WARNING - By their nature, text files cannot include scanned images and tables. The process of converting documents to text only, can cause formatting changes and misinterpretation of the contents can sometimes result. Wherever possible you should refer to the pdf version of this document. CAIRNGORMS NATIONAL PARK AUTHORITY Paper 5 22/01/10 CAIRNGORMS NATIONAL PARK AUTHORITY FOR INFORMATION Title: Review of the National Park Plan Prepared by: Gavin Miles, Strategic Planning & Policy Officer Purpose The purpose of this paper is to inform the board of the project management arrangements and proposed timetable for review of the National Park Plan. Recommendations a) That the Board note the proposed project management arrangements and timetable for review of the National Park Plan. Executive Summary The National Park Plan must be reviewed every five years. The next version of the plan is due in 2012. This paper outlines the project management arrangements that the CNPA will use to manage the process of the review. It also sets out the timetable for the review with a draft National Park Plan being consulted on in the summer of 2011 and submission to Ministers by 2012. PAGE 2 REVIEW OF THE NATIONAL PARK PLAN -FOR INFORMATION Introduction 1. Under the National Parks (Scotland) Act 2000, National Park Authorities are responsible for preparing National Park Plans for National Parks in Scotland and reviewing them every five years. The Cairngorms National Park Plan sets out a long- term vision to 2030 and priorities for action for the first five years 2007-2012. It was approved by Ministers in 2007 so its first review is to be completed for 2012. 2. Although the review is required by the National Parks (Scotland) Act 2000, in practice, it will allow the National Park Plan to adapt to changed circumstances, different priorities and to use the experience of the previous years to be more effective in the future. 3. This paper is to inform the Board of the approach that the CNPA will take to managing the process and the proposed timetable for review of the National Park Plan. Approach to Managing the Process 4. At the same time as the National Park Plan is being developed, the CNPA will be starting to work on the Local Development Plan for the Park. The two plans are closely linked in policy and in the information and evidence needed to prepare them. In order to align the two plans as closely as is practical and to avoid unnecessary duplication of work or consultation, they will be managed as two projects overseen by a single programme board. 5. Each project will be managed through formal project management procedures that the CNPA has used successfully in other work areas such as the Core Paths Plan and Local Plan. An outline of the roles is shown below: Programme Sponsor: CNPA Board Senior Responsible Owner Jane Hope Senior User Duncan Bryden Senior Supplier -NPP Hamish Trench Senior Supplier -LDP Don McKee Project Manager – NPP Gavin Miles Project Manager -LDP Karen Major Project Support Project Team PAGE 3 Approaches to Engagement during the Review 6. One of the early tasks of the project is to develop a stakeholder engagement plan that allows us to engage with many stakeholder groups at appropriate times and in ways that meet their needs as far as possible. This will clearly be quite a diverse plan given the range of stakeholders, reasons for engagement, and their ability to engage on different issues or at different times. 7. A key principle of engagement will be to avoid duplication of work and contact for both different stakeholders and the CNPA. So wherever possible, the CNPA will engage on a range of issues and direct the feedback to whatever plan process is most appropriate. This will help to avoid unnecessary duplication of engagement or consultation on either the National Park Plan, Local Development Plan, or any other exercises being carried out by the CNPA or partners, for example the Landscape Framework. This will also mean using existing mechanisms wherever possible – to ease the consultation burden, but also to embed the planning process more effectively with other processes, for example community planning. To help achieve this, we are already investigating contracting existing community support structures to carry out some of the community engagement. Timetable for Review 8. The review of the National Park Plan must be completed by 2012 so the next two years will be when most work must take place. Much of 2010 will focus on targeted engagement with stakeholders on the issues that need to be tackled, what we have learnt from the National Park Plan so far, and how we can do better in future. In 2011 a draft National Park Plan will be consulted on with time for changes before submitting the finalised plan to Ministers in 2012. A summary of the timeline is shown below. Jan-Mar 2010 Staff/board informal engagement on issues Apr-Oct 2010 Stakeholder engagement on issues Nov 2010 -Mar 2011 Prepare draft NPP2 + SEA May-Aug 2011 Consultation on draft NPP2 +SEA + State of the Park review Sept -Dec 2011 Changes to draft NPP2 Feb/Mar 2012 Final NPP2 to Ministers 9. The timetable for development of the Local Development Plan is less clear as it will be influenced by the process of taking the Local Plan to adoption. Ideally, the consultation on the draft National Park Plan in the summer of 2011 will be done in tandem with consultation on a Main Issues Report for the Local Development Plan. PAGE 4 Next Steps 10. The programme board will supervise the implementation of a detailed project plan for the National Park Plan review. The CNPA board will be kept up to date with significant milestones and achievements. 11. We will bring a paper back to the board for discussion in March to set out the basis for engaging partners on the strategic issues during 2010. Gavin Miles October 2009 gavinmiles@cairngorms.co.uk