The revolution will start in a hut
Sometimes life is sweet. People think good thoughts. Folk are inspired to imagine and drive forward a happier, more contented society where we live good lives in good places with economic and political democracy. A little bit of that dream came alive this week.
First of all, Liz Grey (pictured above) finally realised her life-long ambition to obtain this small 10ft x 13 ft wooden hut on Hopeman beach in Morayshire. There is phenomenal demand for them and a ten year waiting list. As Liz told the Scotsman,
“It’s an absolutely magical place. Everyone around here wants to have one.
“You’d be amazed at what you can get in them even though I’ve got one of the oldest huts on the beach so it’s one of the smallest.
“They all have their own character as they’re all painted differently. The one I’ve got has a Punch and Judy on it, while next door’s is painted in rainbow colours.
“There will be dolphins swimming past all day and in the evening you light up the fires, eat, and watch the sun go down. It’s absolutely fabulous.”
Check out the picture gallery.
Last week also saw an important event in making such places more easily available to thousands of Scots who would like them.
Scottish planning policy is not most folk’s idea of fun but the quality of where we live, work and play depends on a robust land use planning system and and (equally as important) a robust and democratic system of making decisions about land allocation. One thing that the SNP Government has been good at is raising the profile of planning in Scotland. I don’t agree with all their policies but that is irrelevant for the moment. Planning now has a higher profile and that is good. This is reflected in the new National Planning Framework 3 and Scottish Planning Policy published by the Scottish Government.
But this is not a blog to discuss the weighty issues contained in these documents. I may do that later.
This is about huts.
Simple huts
Paragraph 69 of the Scottish Planning Policy concerns Development Plans in rural Scotland and the third bullet point is as follows.
69 Plans should set out a spatial strategy which:
– makes provision for housing and other residential accommodation in the countryside, taking account of the development needs of communities and the demand for leisure accommodation, including huts for temporary recreational occupation;
Hallelujah.
For the first time ever in the history of land use planning in Scotland there is a proposal that hutting be encouraged, facilitated, and expanded. A few weeks ago I was part of a delegation from Reforesting Scotland’s thousand huts campaign that met with the Scottish Government to discuss huts. Both officials and Ministers have been very supportive and what has appeared in the document this week is the culmination of a good deal of work over the past few months.
Of course the Scottish Planning Policy refers to planning policy. It is vital that if hutting is to expand and thrive that all local authorities have a policy on the topic. But there is more to do. For example, planning law does not even contain a class for “huts” and neither do the Building regulations. So, even with the most enlightened policy on hutting, it is next to impossible to actually apply for planning consent.
Which is why, earlier this year Bernard Planterose and myself were asked to prepare a paper (download copy here 3.2Mb pdf) outlining how planning law and building regulations might be reformed. This was presented to Ministers in January together with a technical annex.
Building on my previous blog on the consultation on reforming allotment legislation, this consultation on planning policy might represent the beginning of a new vision for how we use the land in around Scotland’s towns and cities. Not as a place for land speculation and grim retail and peri-urban development but as a green oasis under the democratic control of the townsfolk to grow food, walk and play and, a little further out in the woods to have some huts. Already, the Carbeth Hutters have secured their own future after decades of struggle.
But.
None of this will happen if folk don’t respond to the consultation and let the Scottish Government know what a wonderful idea this is. Full details on how to respond are here. You have until 23 July but what about doing it now and certainly before the end of May?
Please also respond to the Allotments consultation. Allotments, suburban gardens, greenspace, huts, community forests and community farms should all be part of a continuum of civilised spaces for people and nature.
If you do, then not only can many more folk like Liz Grey get hold of a hut but Scotland could be transformed by providing all ages, classes and genders of town and city dwellers with a place to enjoy the sights, smells and sounds of Scotland’s wonderful countryside.
UPDATE 7 May
Further coverage of Hopeman Hits including a nice picture gallery in Daily Record 4 May
We’ve been waiting since October to get our Common Good trustees to agree a ground rent for beach huts in Nairn. Can’t understand the hold up but maybe Hughland Council are involved.
Our pre-planning was no problem…
The physical and psychological health of the nation would be vastly improved if people had guaranteed access to peaceful and beautiful places in the way that is taken for granted in Finland, Sweden, parts of Russia and other places. My Finnish daughter’s grandparents were able to buy a small piece of land on the edge of a lake and with the help of their children built their own log cabin and sauna (the sauna came first!). It should be possible in Scotland too.
Yes. Great news indeed. 5 million people corralled in some of the most densely populated parts of Northern Europe while vast areas of the countryside are kept bare of trees as killing grounds for a few hundred absentee owners. Even in Soviet Russia and Eastern Europe many city residents still had access to huts and plots to grow food on the edge of cities or further out. I wonder if the politicians who compare us to Scandinavia ever actually go there and see how people live. Thanks for the link to the consultation. I will make representation. But with public lands being sold off it is hard to imagine private landowners still dreaming of millions with another ikea or Barrett estate on their near urban fields letting residents buy plots. We need hutting and land reform to come together to make this possible for city dwellers. Perhaps by talking food sovereignty as well as wellbeing.
Why do the government make it so hard for laypeople to respond to these consultations? I’ve downloaded the drafts and questionnaire but do not have time to read and understand all the papers concerned and then to attempt to complete a really badly formatted (perhaps due to reading on Mac) form. Perhaps they do not really want our views.
They produce all these forms to make it easier for THEM to analyse responses. Your are NOT required to follow their pre-determiend questions. The only obligatory form you have to fill is the Respondent Information form – and even that info you can provide in your response. So submit your own response in your own format – just be sure to include name, address etc & other details they need.
I have spent many happy holidays in hope an,love it