CONTEXT AND JUSTIFICATION

 

Greenspaces are an integral part of the City’s infrastructure and positively contribute to the quality of life of its citizens. National Planning Policy Guideline 11: Sport, Physical Recreation and Open Space (NPPG 11) makes it clear that in relation to sporting and recreational facilities, the Plan should assess local needs against supply, identify deficiencies, encourage additional provision, ensure proper co-ordination with other forms of development and protect open space and other land with recreational or amenity value. Local authorities may also indicate the circumstances in which they will seek planning agreements to achieve the provision of leisure and recreation facilities.

 

Recreational greenspace is a term used in the Plan to describe land used for children’s play, outdoor sport, parkland and amenity open space. These uses are principally associated with the open space and amenity needs of the housing areas and the wider communities that they form. Recreational greenspace is substantially covered by, but not limited to, those areas of the City covered by a DEV 11: Greenspace Development Policy Principle designation. Such space is usually associated with housing areas. However, it is also linked with housing, health and education (as well as commercial and other operations). As a result, green space is included within several designations, but the most important of these is residential.

 

In terms of a balanced pattern of land use that encourages sustainable patterns of living, the Plan seeks to ensure that all households have safe and ready access (walking and/or cycling) to facilities for children’s play, outdoor sport, and amenity greenspace i.e. recreational greenspace. Policy ENV 2: Development Relating to Greenspace, sets a target of approximately 5 hectares per 1,000 population of recreational greenspace within the 20-year time frame of the Plan.

 

New housing development should contribute to achieving this target. The following standards and procedures reflect these targets. Rather than requiring developers to allocate a fixed percentage of the site area to green space, they offer developers the opportunity to propose flexible solutions that maximise a site’s development potential, whilst also addressing green space obligations. On some brownfield sites, the viability of a potential development may be marginal, and full application of these standards could prejudice the proposal. In these circumstances, a reduction in the recreational green space obligation may be considered, subject to the developer providing satisfactory evidence to that effect.

 

Greenspace in housing developments performs different functions, depending on its configuration and, to some extent, the population that it serves. For example, greenspace related to flatted development is traditionally composed primarily of amenity open space, although it can be in the form of open areas that children can use. The lack of formal provision for children’s play or outdoor sport is partly attributable to the practicalities of higher density development, but also to the lower proportion of children in new-build flatted development, particularly in the owner-occupied sector. In contrast, non-flatted development is more likely to be populated by households with children and, as such, provision for children’s play and outdoor sport is required. For these reasons, the greenspace obligation differs between flatted and non-flatted development.

 

House building for owner-occupation consistently represents a high proportion of all housing development activity in the City. It is essential that these developments provide their residents with facilities for recreation, whether it is for children’s play, organised sport or informal recreation. One simple option would be for this obligation to be met within the development site, as tends to occur at present. However, this policy aims to ensure that greenspace obligations are met in the manner that is most appropriate to each particular proposal. In some cases this may result in the obligation being met outwith the proposed development site.

 

A significant proportion of the housing land supply is assessed as requiring Communities Scotland or Scottish Enterprise Glasgow funding. The aim of this funding is to allow the development of housing proposals that are not commercially viable without assistance. For the purposes of this policy, it is considered that these developments should aim to provide the same quality of housing environment as unsubsidised schemes. The greenspace obligations throughout the owner-occupied sector will therefore be uniform, whether the scheme benefits from subsidy or not.

 

The private rented sector is expanding rapidly in the City, both through individual houses transferring from the owner-occupied sector and through new build development specifically for private rent. At present, the vast majority of these schemes are flatted, though this may change over time. From an examination of previously completed developments, it is clear that the likely household profile in private rented developments is similar to that of owner-occupied schemes. In these circumstances, it is concluded that the greenspace obligations specified for the owner-occupied sector should apply equally to private rented developments.

 

Social rented and shared ownership housing developments are developed by, or on behalf of, the Council, housing associations and co-operatives, often with the aid of public sector subsidy. The nature of housing need identified and the funding available are factors that influence the built form proposed, with a consequent effect on greenspace provision. The fact that much of this housing replaces demolished tenemental stock means that there is likely to be a greater proportion of households with children to be housed. As a result, the greenspace obligation requires specific provision to be made for children’s play. In view of the financial regime under which these housing providers operate, the potential for off-site solutions is more limited. It has been concluded, therefore, that the greenspace obligation for new-build social rented and shared ownership housing should be equal to that specified for the owner-occupied sector. However, these obligations should be met as much as possible within the development site, and should be directly related to the needs of the prospective occupants.

 

The Council values and supports the many voluntary arrangements which presently preserve high quality maintenance of open space within key locations in the City. However, the Council appreciates that such arrangements are not universally suitable, and so will ensure that new build development incorporates appropriate legal controls to ensure the protection and maintenance of areas of open space.

 

The background information that contributed to the development of this policy is contained in the City Plan Technical Note: Natural Environment.

 

This policy should be read in conjunction with policies RES 1: Residential Density; RES 2: Residential Site Layouts; DES 1: Reinforcing Local Character and Identity; DES 2: Urban Design; DES 4: Design Statement; HER 3: Design Standards for Listed Buildings and Properties in Conservation Areas; ENV 2: Development Related to Greenspace; ENV 7: Corridors of Wildlife and Landscape Importance; and ENV 13: Trees and Development.

 

POLICY

 

1. THE RECREATIONAL GREENSPACE OBLIGATION

 

Unless subject to the exceptions noted in Section 3 below, all proposals for new housing development are obliged to make provision for access to recreational greenspace (including amenity greenspace) where the standards set out below, are not currently met. Provision, or contributions towards provision, will be in scale with the impact of the development on current open space and recreational provision.

Owner Occupied/Private Rented Housing

 

(a) For developments consisting of houses with gardens, the following standards will apply:

(i) 0.7 hectares for children’s play per 1,000 population to be accessible within 90 metres for level 4 provision, 300 metres for level 3 and 1,000 metres for level 2 (see Definitions for explanation of Children’s Play hierarchy);

(ii) 1.7 hectares for outdoor sport per 1,000 population to be accessible within 500 metres for kick-about facilities and 1,000 metres for playing pitches; and

(iii) 0.5 hectares for amenity greenspace per 1,000 population to be accessible within 400 metres.

(b) For flatted developments, conversions and proposals in the City Centre (see Note (f)), the following standard will apply:

(i) 1.2 hectares of recreational greenspace per 1,000 population to be accessible within 400 metres, 0.5 hectares of which should be allocated for amenity purposes. This standard will also apply to student or hostel accommodation, housing for special needs groups, sheltered housing or nursing homes.

(c) The standard applied to developments involving a mix of houses and flats will be a combination of (a) and (b) above, and will be proportionate to the total number of bedrooms in each house type and the anticipated population.

Social Rented and Shared Ownership Housing

 

(d) Non-flatted housing development for social rent or shared ownership provided by, or on behalf of, the Council, housing associations and co-operatives will have to meet the following standards:

(i) 0.7 hectares for children’s play per 1,000 population to be accessible within 90 metres for level 4 provision, 300 metres for level 3 and 1,000 metres for level 2 (see Definitions for explanation of Children’s Play hierarchy); and

(ii) 2.2 hectares for amenity greenspace per 1,000 population to be accessible within 400 metres.

(e) For flatted developments the following standards will apply:

(i) 1.2 hectares of recreational greenspace per 1,000 population to be accessible within 400 metres, 0.5 hectares of which should be allocated for amenity purposes. This standard will also apply to student or hostel accommodation, housing for special needs groups, sheltered housing or nursing homes.

 

2. PROVISION OF GREENSPACE OUTWITH THE DEVELOPMENT SITE

 

As a general principle, recreational greenspace should be provided within the development site wherever practicable. However, the Council recognises that, in terms of the most effective planning solution for an area, the development may not need to meet all, or any, of its obligations within the boundaries of the site. This may be because opportunities exist to use or enhance existing greenspaces or to create new ones nearby. In other circumstances, such as the development of a small infill site, greenspace solutions may not always be achievable or (for townscape reasons) desirable within the proposal site.

The aim is to avoid badly designed and poorly located facilities that become unsightly, serve no useful function and become a maintenance burden on the owners. In such circumstances, the Council will actively consider proposals that result in existing spaces being enhanced or new ones being provided off-site, on-site or a combination of both. The following mechanism shows how an alternative off-site solution can be achieved.

A developer can negotiate with the Council, a Trust or another agency to provide access to off-site facilities. If these facilities are to be provided by a Trust or other agency, they must conform to the standards set out in Section 1 above (see notes (b) and (c)). Where the off-site provision is to be made on Council-owned land, a contribution of £800 per bedroom (at 2001 prices) towards the provision and maintenance of recreational greenspace (the recreational greenspace obligation) will be required, in accordance with the same standards. A Section 75 Agreement will be required to ensure the obligations to provide recreational greenspace are implemented.

3. EXCEPTIONS TO THE RECREATIONAL GREENSPACE OBLIGATION

 

(a) Developments involving less than ten non-flatted houses or flatted developments on small tenement infill sites do not come within the terms of this policy. These proposals will be assessed on merit, taking site circumstances, townscape considerations and existing greenspace provision into account. Notwithstanding the above, there should be a presumption against development which would result in either a reduction in existing provision or an intensification of use of existing facilities to the detriment of residential amenity.

(b) Developments exempt from part of the Recreational Greenspace Obligations

(i) In the case of developments involving 75 non-flatted dwellings or more, the Council will consider a reduction (up to 50%) in the area required for children’s play if the proposal incorporates, to its satisfaction, the ’Home Zone’ design principles where for example:

• pedestrians have priority over car drivers;
• the street is designed to limit car speeds to 10mph or less; and
• the change in the status of the street is made visible using signage, traffic calming and altered streetscape.

(ii) In areas that lie beyond the catchment threshold of existing facilities (i.e. children’s play deficiency areas) and offer no opportunities to provide new facilities nearby, the Council will assist the developer to meet its obligations by actively considering the use of recreational greenspace obligation resources for creating ‘Home Zones’. If, for townscape or other reasons, ‘Home Zones’ are not an option, the recreational greenspace obligation resources will be directed to the nearest available suitable site.

(iii) In addition, the sum of the financial contribution associated with recreational greenspace provision may be negotiable where developers can provide evidence that the viability of development would otherwise be prejudiced.

(iv) In the case of development proposals on sites that are accessible to existing greenspace provision of suitable quality and quantity, the greenspace obligation required to be provided by the developer will be reduced accordingly.

4. MAINTENANCE

 

The Council will only adopt responsibility for site maintenance if it owns the land in question. If the developer wishes the Council to undertake long-term maintenance of the recreational greenspace elements of the site, land ownership must be transferred to the Council. The transfer of land ownership will be undertaken through Section 69 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, or any other appropriately binding legal agreement. For land not in Council ownership, a Trust, or other appropriate body, such as a Property Management Company can fulfil the same function, provided the financial arrangements, performance standards and maintenance agreement are acceptable to the Council. In the case of either transfer of land ownership or arrangements for long-term maintenance, legal agreements must be in place before the construction of any dwellings will be permitted to start on site. Arrangements for the maintenance of greenspaces within the proposed development can also be controlled by conditions attached to planning consents.

5. OUTLINE APPLICATIONS AND BRIEFS

 

In the case of outline applications and briefs, where the number of dwellings is not known, the Council will require that the scheme must accord with the Plan’s recreational greenspace standards and design guidance. All necessary agreements regarding off-site solutions, commuted sums, etc must be concluded before development can start on site.

6. LARGE SCHEMES INVOLVING MULTIPLE DEVELOPERS

 

In the case of large developments, such as the proposed greenfield releases, that involve implementation by a group of separate developers or by an organised consortium, the Council will require the applicant to provide an overall master plan. This plan should show how the various elements of the greenspace obligation are to be met (including details of phasing). The Council must approve such a masterplan before development can start on site. The aim is to ensure the adequate and coherent provision of recreational greenspace for the site as a whole and its ongoing maintenance. The responsibilities for programming, implementation and maintenance, whether they fall jointly to a consortium or separately to each builder, will be the subject of an agreement with the Council under Section 69 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973.

Notes:

 

(a) The greenspace obligation for a proposal can be calculated using the approach shown in the following examples. It should be noted that a flatted development consisting entirely, or predominantly, of one-bedroom properties would use one person per bedroom to calculate the population, rather than 0.8 persons.

 

 

Houses	Bedrooms	Population @ 0.8 persons per bedroom	Children’s Play @ 0.7/1,000	Outdoor Sport – Pitches @ 1.2ha /1,000	Outdoor Sport – Kick about @ 0.5ha /1,000	Amenity Green-space @ 0.5ha /1,000	Total Green-space Obligation
15 – 2 bed	30	24	0.017	0.029	0.012	0.012	0.7ha
15 – 3 bed	45	36	0.025	0.043	0.018	0.018	0.11ha
Total	75	60	0.042	0.072	0.03	0.03	0.18ha

Example 1: 30 house development for sale on a site of 1 hectare, or 30 dwellings per hectare

The greenspace obligation amounts to 0.18 hectares, or 18% of the site area.

 

 

Flats	Bedrooms	Population @ 0.8 persons per bedroom	Amenity Greenspace @ 0.2ha/1,000	Total Greenspace Obligation
15 – 2 bed	30	24	0.029	0.029ha
15 – 3 bed	45	36	0.043	0.043ha
Total	75	60	0.072	0.072ha

Example 2: 30 flat development for sale on a site of 0.3 hectares, or 100 dwellings per hectare

The greenspace obligation amounts to 0.072 hectares, or 24% of the site area.

 

 

Houses	Bedrooms	Population @ 0.8 persons per bedroom	Children’s Play @ 0.7ha/1,000	Amenity Greenspace @ 0.5ha/1,000	Total Greenspace Obligation
25 – 2 bed	50	40	0.028	0.088	0.116ha
15 – 3 bed	45	36	0.025	0.079	0.104ha
Total	95	76	0.053	0.167	0.22ha

Example 3: 40 house development - 30 for rent, 10 for shared ownership on a site of 1 hectare, or 40 dwellings per hectare.

The greenspace obligation amounts to 0.22 hectares, or 22% of the site area.

 

 

(b) The amount of the financial contribution that is required from developers for recreational greenspace works and maintenance will be set out in a legally binding agreement. This money is solely for the purpose of meeting the greenspace needs of the proposed development. It will be held in a ring-fenced account, and be spent within the catchment thresholds specified in this policy, or as close as possible to them. Any money not committed within a period of five years (unless otherwise agreed between the Council and the developer) shall be returned to the developer. This sum relates to the provision and maintenance of greenspace, including appropriate staff costs. The revenue cost of operating these facilities is the responsibility of the Council, and will not be financed by contributions from developers.

(c) If some facilities are provided on site, an appropriate proportion of the obligation sum will be deducted (see Example 4). However, the element of the obligation relating to maintenance will have to cover all the areas, on-site or off-site, for which the Council is to be responsible.

 

Flats	Bedrooms	Population @ 0.8 persons per bedroom	Amenity Greenspace @ 0.5ha/1,000	Total Greenspace Obligation
75 – 2 bed	150	120	0.14	0.14ha
25 – 3 bed	75	60	0.07	0.07ha
Total	225	180	0.21	0.21ha

Example 4: 100 flat development for sale on a site of 0.5 hectare, or 200 dwellings per hectare.

The greenspace obligation amounts to 0.21 hectares, or 42% of the site area. The proposal suggests that 0.11 hectares of amenity greenspace will be provided within the site and maintained by the owners. Assuming the remaining 0.1 hectares is to be provided on Council owned land, the financial obligation would be calculated as follows:

Number of bedrooms x (remaining obligation divided by total obligation) x financial contribution.

In the above example, this would produce:

225 bedrooms x (0.1 divided by 0.21) = 107 bedrooms x £800 = £85,600

(d) In assessing the overall level of greenspace provision within an area the Council takes cognisance of the National Playing Fields Association definition which includes pitches (football, rugby, cricket, etc), greens (e.g. bowls), courts (e.g. tennis) and athletics tracks in both public (including educational) and private ownership.

 

(e) Within Social Inclusion Partnership areas (SIPs), the sum of the financial contribution associated with the recreational greenspace requirement may be reduced in order to advance the wider objectives of the Plan.

(f) In the City Centre the recreational greenspace obligation will be used to create new civic spaces or make the necessary improvements to the access to, or quality of, the nearest existing greenspace capable of being used for children’s play.

(g) In areas that are deficient in provision for outdoor sport, either in quality or quantity, the Council will firstly consider the priorities identified for that locality in the Council’s Playing Pitch Strategy. Recreational greenspace obligation resources will be directed according to these priorities, unless a suitable local solution can be found. This will apply throughout Glasgow, including the City Centre.

(h) In areas that are deficient in amenity greenspace, either in quality or quantity, the assessment process will consider the possibility of creating new greenspace. Where this is not practical, recreational greenspace obligation resources will be directed to improving access to, or the quality of, the nearest available suitable site. This will apply throughout Glasgow, including the City Centre.

DEFINITIONS

 

DISTANCE THRESHOLDS

 

Distance thresholds are defined as the actual walking or cycling distances from the front or rear access to the home.

 

CHILDREN'S PLAY HIERARCHY

 

Play is crucial to children’s personal development and social health. A sustainable City must provide easy local access to play as part of its basic infrastructure. The Council is embarking on a rationalisation of its play provision to create a 4-tier hierarchy.

 

Level 1 - Will consist of Children’s Centres providing both indoor and outdoor facilities and principally designed to serve 5 to 14 year olds in the City’s Alliance Regeneration Areas.

 

Level 2 - District play areas are major supervised adventure-based facilities for 5 to 14 year olds.

 

Level 3 - Local play areas will offer good quality equipment and facilities for 3 to 11 year olds.

 

Level 4 - Will be quality open space and parks for outdoor play without equipment, close to home and particularly serving the immediate needs of 3 to 7 year olds.

In the short term, because of the present distribution of parks and suitable amenity open spaces, it will not be possible, in some instances, to meet the distance thresholds for levels 2 and 3 set out above. However, the aim over the medium to longer term is to provide levels 2 to 4 of the hierarchy within the preferred distance thresholds.