The Team - Development Planning & Regeneration
The Development Planning and Regeneration (DP&R) Team's main function within Orkney Islands Council is to review and produce a Local Development Plan for Orkney. Gavin Barr and Susan Shearer are the Planning Officials within the team that are taking the lead in this work.
Susan Shearer is currently on maternity leave. Caitlin McFarland joined the team in May 2010 as cover for Susan for one year. Caitlin joins us from SEPA in Edinburgh as a qualified planner with particular experience in Environmental Planning Policy.
Kay Gilmour is the adminstrative support for the DP&R team. As well as dealing with the level of support expected in a busy office, Kay is also responsible for co-ordinating consultations, maintaining the DP&R webpages as well as handling queries from the public on a daily basis.
Andrew Miller joins the team once again for the summer as our Research Assistant and is currently working hard to pull together data to enable the team to successfully produce policy feeding into the review of Orkney's Local Development Plan. Andrew is due to commence his final year of his M.A. (Hons.) in Town and Regional Planning at the University of Dundee after the summer.
Areas of Expertise
In addition to the planning policy requirements for Orkney Islands Council, there are a number of other specialities handled within the Team as outlined below:
Conservation
Within the DP&R Team Stuart West provides the planning policy support for conservation (Listed Buildings, Conservation Areas and the World Heritage Site). This involves providing support and advice to our colleagues in Development Management, administrating our townscape and heritage grants, reviewing and appraising existing and proposed conservation areas, liaising with Historic Scotland and providing advice on conservation issues to members of the public and planning agents. Stuart is also working on Supplementary Guidance for development within the World Heritage Site.
Archaeology
Julie Gibson is the County Archaeologist who is based at Orkney College. Among her many duties is providing advice to Development Management, members of the public and supervising / providing archaeological assistance for the many archaeological excavations that happen throughout the County. The main part of her role is to maintain the Sites and Monuments Record (SMR).
Julie can be contacted at the college on 01856 56 9341 on by email: julie.gibson@orkney.uhi.ac.uk
Biodiversity, the Natural Heritage & the Core Path Network
Christine Skene, Environmental Planner and Eileen Summers, Environmental Policy Officer are involved in a number of projects whose aim is to enhance and protect the natural heritage of Orkney. The Council is duty bound by the Scottish Government to produce a Biodiversity Action Plan for Orkney as well as a Core Path Network Plan.
Eileen Summers also takes the lead within the Development Planning and Regeneration Team for the production of Environmental Reports and Assessments under the Environmental Assessment (Scotland) Act 2005.
Supplementary Guidance
The production of Supplementary Guidance (SG) will form part of the new Local Development Plan for Orkney. This guidance is supplementary to the Development Plan and is a material condition when determining planning applications. Presently Development Planning and Regeneration wish to produce SG or have produced SG for:
- Housing Design
- Flooding and Flood Protection
- Energy Efficiency and Sustainable Development
- Development Brief for Larger Designated Sites
- Specific islands (e.g. Sanday) and their development requirements
- Onshore Wind Energy Development
- Renewable Energy, Sustainability & Energy Efficiency
- Urban Design Framework for Kirkwall
- Urban Design Framework for Stromness
- Urban Design Framework for the 3 Villages (Dounby, Finstown & St Margaret Hope)
Masterplans / Urban Design Frameworks
Gavin Barr, the Planning Manager of Development Planning and Regeneration has been involved with the development and production of Masterplans or Urban Design Frameworks for Kirkwall (Approved), Stromness (Approved), Dounby (Approved), Finstown (Approved) and St Margaret’s Hope (Approved). Once these documents are approved by the Council they will be material planning considerations when deciding planning applications. The Masterplans or Urbans Design Frameworks will be used to develop allocations and policies in the new Orkney Local Development Plan.
Please see our page on Related Planning Documents for more information on the above.
Design
Michael Harvey has recently joined the Development Planning and Regeneration Team as our lead in Design and will be working on guidance and new policies for the siting and design of housing in the countryside and as well as providing assistance for some of the on going Masterplan works.
The Stromness Townscape Heritage Initiative (THI)
Development Planning and Regeneration have been successful in attracting £3.9m of funding for the regeneration of the historic core of Stromness Town Centre. A dedicated office has been established at the Old Stromness Academy in Stromness. The Stromness THI team are:
- Michael Broad – Project Manager
- Miriam Frier – Project Officer
- Elaine Clark - Project Administrative Officer
Please click here to find out more about the Stromness THI team and projects they are involved in.
The Scapa Flow Landscape Partnership Scheme
In conjunction with a number of other organisations, Development Planning and Regeneration took the lead in developing this project that will look into the natural, built and historical elements of Scapa Flow and help to sustain its future use and enjoyment. A dedicated office has been established at the Old Stromness Academy Building, Stromness and the team are:
- Julian Branscombe – Project Manager
- Cathy Fisher – Project Officer
- Anne Bignall – Project Ranger
- Joyce Gray – Project Administrative Officer
To contact any member of the Team please email Development Planning and Regeneration or call 01856 873535 ex 2516.