due to be completed in Representations could be submitted via or feedback form. The Glasgow & Clyde Valley (G&CV) website did not enable online consultation at the time of testing. However, it should be noted that the G&CV Structure Plan was adopted in 2000 and the consultation period for the Plan is therefore closed. The structure plan team have confirmed that during the consultation period the facility to submit application representations electronically was available. They would therefore have scored for this criterion at that time. 4.6 The Ayrshire and the Glasgow & Clyde Valley Structure Plan websites provided a good level of information relating to the monitoring of the Structure Plan process. The G&CV Structure Plan website included a downloadable statement of publicity and consultation, a variety of technical reports, a report about matters under review, issues reports and consultation drafts. The Ayrshire Structure Plan website included a projected timetable for 27

28 the adoption of the Structure plan and downloadable copies of issues leaflets, summaries of comments and representations, consultation drafts and background documents. 4.7 Both Structure Plan websites had a publications page that allowed users to order copies of the Structure Plan documentation electronically. The Ayrshire publications page included an online order form. Glasgow & Clyde Valley s publications page was being updated at the time of the survey but an address was listed to enable document orders to be placed online. 4.8 The Ayrshire Structure Plan website presented a list of strategic planning consultations under the Structure Plan menu tab. The list includes the weekly applications lists from each partner authority and a list of applications that had been referred from the local authorities to the Team for their comment. 4.9 The Ayrshire Structure Plan website enabled the user to download recent and archived committee papers for the joint committee. Copies of meeting minutes and agendas dating back to 2000 could be viewed online and a schedule of joint committee meetings was listed for the next year Both the Glasgow & Clyde and the Ayrshire Structure Plan websites enabled the user to access links to the websites of their constituent local authorities. Ayrshire listed them under a link entitled useful links page. Glasgow & Clyde Valley listed them with an illustrative map in the website s introduction pages Both Structure Plan websites also had links to other relevant bodies for example, the Scottish Executive, Communities Scotland, Scottish Natural Heritage, The Health and Safety Executive, Scottish Water, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and Scottish Enterprise. 28

29 APPENDIX ONE LOCAL & NATIONAL PARK AUTHORITY PLANNING WEBSITE SCORES (Spreadsheet Format) 29

30 VALIDATED RESULTS 2004 *Authorities shaded in orange validated their results during the consultation period Ease of Access to planning pages Online application register enables application form, drawings &/or attachments to be viewed online Details of appeals online Comment on applications electronically Monitor application progress Online Decision Register View decision notices online Lists planning conditions online Officer's Committee reports online Committee schedules online Committee minutes online Online Help Text Online Application Submission Downloadable forms Application fee payment online documents/drawings can be attached to online applications Local plan text online Local plan map online Map linked to policy text Usable Proposal Map Total Score SCOTLAND: PLANNING WEBSITES: Local authorities & National Park authorities Aberdeen City Aberdeenshire Angus Argyll & Bute Cairngorms National Park (limited powers) Clackmannanshire Western Isles (Eilean Siar)

31 Ease of Access to planning pages Online application register enables application form, drawings &/or attachments to be viewed online Details of appeals online Comment on applications electronically Monitor application progress Online Decision Register View decision notices online Lists planning conditions online Officer's Committee reports online Committee schedules online Committee minutes online Online Help Text Online Application Submission Downloadable forms Application fee payment online documents/drawings can be attached to online applications Local plan text online Local plan map online Map linked to policy text Usable Proposal Map Total Score SCOTLAND: PLANNING WEBSITES: Local authorities & National Park authorities Dumfries & Galloway Dundee City East Ayrshire East Dunbartonshire East Lothian East Renfrewshire City of Edinburgh Falkirk Fife City of Glasgow

32 Ease of Access to planning pages Online application register enables application form, drawings &/or attachments to be viewed online Details of appeals online Comment on applications electronically Monitor application progress Online Decision Register View decision notices online Lists planning conditions online Officer's Committee reports online Committee schedules online Committee minutes online Online Help Text Online Application Submission Downloadable forms Application fee payment online documents/drawings can be attached to online applications Local plan text online Local plan map online Map linked to policy text Usable Proposal Map Total Score SCOTLAND: PLANNING WEBSITES: Local authorities & National Park authorities Highland Inverclyde Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park Midlothian Moray North Ayrshire North Lanarkshire Orkney Perth & Kinross Renfrewshire

33 Ease of Access to planning pages Online application register enables application form, drawings &/or attachments to be viewed online Details of appeals online Comment on applications electronically Monitor application progress Online Decision Register View decision notices online Lists planning conditions online Officer's Committee reports online Committee schedules online Committee minutes online Online Help Text Online Application Submission Downloadable forms Application fee payment online documents/drawings can be attached to online applications Local plan text online Local plan map online Map linked to policy text Usable Proposal Map Total Score SCOTLAND: PLANNING WEBSITE: Local authorities & National Park authorities Scottish Borders Shetland South Ayrshire South Lanarkshire 1 1 Stirling West Dunbartonshire West Lothian

34 APPENDIX TWO STRUCTURE PLAN WEBSITE SCORES (Spreadsheet Format) 34

35 VALIDATED RESULTS FOR Structure Plan text Online Structure Plan Key Diagram available to view? Key Diagram linked to policy? Facility to comment on the Structure Plan process? Facility to monitor stages of the Structure Plan process? Copies of the Structure Plan and supporting documents can be ordered online? Register of Planning Application referred for Structure Plan Team Comment? Can Joint Committee meeting schedules /agendas be viewed? Can Minutes of Joint Committee meetings be viewed? Links to the Local Authority Partners? Links to other Partners/relevant bodies? SCOTLAND: JOINT STRUCTURE PLAN COMMITTEE WEBSITES TOTAL Ayrshire Joint Structure Plan Glasgow & Clyde Valley Joint Structure Plan 1 1 ** *Authorities shaded in orange validated their results during the consultation period ** This facility was previously available but the Structure Plan consultation period is now finished and the facility has subsequently been removed 35

36 APPENDIX TWO VERIFICATION INVITATIONS TO AUTHORITIES 36

37 INVITATION SENT TO SCOTTISH AUTHORITIES 25 TH OCTOBER 2004 Planning Survey Scotland 2004 INVITATION TO REVIEW SURVEY RESULTS & SUBMIT FEEDBACK Peter Pendleton & Associates Ltd (PPA) and the Scottish Executive are pleased to advise that a baseline survey of Scottish Planning Authority Websites is due to take place on the 1 st November This survey is designed to test the on-line planning services from the point of view of the web-user. Once the data is collected authorities will have an opportunity to review and verify their results by before they are published. The Local Authorities and National Park Authorities will be surveyed against the original 21 Pendleton Criteria with minor modifications to reflect the Scottish appeal system. Although the two Park Authorities differ in their respective planning roles, the same criteria will be used for the survey. 11 provisional Pendleton Structure Plan Criteria will be used to survey the websites of two dedicated Structure Plan Teams. The 21 Pendleton Criteria used to survey England and Wales are available to view on the PPA website: A final score out of 21 will be given to all Local Authorities and National Park Authorities and a score out of 11 for the Structure Plan Teams, based on the number of criteria met. The results of the survey will be available for authorities to review and validate from the 3 rd November at Feedback should be sent by to: planningsurvey@pendleton-assoc.com If you agree with the points awarded to your authority please confirm this by to validate your results. Authorities that do not respond will be awarded the points listed on the website. Please only submit comments relating to your own local authority score. If you feel that your authority has not been awarded the correct number of Pendleton points please us on and direct us to where you think the additional points should be awarded. We 37

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