Aberdeenshire Land Use Strategy Pilot

James Davidson, Aberdeenshire Council

NESAAG, Woodhill House, 05/11/14

Two Land Use Strategy Pilots:

• Shared aim:

…to develop a framework which fosters an integrated approach to land use.

• Shared requirements e.g.:

- 3 stages

- ecosystems approach

- work with partners

- consultation

- min.10 year lifespan

Aberdeenshire Land Use Strategy Pilot

• Being delivered in partnership by Aberdeenshire Council and James Hutton Institute

• Project Board comprising key stakeholders

• Operating at two scales: regional and local

Local Focus Areas

• Upper Dee and Huntly area – invited local stakeholders

• Three step process looking at:

1. What the environment delivers

2. What influences decision making

3. How might the future look

Stage 1 – Baseline Mapping

• To set an information baseline for the Pilot

• Natural asset and policy information gathered as per Pilot spec

• Attempt to cover ‘ecosystem services’

• ~ 50 layers of GIS based information

Stage 2 – Constraints/Opportunities

• Exploration of constraints on and opportunities of land use change

• Use of questions based approach

• Key government objectives related to land use

Stage 2 – Question based approach

1. Low carbon economy…………….woodland expansion/renewables

2. Sustainable food production……..prime land

3. Sustainable water management…drinking water

4. Halting biodiversity loss…………..habitat connectivity

5. Communities connected to land…recreation opportunities

Stage 2 example: prime land

• Climate change could increase prime agricultural land in Aberdeenshire

• What are the implications of all prime land becoming arable?

Stage 3 – produce Pilot outputs

1. Spatially based aid to land use change decision making – web based, interactive

2. Overview report of land use key issues and opportunities

• Main users: existing public bodies influencing decisions around land use change

• Pilot = process demonstration!

Web-based, interactive tool

Overview Report

• Summary of land use change issues and opportunities drawing on work of the Pilot

• Presents a series of suggested actions regionally and nationally to aid with achieving LUS aims

• Draft report consulted on in Autumn 2014

• Opens discussion of Pilot legacy

What Next?

• Workshops for interactive tool - autumn 2014

• Stakeholder feedback on draft overview report – autumn 2014

• Final workshops with JHI in Local Focus Areas

• Finalise tool & overview report – New Year 2015

• Delivery of findings to feed into review of Land Use Strategy - March 2015

J.Davidson@aberdeenshire.gov.uk