Shetland Islands Council

Implementation, Resources and Monitoring

Implementation

15.1 Implementation is a vital part of the Structure Plan process and monitoring is essential if progress in implementation is to be accurately measured and evaluated. The Shetland Structure Plan will therefore be reviewed regularly, both to assess whether its policies are being successfully implemented, and to enable appropriate policy responses to changing circumstances.

15.2 Shetland Islands Council, as the Planning Authority for Shetland, will be the principal body to implement the Structure Plan. However, if the Plan is to be successfully implemented it will have to depend on the actions of individuals, business and agencies based in Shetland and beyond. It is their cumulative decisions that will ultimately create future patterns of development, migration and travel. The Policies contained in this Structure Plan seek to influence those decisions in order to generate better outcomes than would otherwise occur.

15.3 Key partners in implementing the Structure Plan will include private development interests (such as house-builders, landowners and entrepreneurs), public agencies (such as Shetland Enterprise, Scottish Homes and Historic Scotland), and voluntary and community interests (such as community councils and local community groups).

Resources

15.4 The resources and mechanisms available to implement the Structure Plan remain uncertain and will be subject to change over the period up to 2016. One thing that is certain however, is that the Council cannot work in isolation to develop solutions. Effective use of available resources will require genuine partnership working between the various organisations and agencies at European, national, regional and local levels. The allocation of resources will also be dependent on the priorities identified by the local community.

15.5 The importance of resources to achieve the aims of the Structure Plan is well-illustrated by the case of Transport. Key infrastructure improvements will only be possible with the availability of substantial financial resources drawn from a variety of sources including the Council, central government and European sources.

15.6 The availability of resources in Shetland will also be influenced by new policy initiatives, including the new approach to Transport policy identified in the 1998 White Paper. The review of the European Union Structural Funds and the continuing reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) will also have considerable significance for resource availability. Undoubtedly, the new Scottish Parliament will also have an increasing influence on the distribution of resources. As part of the report of survey a synopsis of current funding opportunities is attached as Appendix A.

Monitoring / Plan Performance

15.7 Monitoring the policies and aims set out in this Structure Plan will be carried out by Shetland Islands Council, in conjunction with the Scottish Executive and other partners as appropriate. A number of draft Plan performance indicators have been identified at the end of each topic chapter. The value of indicators is in simplifying and quantifying the complex real world, providing early warning of changing conditions, and in identifying those areas requiring further investigation and new policy responses. It is intended that information from the planning and building control sections will be used to provide the bulk of necessary data.

15.8 Effective monitoring also needs the establishment of regularly updated data collection procedures to ensure that data is accessible and relevant. Close liaison will therefore be required between the Council, GRO(S), Central Government departments including the Scottish Executive and other holders of relevant information. It is anticipated that the findings of the census to be undertaken in 2001 will have significant implications for the monitoring of the Structure Plan.

15.9 Finally, there is a need for the Council to continue to monitor changes to legislation and planning guidance to assess their impact on the effectiveness of the Structure Plan Strategy.