The supplementary planning guidance document provides guidance on urban design and sustainable development and will apply to all new development in and around Lochgelly including key projects and proposals that were highlighted in the Lochgelly Charrette and the Lochgelly strategic land allocation. It will be used mainly by developers and designers, and planning officers when assessing planning applications.

Cllr John Beare, Strategic Chair of the Planning Committee said ” Our aim is to ensure that all new development in Lochgelly contributes positively to making Lochgelly an attractive and safe place to live, work and invest. In the long term Lochgelly town centre will be revitailised through support for existing businesses, redevelopment projects and improved connections from the town centre to the surrounding areas. We also need to improve perceptions of Lochgelly and encourage new investment in the town. I encourage everyone who is interested to take part in the consultation on this guidance document that will help make it all happen.”

A number of short term improvements have been carried out and include: a vacant retail property audit; a strategy to reduce the number of vacant shops and improvements to brighten up empty shop windows by displaying colourful vinyls.  A town centre perception study was conducted to find out what works well within the town and what improvements people would like to see. Funding has been secured to assess the possible uses for St Andrews Church and plans are being considered to enhance the area behind the church to improve pedestrian connections to Bank Street and to open up the area around the current library.

Business support coupled with physical improvements to the town will improve the look and feel of the town and deliver business sustainability. Marketing campaigns such as “Shop Local” and “Whole Town marketing” will be run to raise the profile of Lochgelly.

For further information on the Lochgelly SPTG contact Alison Wood on 08451 55 55 55 Ext 442268 or email Alison.Wood @fife.gov.uk or go to www.fifedirect.org.uk/lochgellyguidance.

For further information on the short term initiatives that are underway contact Hazel Cross on 08451 55 55 55 Ext 471853 or email hazel.cross@fife.gov.uk

Hazel Cross, Economic Adviser for Fife Council’s Development Services and Project Manager for Lochgelly Charrette’s short term initiatives group, said: “We received 90 responses to the perception study carried out in Lochgelly in March 2011. These have given us a vital snapshot of people’s views on the Town Centre, how they use it and the kinds of improvements to the retail offer they would like to see.”

Some key responses from the study indicate that:

• 63% of respondents work either full or part-time with 22% of respondents working within the town
• 39% of respondents live in the town
• 42% of respondents shop in the town at least once a week with 9% shopping in the town everyday.  This demonstrates that the town is an important retail centre; however, 29% of respondents shop in the town less than once a month.
• 74% of respondents rated the town as either poor (42%) or very poor (32%) for shopping. If this is combined with the result of 42% of respondents shopping in the town at least once a week it indicates that although there are a high number of people using the town every week, they would like to see an improved retail offer.
• 88% of respondents do not use the town for their major food shop which can be interpreted that people are using other centres to do their major food shop.  There is a relatively high demand for more food and grocery stores within the town with 69% of respondents indicating that they wanted to see more food and grocery stores.
• 45% of respondents felt that the access to public transport was good 

Hazel Cross said of these figures: “The results help to identify where the existing town centre offer is working well and allows us to focus on interventions that will address areas of concern”.

The Charrette in Lochgelly ran between 8 and 13 March 2010 and was the second of three in the Scotland series. This was the only one to be led by a Local Authority and it took forward Fife Council’s draft plans for the Lochgelly Strategic Land Allocation and followed a successful bid to the Scottish Government for Scottish Sustainable Communities Initiative (SSCI) status.

The Lochgelly Charrette attracted around 800 participants over the course of 6 days and also included events for local schools and community groups. 

The report proposes a masterplan that projects growth through to 2066, with phasing for the years 2026, 2046 and 2066 identified. Whilst the “built out” 2066 plan offers the complete vision for the town, every stage has been carefully designed so all new developments can be described as well connected places that support the existing town centre. Specific elements of the 2066 masterplan are as follows:

• A redeveloped town centre, including review of pedestrian patterns and a proposed in-town supermarket.

• Substantial new residential development, intended to connect the new housing with the centre to contribute to the town’s regeneration.

• A major new railway station and “second centre”, which would attract dwellings and office space, based on connectivity to Edinburgh.

• Six neighbourhood centres, each of which would include retail, community facilities and open space, all linked by a bus route.

• A southern area of dwellings with larger gardens designed for community allotments.

• A major business park designed for industrial and truck-related uses, taking advantage of its location in close proximity to the motorway.

• Major public parks and landscaped public spaces, including an entrance from the highway as a tree-lined boulevard.

• Town limits which follow natural boundaries and other known constraints.

Fife Council has not waited for the publication of the report to progress actions identified at the Charrette.  Initial work includes:

• Detailed analysis of legislative procedures for moving the rail station;
• Planning Committee approval for a Supplementary Planning Guidance for the whole of Lochgelly and amendments to the Mid Fife Local Plan to safeguard future road links and protect land for a potential rail station relocation;
• a cross-service meeting to examine what changes could be made to the Lochgelly Centre and its surroundings;
• A local implementation group is now established (building on the previous 10 years of work) to take forward specific actions that include shop front improvements, pilot residential facelift project and review of current town centre parking arrangements.

Councillor John Beare, Chair of Fife Council’s Planning Committee commented: “The Charrette offered a unique once-in-a-generation opportunity for residents of Lochgelly to influence the future development of their town. It was a very exciting event and brought a whole new meaning to the term community engagement in which Fife Council and the Scottish Government invested heavily”.

“We were overwhelmed by the enthusiasm of the local people and it was a privilege to have been involved in the process. The Charrette has challenged the planning procedures, locally and nationally, and opened the way for us to play a leading role in creating new policies and working practices that create places where people want to be”.

“Now the final report is published we can look forward to seeing the plans develop into reality, although we recognise that it is the next and future generations who will see the complete outcomes. As guardians of the report, on behalf of the community, we will actively drive forward its principles”. 

To view the Charrette Series Report, visit www.scotland.gov.uk

Click here to read full article on Scottish Review.

The Lochgelly Charrette which ran between 8^th and 13^th March was the second of three Charrettes in the Scotland Charrette series and the first to be led by a local authority.  A report is due mid-May from Turnberry Consulting and is expected to contain specific proposals for Lochgelly and general recommendations relating to national planning, design and engagement policies based on their experience of the Scotland Charrette.  Fife Council’s conclusions on the process and outcomes will then be developed and a report is expected to the Planning Committee in June.

Dave Thompson, Lead Officer (Urban Design and Masterplanning) for Fife Council, said: “The Charrette had been without doubt a considerable success for Lochgelly and had challenged the policies and planning process in Scotland.  We are now in a unique position to work with the Scottish Government to develop and implement potential new ways of delivering the place making agenda.  This is exciting for us to play a leading role in creating new policies and working practices that create places where people want to be.”

He added: “The success of the Charrette is very much down to the involvement of the local community, and in particular the local schools and youth groups and we are very thankful to everyone who participated.”

Internationally acclaimed designer Andres Duany, who led the week-long Charrette in March, said this had been one of his most complex projects to date.  His ambitious proposals focused on how Lochgelly might look in 15-25 years time with a new town centre supermarket, a redeveloped railway station, world class golf course and reinvigorated high street.

In advance of the consultant’s report, expected mid-May, Fife Council has been progressing the following:

• Ensuring the Lochgelly Charrette report is incorporated in the emerging Mid Fife Local Plan preparation process
• A review of all design-based policies
• Considering a simplified planning zone or incentive based mechanism to achieve good design
• Assessing the impact of best practices from the Charrette and what this means for the next generation of Development Plans
• Working with Transportation Services to see how proposals relating to streets can be taken forward to reflect the Scottish Government policy statement ‘Designing for Streets’
• Reviewing emerging Supplementary Planning Guidance aimed at securing better quality developments
• Reviewing the Main Street traffic regulation order
• Considering setting up a local implementation group for Lochgelly

For further information, visit www.scotlandcharrettelochgelly.co.uk