Social Land Ownership

SISTER SITES

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

Contents of this section

WHAT is REQUIRED of a WHOLE ESTATE PLAN

A Whole Estate Plan (WEP) must be:

able to effectively communicate the key facts.

It must be written in an accessible style A plan may contain all the information which is available but if readers feel bombarded, the plan will communicate nothing.

meaningful to a community and meet its needs.

It should:

accessible to all readers.

It should be:

comprehensive.

It should:

brief (20 to 30 pages maximum).

flexible.

NOTES on the WHOLE ESTATE PLAN FRAMEWORK

The order of the sections in the plan framework reflects the processes by which it is drawn up. It is therefore different from the conventional report in which there is usually a statement of objectives early on as a necessary guide to the new reader. In the WEP framework the section on objectives follows the sections which the community has to work through in order to decide these.

Effective participation by the community at large is a key element in the production of the plan. This is essential if the plan objectives are to be endorsed by all sectors of the community. Without this, achievement of the objectives may be hampered. A list of potential participatory tools for use by the community, in the whole estate plan process, is given within Appendix 2. This process takes time and should not be avoided. It is additionally important to allow sufficient time for developing a consensus within the community, and with external agencies and partners, about the final content of the plan.

Part 1 - Strategy

The Strategy (sections 1-6) should not exceed 20-30 pages overall (cf. Report of the Community Planning Working Group, (June 1999 p12 para 25) Scottish Office and COSLA guidance on community planning). The length of each section should be decided in relation to the whole.

1. Executive Summary

The executive summary should not exceed two or at most three pages. It should be concise, relevant and accessible. It should be structured so that it relates to each section. It should not just describe the scope of the plan, but give briefly the substance of each section, including the rationale (see 2 below) and the discussion which leads to the conclusion. It should highlight the key issues, including the action points, the key points of any analysis and recommendations.

It must flow, linking the sections appropriately. It should not be just a ‘cut and paste job’ and it should not consist simply of brief bullet points.

It is written last for the simple reason that its content cannot be selected till the full plan is completed.

2. Introduction

The introduction should state briefly who is writing the plan, what their circumstances are, and why they are doing it (their rationale).

The introduction should also include:

3. Description

The description should include the physical parameters, and cover the full range of resources, weaving together the environmental, social and economic features. Only the key features should be mentioned. Other details should be placed in the appendices. Charts, maps and tables should be used as much as possible. Inventories of, for example, botanical species, which may be very detailed and lengthy, should appear in the appendices.

The community needs to have reached a consensus if it is to produce a concise description of what is important.

4. Vision

The vision should be specific to the community’s place and circumstances. It should be developed on three time-scales:

The vision should set out the end points that have been identified and should include some analysis of whether they can be achieved. It has to be informed by the analysis rather than be simply a statement of aspirations as in the introduction to many conventional plans. To formulate ideal objectives with no reference to practical constraints and/or without having conducted an analysis is a bit like voting for motherhood and apple pie.

Some organisations have signed up to a vision without carrying out an analysis and then run into problems two or three years later with the result that they have had to undo some of their objectives and redevelop their strategy.

The vision should encourage a balance of short-term and long-term thinking. Assynt Crofters Trust, for example, has a 30-50 year vision, but needs short-term objectives which will help to improve economic opportunities.

5. Issue Analysis

This section should contain a thorough analysis of the issues which are important to the community and to external stakeholders. These should be analysed one by one - environmental, social and economic. The section should also include an analysis of the community group’s organisational structure and management.

The consensus required for concise description must be maintained during the analysis. If people don’t agree with the analysis, they will not accept the vision and objectives which follow.

6. Objectives

The objectives to be clarified at this stage in the planning process are strategic rather than operational (for which see below). Different interest groups vary in how long-term or short-term their thinking about objectives is.

The important thing is that the objectives are achievable and emerge from the analysis of the issues. They should be ‘SMART’:

They should also be prioritised.

Objectives which are derived from a long-term vision do not prevent short-term objectives also being identified. At Abernethy, RSPB have a 500-year vision of a regenerated forest stretching right up to the natural tree-line, but they also have specific 10-year targets. Some US Government agencies have 200-year visions which are consistent with ‘SMART’ objectives.

Part Two - Operational Planning

To allow for the objective measurement of progress and to ensure the recording of successes the following sections of the WEP should be reviewed annually.

7. Tasks, Targets and Measurements

This section should include:

It is essential that this section is pragmatic and realistic as over ambition can result in dissolution within a community group.

It should specify:

Communities will work out their own models of operational planning. Key features are:

For example, RSPB uses a proforma on a sheet of A4 paper. One side lists the activities which have been agreed for the year. From these are derived the work programmes. The other side are details of the budget. Projects are then designed which will fit the work programme and the budget. Other existing models may also be worth looking at.

To see how tasks, targets and measurement relate to strategic objectives, consider an example. An island community might have the strategic objective of improving visitor services. The operational objective might be defined as identifying the potential of all assets currently ‘servicing’ visitors. One task might be to examine the feasibility of building a pier centre, which would involve, among other things, investigating the costs of hiring architects and obtaining estimates for the cost of the building and the use and day-to-day running costs.

When this task was successfully completed, the next would be to find money to build. And the next task, perhaps, the actual building. The annual report and audit would include a statement which would provide evidence of how far the community had got.

8. Financial Resources

As with tasks, targets and measurements it is important that financial resources are carefully identified and an indication given of what specific constrains may be attached to accessing them. In principle discussions with funders will clarify many of the conditions attached to funding and a little time spent at this stage can greatly increase the chances of success in the future. To ensure that realism is to the fore then all planned projects should be backed up with an indication of costs, and an outline of where the funding will come from. This will allow for a more strategic approach to decision making and prioritisation by the community.

Recognition that the land itself may be the only asset that the community holds requires the community to consider the principle of whether it would ever be used as security on loans to take forward projects of significance to the community’s future.

The statement of financial resources should include among other issues a calculation of the value of voluntary labour. (Some funders require voluntary labour to be capitalised as an asset.)

9. Monitoring and Evaluation

A statement of how the community will measure the progress/impact/degree of success of the plan and individual projects within it should be seen as essential good housekeeping. An agreed process of regular reviews should be stated within the plan and implemented. Whilst this is included in most plans, it is often the last thing considered or is overlooked. It is only through an honest review of progress that a realistic approach can be taken to subsequent work.

10. Appendices

Appendices will include:

WHOLE ESTATE PLANS and COMMUNITY LAND ACQUISITION

There are three stages in the process community groups go through in acquiring land.

Currently most groups start their planning at the ‘pre-bid stage’, but as land reform takes effect and more money becomes available for community purchase this will change, and there will be a need for a framework such as this will increase.

Stage 1 - Pre-acquisition

A WEP is suited to stage 1 where communities have a broad interest in the possibility of acquisition rather than needing to respond quickly when land is on the market. It can be tailored to suit pre-bid situations, listing potential options. It 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 intentions. It can also play a role in the vitally important business of encouraging a community in the initial stages - through involvement and enthusiasm. It will also encourage a community to address some of the harder issues.

Stage 2 - Pre-bid

Provisions within the Scottish Executive’s Proposals for Legislation on Land Reform, indicate that the mad-rush associated with Stage 2 may be avoided in the future. A community should not decide to go ahead with a bid until it has taken a hard-headed look at possibilities. It needs to take stock, analyse key issues, and decide on an informed vision and ‘smart’ objectives which acknowledge the realities of existing resources and their potential. Rapid appraisal methods e.g., seasonal calendars and time lines, which can be done in 40 to 50 minutes, can help overcome time constraints. It would be necessary to bring together, for half a day, those who have been involved in feasibility and business planning to help communities at this stage. A feasibility study can be quickly developed which will be:

The purpose of this is to reach a conclusion about whether a community group should go ahead with an attempt to acquire land. A full WEP framework will take longer and will involve, indeed require, a higher level of community ownership of the plan. It there is to be an increasing number of community bids and if there is also to be six-month stay on land sales to give communities a chance to make a bid, there will be a need to give some additional guidance on a feasibility study at the pre-bid stage.

Stage 3 - Post-acquisition

A WEP meets needs at Stage 3, where communities have land.