Planning for the coast: A case study of Scotland

Sinclair, Martin J (1981) Planning for the coast: A case study of Scotland. MPhil(R) thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

In Britain the coast is widely recognised as one of the nations most valued natural resources. It is the country's major playground in addition to being ecologically and environmentally very important. Over the last ten years the coastline of Scotland has come under increasing development pressure. The demand from industry for coastal sites has risen sharply and often the proposed uses conflict with the physical stability and aesthetic qualities of the coastline and with pre-existing uses. Until the recent demands for land for oil-related developments at coastal sites there was no national overview of policies relating to the utilization of the coastal resource. Unlike many other parts of the world, including England, no detailed work had been carried out on the Scottish coast. The advent of oil provoked a flurry of activity at the national level resulting in the production of Coastal Planning Guidelines. The re-organisation of local government and the introduction of a new planning system have also brought significant changes. This dissertation examines current policies regarding the utilization of the coastline in Scotland. It also looks at current practices in a number of other countries to see whether any of the solutions tried by them could be adopted to bring about a more efficient use of the Scottish coastline. Chapter one looks at why we should be concerned with the planning of the coast as distinct from other areas and seeks to provide some definitions of the coastline. It also examines the position of the environmental ethic in the decision making heirarchy. Chapter two looks at the development pressures affecting the coast and traces the evolution of the British planning and administrative system. Chapter three looks at coastal planning in the wider international context examining the situation in England, Ireland, Sweden, Norway, and the United States of America. Chapter four looks in detal at the Scottish situation and examines the role of the planners at the national, regional and district levels. An assessment is made of the policies pursued at each level. In the final chapter some general conclusions are drawn and in the light of experience elsewhere some recommendations are made for the improvement of the Scottish planning system in coastal areas.

• Item Type: Thesis (MPhil(R))
• Qualification Level: Masters
• Additional Information: Adviser: Gordon Adams
• Keywords: Area planning & development
• Date of Award: 1981
• Depositing User: Enlighten Team
• Unique ID: glathesis:1981-74131
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 23 Sep 2019 15:33
• Last Modified: 23 Sep 2019 15:33
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/74131