Move To Improve Open Spaces

27th April 2008

The Highland Council has appointed open space experts, Kit Campbell Associates, to help achieve high quality open spaces in new housing developments. Council planners will work alongside KCA to produce draft guidance that will be used to make sure that residents have high quality and well maintained open spaces close to where they live.

Recent management and maintenance problems experienced by some Highland residents will also be reviewed and recommendations made for future improvements.

Chairman of The Highland Council's Planning, Environment and Development Committee, councillor Drew Hendry said: "We have some very good examples of open space in Highland towns and villages, but we need this guidance to ensure that every community in Highland, old and new, has high quality and well maintained parks, play areas and amenity space. Better quality and safe play areas will encourage a return to children playing outdoors independently with parents happier that they are enjoying themselves safely."

Kit Campbell Associates, based in Edinburgh, specialises in open space, sport and recreation planning. Their research and reports have heavily influenced national open space policy both in Scotland and England, and have been awarded a Royal Town Planning Institute award for open space planning.

Photo
An example of a modern open space is the Amphitheatre at Ness Islands,
Inverness