P1.2: Assessing the Initial Context, Scope & Scale

When considering the underlying context, scope and scale of a potential project, it will be crucial for stakeholders to consider at the outset the following key elements:

• identifying an appropriate physical boundary of a project site. This may relate to a single identifiable area of land potentially under one ownership, or may involve a series of sites that cumulatively give rise to a specific project ‘area’. The outcome should be to identify an appropriate area within which further work can then be taken forward, whilst also retaining some flexibility to respond to the outcome of the evaluation and scenario building process explained later in this Guide;
• identifying (if appropriate) a wider, less defined boundary around the project site which may act as an ‘impact area’ for evaluation and analysis purposes. The identification of a wider area may differ for different specific issues, i.e. a catchment zone for retail impact may not be the same as an impact zone for noise, and as such would also need to be flexible in definition;
• establishing and understanding the underlying policy basis for the project, in particular any specific land use allocations or policy objectives that may be enshrined in adopted or emerging planning or community strategy policy. This should also consider any relevant wider vision for an area and what kind of place the proposals may contribute towards creating. This may also reveal an evidence base that could be used to inform future Stages of the process (see Stage 5: Compiling the Evidence Base). It is also useful to investigate relevant site specific planning histories to understand any context behind previous applications, either approved or refused; and
• recognising who the ‘drivers’ of the project are in terms of individuals, stakeholders or project promoters and financiers. These may reside in either the public, private sector or both, together with those stakeholders who are likely to be most important to achieving a successful outcome.

Early appreciation of these issues will assist to provide definition to the scope and scale of any potential project. It is also useful to help inform setting a vision and set of objectives as explained further at Stage 4 ‘Project Management’ of this Guide.