John wrote:
The HS ArcView shapefile is really good and very useful, and as far as I am
concerned has no[w] downside except that far-flung planning officers seem to
be incapable of using it!
I sympathise with John over the planning officer problem - with four area offices to deal with, we are faced with an inconsistent reponse from our own planners, some of whom don't seem to bother to consult the constraint maps on the GIS when making decisions :(.
However, I do feel that there is one significant drawback with the HS SAM layer. The spatial data was captured by a third party through digitising the 1:10k paper base maps, which are themselves only 'indicative' of the actual boundary of the SAM. The only 'true' representation of the SAM is on the Scheduling document itself. This means that in order to disseminate the information, we still need to provide a spatial buffer for the data to allow for dicrepancies in data capture. As it happens, this buffer zone, a uniform 50m, also allows us to take the setting of the monument into consideration, as per section 17 of NPPG 5.
Along the lines of Crispin at WoSAS, we are constructing a consultation trigger layer with buffers around polygons and points, indicating to planning officers when they need to consult us, and when they need to consult both ourselves and Historic Scotland. We attach a limited amount of data, such as SMR number, site name and site type, with fuller information and the archaeological and developmental implications being given when they consult us. In terms of 'fuzzy space', sites with poorer spatial information tend to get larger buffers. In the case of sites where the locational information is too vague, such as ' two cairns in Anytown parish', we cannot apply this as any spatially-based form of planning constraint, though the information may still be considered when specific development proposals are put forward.
Andrew
SMR Project Officer
Environmental Planning
Dumfries and Galloway Council
Tel: 01387 260154
Fax: 01387 260149
[log in to unmask]
http://www.dumgal.gov.uk
This e-mail is communicated in confidence. It is intended for the
recipient only and may not be disclosed further without the express
consent of the sender.