Item 7 - Appendix 4
West Dunbartonshire Council · 6 August 2025
Back to Planning Committee — 6 August 2025 and its agenda
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NPIF Good Practice template Which attributes of a high performing planning authority does this relate to: ☐Attribute 1: The Planning Authority has sufficient resources and skills to maximise productivity ☐Attribute 2: The Planning Authority has a valued and supported workforce ☐Attribute 3: This Planning Authority has embedded continuous improvement ☐Attribute 4: This Planning Authority has sound governance ☐Attribute 5: This Planning Authority has effective leadership ☐Attribute 6: This Planning Authority has a robust policy and evidence base ☒Attribute 7: This Planning Authority makes best use of data and digital technology ☐Attribute 8: This Planning Authority has effective and efficient decision making processes ☐Attribute 9: This Planning Authority has good customer care ☐Attribute 10: This Planning Authority has effective engagement and collaboration with stakeholders and communities ☐Attribute 11: This Planning Authority supports the delivery of sustainable, liveable and productive places ☐Attribute 12: This Planning Authority supports the delivery of consented development West Dunbartonshire Title: Open Space Audit Context Section 3 of the Planning (Scotland) Act 2019, introduced a duty for planning authorities to publish an Open Space Strategy “set out a strategic framework of the planning authority's policies and proposals as to the development, maintenance and use of green infrastructure in their district, including open spaces and green networks.” One of the requirements of the strategy was that it was to contain an audit of Open Space. Planning Advice Note 65 recommends that planning authorities should audit sites over 2 hectares. An initial GIS analysis of Ordnance Survey data indicated that over 400 sites in West Dunbartonshire Council met this threshold. ITEM 7 - APPENDIX 4
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Due to limited resources and the introduction of many new duties and requirements in the Planning Act, as well as new requirements for local development plans, there was a clear need for an efficient way to gather and analyse data. What happened? A desktop exercise to reduce the number of sites requiring audit was undertaken by the planning team's GIS officer. This exercise filtered from the audit sites with a single function, or sites that were not open to the public. For example, golf courses, playing fields that require a booking to use, or school playgrounds. This could mostly be done relatively quickly in GIS, using the ordnance survey open space data, which is classified by the PAN65 typology. A survey was produced using Arc GIS Field Maps. This tool combines map data with survey forms, allowing for map-based data collection in the field using a smartphone app. The survey was designed to collect data on various aspects of open space, such as connectivity and accessibility, function, condition and maintenance, placemaking, safety, and biodiversity. Planning officers carried out the survey by visiting a particular site, selecting it on the map in the Field Map app, and entering data into the survey form. The app could also be used to adjust site boundaries to better fit what was on the ground and add new sites that may have been not have been included in the map data. The data was analysed using the ArcGIS Pro Software. ArcGIS Pro provides numerous tools for data analysis and the ability to join it with other datasets. For example, the "Summarise Within" tool quickly produces statistical summaries of datasets within different geographical areas. This functionality allows for easy calculation of the area of open space in electoral wards (as required by the draft Open Space Strategy Regulations) or within Community Council areas or settlements, enabling insights at various geographical scales to be easily produced and shared. Areas of collaboration The Planning Team has a dedicated GIS Officer. Collaboration was needed between GIS and Planning officers to design and technically implement the survey to ensure data could be collected easily and accurately. The survey itself was based on a methodology developed by North Lanarkshire Council. Having the data clearly mapped also allowed for collaboration with other stakeholders. Additional information on the community involvement in different open spaces was collected through an event with the council’s Biodiversity Network using the maps.
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What was the overall result? Open space audit data was input directly into the council's GIS platform and ready for analysis with only minor adjustments needed to correct any inconsistencies within the data. The result was the creation of spatial data which enabled the qualities of open spaces to be visualised, spatially analysed and combined with other data sets. Lessons learned Successes The Field Maps Application allows users to input information directly into the GIS platform without the need for further manual data entry or manipulation. This enables the council to move seamlessly from data collection to data analysis without additional steps, saving valuable time. ArcGIS Pro allowed data analysis to be undertaken relatively quickly. Once the data was collected it could be combined with other data sets. For example, nature network or flood risk map data could be used to identify what open spaces provide multiple benefits, or have the potential to, and meeting the cross cutting aims of National Planning Framework 4. Challenges At the time of data collection, the government had not provided regulations or further guidance on Open Space Strategies. This gave some uncertainty to the methodology, however discussion with other planning authorities to compare methods was helpful in providing some confidence. A small error in setting up one of the survey fields meant that a workaround was needed to collect that piece of data. Lessons Learned
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The survey form was created in advance using an existing GIS map and it is important to check the survey form thoroughly and test it before data collection begins, as the form cannot be easily changed once data entry has started. Using tools like Field Maps can improve data collection and make it easier to create or add to spatial data sets. This saves time and allows for easy spatial analysis and combination with other data sets. What contribution will it aim to make towards delivering outcomes? Please tick all the outcomes below that this example aims to works towards. NPF4 ☒Sustainable places ☒Climate change and nature crisis ☒Climate mitigate and adaptation ☒Biodiversity ☐Natural Places ☐Soils ☐Forestry, woodland and trees ☐Historic assets and places ☐Green belts ☐Brownfield, vacant and derelict land and empty buildings ☐Coast development ☐Energy ☐Zero waste ☐Sustainable transport ☐Liveable places ☐Design, quality and place ☒Local living and 20 minute neighbourhoods ☐Quality homes ☐Rural homes ☐Infrastructure first ☐Heat and cooling ☒Blue and green infrastructure ☒Play, recreation and sport
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☐Flood risk and water management ☐Health and safety ☐Digital Infrastructure ☐Productive places ☐Community Wealth Building ☐Business and industry ☐City, town, local and commercial centres ☐Retail ☐Rural development ☐Tourism ☐Culture and creativity ☐Aquaculture ☐Minerals Place and Wellbeing Outcomes ☐ Movement ☐ Spaces ☐ Resources ☐ Civic ☐ Stewardship Contact/ Further details: Cameron Clow – Planning Policy Officer Cameron.Clow@west-dunbarton.gov.uk