Planning

A VISION FOR LINLITHGOW 2005 - 2015

Summary

Linlithgow Civic Trust's 'Vision for Linlithgow - 2005-15' is a radical alternative to the Council's West Lothian Local Plan.  The Civic Trust has submitted the 'Vision' as a formal objection to the Council's plan.  This means that, by law, the ideas put forward cannot be ignored and will have to be formally considered at the forthcoming public local inquiry.  Here is a summary of the main points in the 'Vision' document.

The Town's Main Problems Residents and visitors alike are well aware of the town's problems which include:

  • traffic congestion and excessive through traffic in the High Street
  • a shopping area suffering from inadequate car parking, problems with traditional on-pavement parking and a lack of rear service facilities
  • the effects of demand for commuter parking near the railway station
  • lack of townscape and heritage improvements, as compared with similar with other historic towns
  • lack of recognition of tourist potential
  • a shortfall in the capacity in the schools
  • no new 'mainstream' social-rented housing having been built since 1975, and a lack of 'affordable' private housing; and
  • inadequate community, cultural, recreational, youth and health facilities for the size of the town.

Possible Threats These include the lack of ambition in the Council's Local Plan; yet more housing development without any gain for the town; effects of the new retail park at Stockbridge on the existing shops; Winchburgh expansion which creates uncertainties for Linlithgow; current proposals for the Burgh Halls which would reduce their community use; closure of the County Buildings with the loss of employment opportunities and economic vitality.

Opportunities to Remedy the Situation Because the point of no return seems to have been passed, there appear to be only two options, and the choice is stark:

  • Continuing the poorly-implemented and probably futile policy of 'restraint' as proposed in the Council's finalised Local Plan; or
  • Recognising that significant town expansion is inevitable, and making maximum effort to extract community benefit from that inevitability.

It should be noted that Linlithgow Civic Trust does not favour significant new development as such - ONLY if it is linked to comprehensive town improvements.

With housing land in the Linlithgow area worth about £1 million per hectare (£400,000 per acre), there exists the potential for some of that value to be transferred into town improvements through 'planning gain'. In other words, planning permission for a fixed extent of housing development would be conditional on the early provision of priority community requirements.

The Trust's Proposals

The full list of proposals is shown beside the Proposals Map. All are described in detail in the full 'Vision' document.

The Future of the High Street - The Trust's main objective is to solve the problems with the environment, traffic, shopping, parking, and community buildings in the town centre and, where appropriate, to pay for these and other proposed solutions through 'planning gain'. Proposals are as follows:

Townscape Heritage Initiative/Conservation Area Enhancement

  • Upgrading of street/pavement surfaces in the High Street, wynds and links up to the Station/Union Canal.
  • Installation of suitable street furniture including lampposts and clear signposting and information.
  • Improvement of the condition and appearance of buildings, including shopfront improvements.
  • Tree planting.
  • Revision to parking arrangements.

Traffic Management to 'Reclaim' the High Street'

  • Prohibition on heavy lorries without a destination in the High Street.
  • Priority for pedestrians in certain areas, and through access for buses and cyclists.
  • Clear demarcation of all parking spaces from footways and improved loading facilities.
  • Construction of a decked car park behind the Regent Centre.
  • Measures to stop short-cuts via Royal Terrace.
  • Construction of four-way motorway interchange at Burghmuir and a 'High Street Bypass' to the north of the loch (see map).

Designation of Linlithgow as a 'Slow City'

Promotion of Farmers' Market in the Town Centre

Redevelopment of Guyancourt Vennel for Retail Purposes

  •  Demolition of the buildings along the western side of Guyancourt Vennel and
  • redevelopment with a range of small units to attract tourist-related commercial activity such as craft shops, leather workshops.

Proposals for Town Centre Community and Tourist Facilities

  • Upgrading of Burgh Halls as a community facility (and retention of the existing Tourist Information Centre).
  • Restoration of Victoria Hall (or redevelopment of its site) to form a community theatre.
  • Conversion of County Buildings, once vacated, into an integrated Health Centre.
  • Conversion of existing Health Centre building into a permanent Youth Centre.
  • Conversion of Sheriff Courthouse, once vacated, into a tourist-related facility such as a hotel, court/jail heritage centre, or Museum of Scots Law.

New Housing Development and "Planning Gain"  - The Council's new Local Plan does not indicate any change to the control of 'infill' housing development in Linlithgow. Taking into account the 173 houses under construction or recently completed in the town, plus all the sites likely to become available in the next few years, there could be around 600 extra house completions. Over the past few years, such a piecemeal approach has provided none of the community benefits that might have been expected.

The basis of the Civic Trust's 'Vision' is that, in future, it would be a strict condition of permitting new housing development, that financial provision - planning gain - is made towards the overall 'shopping list' of town improvements. Without such a legal undertaking in accordance with Section 75 of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997, the housing development contents of the Vision for Linlithgow would be null and void. In addition, the Civic Trust would strongly oppose any development whatsoever outwith the town boundaries.

In the Trust's proposals, the bulk of the new private housing would be to the east and south-east of the town. The sites would be generously landscaped on all boundaries and include cycle and footpath links to the town centre and railway station. Each area should have a highly accessible local centre with school(s), a community hall and shops. The design and layout would be subject to a detailed design brief and master plan requiring a high standard of urban design, character, building materials and landscaping.

Implementation of the Proposals

The proposals in the 'Vision for Linlithgow' would depend on housing developers contributing about £44 million towards necessary town improvements.  Unless the relevant land is already in public ownership, any development consortium would be required to buy the necessary land to carry out the public works and West Lothian Council would be expected to assist acquisition through its compulsory purchase powers.

At the outset, the overall development package would have to be the subject of a detailed Action Plan/Design Guide or brief and the Council would be expected to consult the public on its contents.  It is suggested that a dedicated Steering Group would be established to oversee the planning and implementation of the 'Vision for Linlithgow' and that co-ordination and enforcement would be the responsibility of an officer employed for this purpose by the Council.

This is very much a summary of the main points of the Civic Trust's 'Vision' document. Printed copies of the full text are available for reference in the Linlithgow Library or it can be downloaded or read online here. Alternatively, members of the public may purchase a copy of the 'Vision' for £2.50 by contacting the Trust's secretary on 01506 843461.