Community-led Village Design Statements in Ireland - Toolkit (published Oct 2012) - PowerPoint Presentation

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Community-led Village Design Statements in Ireland - Toolkit (published Oct 2012) A Step by Step ProcessIrish Landscape Institute Conference27th November 2012Alison Harvey AILI, MIPIThe Heritage CouncilSlide2

Introduction – 2 Parts Public Participation – a core pillar of Aarhus Convention (18th September 2012) along with Access to information on the environment (AIE) and Access to Justice.Community-led VDS Toolkit and Inaugural Workshop – October 2012.Slide3

1. Public ParticipationThe corporate economy must be reined in – leading towards an ‘Active Society’ (Etzioni, 1968)

Social Learning = Social Empowerment (Friedman, 1992)Community Spirit – need to strengthen the community as a moral infrastructure (Etzioni

1993) – Moral Compass?Empowerment is

Participation (Wilcox, 1994)

Working together allows everyone to achieve more that they could do on their own – ‘Synergy’ and ‘

Power To

’ rather than ‘Power Over’

Enhances democracy –

participative democracy v representative democracy

Concept of

Social Capital and Capacity BuildingSlide4
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2. What is a Community-led VDS (pg 2):“A community-led Village Design Statement (VDS) is a mechanism for protecting, celebrating and enhancing local distinctiveness and contributes to the delivery of sustainable development…… …..A community-led VDS examines and describes the time-depth and the

unique character and distinctiveness of a village settlement that collectively creates a sense of place, and proposes agreed design principles and specific and phased actions to ensure the

future collective enhancement , effective planning and management, and promotion of the village for the benefit of the community and visitors alike..

COMMUNITY-LED

VDSs

Focus on PLACE,

CHARACTER and COMMUNITIESSlide6

2. VDS Toolkit – Structure ForewordFrom Conor Newman and Michael StarrettPart 1 Background and Introduction to the Community-led VDS Toolkit

Part 2Community-led Village Design Statements

– Eight Distinct and critical steps

Part 3

Further

Information and contact details

Appendices:

Appendix

1: People involved…

Appendix 2: Bibliography and further reading

Fact Sheets

No. 1 - LA Heritage Officers

(28 no.) contact detailsNo. 2 - Glossary of Terms

No. 3 - Overview of collaborative and participative process

No. 4 - Useful Websites

No. 5 - Project Charter Template

No. 6 - Template for VDS brief -

Julianstown

Brief, June 2009

No. 7 -

Julianstown

VDS scoring matrix

No. 8 - Sources of potential funding - funding streamsSlide7

Part 1 - Background and Introduction to the Community-led VDS ToolkitPage 3

Historic village form and settlement pattern

: shape, layout and setting in the landscape – unique geology, topography and morphology – rural and/or urban – links and connections to surrounding area – role of village – past and present.

Villagescape

,

historic streetscape and character areas:

architectural types, styles and forms – age range of buildings – height, scale and density of buildings – architectural conservation areas (

ACAs

).

Key approaches to the village

: arrival and departure experiences – views and vistas – historic landscapes – urban and rural.

Landmarks:

key buildings/structures

–

hierarchy of public spaces, parks and historic gardens

–

protected structures – relationships

and links -

local materials/textures – gateposts, walls, railings, lamps.

Green Infrastructure (GI) and natural heritage: existing and potential areas – including Special Protection Areas (

SPAs

) or Candidate Special Protection Areas (

cSPAs

) and Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) or Candidate Special Areas of Conservation (cSACs) – Natura 2000 sites - including coastlines, loughs, estuaries, rivers and streams.National Monuments: archaeological sites and remains and their setting – views to and from – important memorials and statues.

List above, Page 3Slide8

Part 1 - Background and Introduction to the Community-led VDS ToolkitPage 4Recommended Outputs (pg 4):

A ‘Shared’ Vision –

setting out the community’s overall and collective vision for their village for the next 15-20 yrs.Agreed Design Principles –

that relate specifically to the village – to ensure that existing character and distinctiveness identified through the process is conserved, celebrated and enhanced.

Agreed VDS Action Plan –

specific and phased projects that should be delivered by the community and its partners – enhance ‘sense of place’.Slide9

Part 1 - Background and Introduction to the Community-led VDS ToolkitPage 5Key Outcomes (pg 5):

Build on existing community knowledge base – unique landscape, environment and heritage features within the historic core and surrounding area of their village

Provide a community with a valuable planning and management ‘tool’ to ensure that changes are sustainableCreates a Shared Vision, Agreed Design Principles and Agreed VDS Action Plan to enhance a village’s historic form and fabric, and sense of place

Fosters community capacity building – promote participative democracy

Generates social capital and revitalises local networks and partnerships

Enhances quality of life and sense of belonging for village communities Slide10

Part 2 - Community-led Village Design Statements – Eight Distinct and critical steps Page 10Slide11

Step 1 - Getting startedPage 12Slide12

Step 1 – Q2 – Strong Community Infrastructure - is the Community Good to Go? (Pg 12)Undertake local research – identify community infrastructure, activity, skills, interests and talents: Ask -

Q. What stage are the various groups at?

Q. How long have they existed?Q. How many members do they have?

Q. Have they any experience of setting up and running local projects?

Do these groups

collaborate and co-operate

with each other? Is there an appetite to collaborate with one another for the common good?Slide13

Step 1 – Q2 The following local Skills, Interest and Talents are extremely useful for community-led VDS projects (Pg 13):Slide14

Step 1 – Q3 What is our national heritage?Page 14

Assess the

character

of village – see pages 15 and 16 of Toolkit

Examine the evolution of your village and its heritage features Slide15

Step 1 – Answering the 3 Key Questions?Page 17Present results from:

Q1 – is there a Policy Fit?

Q2 – is there a Strong Community Infrastructure – Good to Go?

Q3 – what is the

Heritage base

within the village?

Answer the 3 Questions as honestly as you can with your partners - Local Authorities, LEADER and others:

YES – move onto next step

Step 2 – Getting going

NO/NOT SURE - talk to your partners and get support to move forward, e.g. workshops to bring people togetherSlide16

Step 2 – Getting going Pages 19-28

Identify key messages - why is your group undertaking a community-led VDS , what are the likely benefits and outcomes?Key Messages are useful for press statements, websites, workshops, etc.

Useful words: community-led, character, value, civic pride, heritage, value.

Tasks:

Est. effective VDS Management Structures – 2 parts – VDS Inter-Agency Group and VDS Local Working Group

Est. effective communication and publicity structures (internal and external)

Identify supporting technical resources including graduate interns

Consider and select preferred business/organisational structure.Slide17

Step 3 – Getting into your stridePages 29-35Tips:

Highlight - Workshop is a completely different idea to a conventional public meetingPublic meeting creates a ‘them’ and ‘us ‘ dynamic – can be disastrous – impacts on ‘trust’

Table 4 – page 30 – Planning the workshop – start around 8 weeks before the eventProject Charter – see Fact Sheet No. 5

Project Review before starting Step 4 – are the PM structures in place, are they functioning, has the Project Charter been signed.

Tasks:

Identify community issues and aspirations – VDS Stakeholder Workshop

Write up key issues arising from the first VDS Stakeholder Workshop

Finalise the Stakeholder Workshop Feedback Report

Confirm status and structure of VDS Inter-Agency Group – and VDS Local Working Group

Agree and Sign

Project Charter.Slide18

Step 4 – Striding outPages 36-40Step 4 – Tasks

Project partners prepare and agree brief for consultantsSee Fact Sheet No. 6 – the Julianstown

Brief was given to LEADER in Meath by the Heritage Council re. to inform LEADER Village Renaissance Programme (started in 2011).2. Prepare scoring matrix – see

Fact Sheet No. 7

3. Advertise for consultants

- public procurement

4. Short-listing of cons

– evaluation of tender submissions

5. Select preferred consultants – MEAT – most economically advantageous tender

6. Appoint cons and sign contracts with cons.Slide19

Step 5 – Getting over the jumps (Pages 41-52)A: Grafting, drafting and finalisng the VDS1. Training and detailed

village appraisal by cons with community – preferably with both PM groups2. Community engagement and public participation – Workshops, Photo surveys, Community Plays, Video Soapbox, etc.

- Gathering ideas from the community-

Analysing

community ideas

-

Creating a Shared Vision, draft Design Principles and Draft VDS Action Plan

3. Testing and agreement of Shared Vision, Agreed Design

Principles and Agreed VDS Action Plan

4. Summary of above – Programme example

provided on page 49.

B: Finalising and printing the community-led VDS (incl. poster)1. Writing and editing the VDS – important to streamline writing/editing – structure?

2. Finalising the VDS for printing – sign off on word before starting graphic layout3. Final sign off by project management team/project partners – allow 3 weeks!!

4. Adoption by local authority

– city/county council

5. Printing arrangements

– either LA or external printersSlide20

Step 6 – A clear round – organise and deliver the Big Launch NightStep 7 – Implement community-led VDS – reality bites!Step 8 – The winners’ enclosure

Step 6 (pg 53)Step 7 (pg 58)Step 8 (pg 61)

1. Organise work plan1. Continuation of VDS Inter-Agency Group & VDS Local Working Group

Project Monitoring

- Before Step 4

- 6 months in

- After 1 year

2.

Prepare

programme and deliver launch2. Preparation of a summary VDS Implementation Plan(see Table 7, page 50 in Toolkit)2. Project Evaluation – process and output

3. Take some time off after launch!3.

Prepare Funding Applications

See

Fact Sheet No. 8Slide21

Step 8 – The winners’ enclosureSlide22

Summary:1. Public Participation;

2. Community-led VDS Toolkit: Structure – Main Text - 3 Parts, Appendices and 8 no. Fact Sheets:

Part

1 – What is a VDS, Outputs and Outcomes

Part

2 - Eight Steps – Are ye

Good to Go

?

Part 3 – Further Information – contact author at

aharvey@heritagecouncil.ie