Social Land Ownership

SISTER SITES

Caledonia
Who Owns Scotland?
Land Reform
Land Reform Guidance
Commonweal Papers
Networks of Agents
Training of Trainers

WHOLE ESTATE PLANS: the Framework Document

The Not for Profit Landowners Group (Scotland), September, 1999

CONTENTS

Summary of the Whole Estate Plan Framework

Introduction:

A Whole Estate Plan (WEP), is a management tool for communities owning or managing land. The WEP should be produced by communities for the management of their existing land-holding or for an area that they aspire to own. It is intended to be a working tool which allows a community to draw together the three elements of sustainable land management - environmental, social, and economic. Any WEP document must be primarily for the use and understanding of the community.

A WEP is suited to the full range of diverse properties under social ownership - from a small community property to a large estate.

A WEP may also function as a reference document which will allow a community to demonstrate clearly to external organisations:

A WEP will address most funders’ needs, even if not written with that specific purpose in mind. It provides an explicit statement of the community’s rationale and objectives, and so can answer questions which potential funders may have about the community’s skills and sticking power. It can also play a role in the vitally important business of encouraging a community in the initial stages - by involving and enthusing the community. It will also encourage a community to address some of the harder issues and not rely on sentiment.

The NfP Landowning Group views the preparation of a WEP by a community property association or by a national conservation organisation as fitting into the community planning framework. It is an essential element in an effective local sustainable development process.

THE WHOLE ESTATE PLAN FRAMEWORK

If a WEP is to be useful to a range of readers, it makes sense to think in terms of a document with at least two main parts:

The length of any WEP document should not exceed 20-30 pages overall.

In the outline below sections 1 to 6 constitute the strategy; sections 7 to 9 the operational planning.

The plan should be for five years and the operational sections should be reviewed annually.

The plan should be in ten sections with the following structure: