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Sustainable communities plan launched |
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Friday, 27 June 2008 |
A sustainable communities initiative was launched today by the Scottish Government.
The Scottish Sustainable Communities Initiative (SSCI) has been
established to encourage local authorities and their partners to
propose more sustainable communities in their areas.
The plan is a plank of the Government’s initiatives to provide more homes of all tenures and of higher environmental and design standards. It is being launched as one of the outcomes of the Firm Foundations housing consultation, announced by the Health Secretary in Parliament earlier this week.
Finance Secretary John Swinney and Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon brought the initiative into force today.
Sturgeon said:
"This initiative aims to bring strong and innovative design and building principles into our settlements, and promote exemplars of how communities could live in the future.
"Sustainable communities are vitally important for our long term economic and social success.
"We hope that local authorities, landowners and developers play their part and contribute to the future sustainable growth of Scotland."
Swinney added:
"The Scottish Government is committed to creating an enduring legacy of high quality, distinctive new developments.
"Sustainable communities will meet people's needs and aspirations, while protecting and enhancing the unique natural and built heritage of our country."
One person has commented on this article. 1. Sustainable communities plan launched
Owen McKee, Unregistered I am heartened that the Scottish Government is aware that there has to be effort to ensure that there are sustainable communities. I am particularly please that in housing there is a desire to provide houses of quality in preference to mere quantity.
We must also ensure that a little more thought is given to legislation which, though well intentioned , may have an adverse effect on fragile community facilities. A case in point is the new licence fee structure which is ill conceived in relation to small village shops in rural areas. Although Councils have been granted discretion to vary fees to meet local needs they seem reluctant to do so at least that is the case in Stirling.
Some small village shops are barely viable , their alcohol sales small. The imposition of the new licence fees mean it is no longer profitable to sell alcohol. Result small profit further reduced and thus shop even more liable to fold.
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 17 July 2008 )
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