There are many areas where the scenery is highly valued locally and local authorities often give these landscapes a local designation. This is to ensure that the landscape is not damaged by inappropriate development, and in some cases encourage positive landscape management. These designations play an important role in developing an awareness of the landscape qualities that make particular areas distinctive and promote a community's sense of pride in their surroundings. The names used for such Local Landscape Areas currently vary from one local authority to another. For example, they are termed 'Areas of Great Landscape Value' in Moray, 'Special Landscape Areas' in Dumfries and Galloway, and 'Sensitive Landscape Character Areas' in Ayrshire. Guidance published by Scottish Natural Heritage and Historic Scotland (see below) suggests the name be standardised to Local Landscape Areas (LLA) now. LLAs complement the National Scenic Area designation, which identifies those landscapes that are seen as nationally important owing to their unsurpassed scenery. http://www.snh.gov.uk/protecting-scotlands-nature/protected-areas/local-designations/local-landscape-areas/

The Spatial Hub is a resource which provides a single point of access to quality assured Scottish local authority data in a consistent format. It is developed, operated and managed by the Spatial Information Service within the Improvement Service.

The Water Intended for Human Consumption (Private Supplies) (Scotland) Regulations 2017 came into force in October 2017, and are regulated and enforced by Local Authorities. The main objective of the Regulations is to ensure the provision of clean, safe drinking water and to deliver significant health benefits to those using private water supplies. The DWQR has an independent role in verifying that the Regulations are complied with and also reports on compliance with the Regulations to the European Commission. Local Authorities are required to maintain a register of every private water supply to premises in its area.

The Local Development Plan dataset is a composition of Local Development Plans supplied by local authorities and national parks in Scotland. It is intended to provide a spatial overview of common policies across Scotland. The authoritative data source is the originating data supplied by the planning authority and the authoritative plan is that which is published as approved and adopted by the planning authority, which may not be in a digital format. Development plans set out the long term vision for where development should and shouldn’t happen in the places they cover. The local development plan is the principal land use planning document used in assessing applications for planning permission, based upon national, regional and local policies and proposals. It is the most significant material consideration in determining such applications and reference to the local development plan is essential for most types of proposed development. The main spatial element is typically the policies and proposals map, which is created from the data that is also used in this dataset. Some policies will be plan-wide, and not reproduced spatially, so this dataset contains policy data that is linked to a discrete area within the planning authority area. In addition to the local development plan, reference should be made to the National Planning Framework (covering all of Scotland), the Strategic Development Plan (where applicable) and supplementary guidance that is included in the development plan. Update and reference to other datasets This dataset will be updated as and when development plans are replaced and formally adopted by authorities, on a minimum quarterly basis in operational terms each year. Local development plans are currently replaced on a five year basis and will be further modified by the forthcoming Planning Act, likely moving to a ten year cycle with interim updates, although it is not yet clear on how updates will be prepared. If proposed and draft plans (and other datasets, such as issues reports) are published on the Spatial Hub, this will be as a separate dataset. This dataset should be used in conjunction with other planning related datasets available on the Spatial Hub, notably planning applications, conservation areas, housing land and employment land. There may be some duplication with related layers, due to the ways that particular authorities may share data, and this will be resolved on a layer-by-layer basis as this dataset (and others) are developed. This is also true for some national datasets, such as statutory designations for natural heritage: these typically originate with other agencies although they are often published as part of a local development plan. This will also be resolved, in data architecture terms, through dialogue with these key agencies. Geometries There are three layers within this dataset, for point, polyline and polygon features. Not all authorities capture all three feature types. Categorisation The dataset employs three levels of categorisation – class, subclass and tags. The classes and subclasses are listed below, based on a particular data attribute field that originates in the dataset and is mapped to the common attribute “layer type” which is then searched for an applicable match. Tags are used in searches to match and categorise dataset features against the layer type, and captured as a full list of tags against each feature to allow multi-criteria searches. Known Issues Some manual classification is required, for features that have only a reference or a layer name that needs direct matching to a class and subclass. In this case, the tags may well have null values. This is an early release of the dataset, which will change further following consultation with users, planning authorities and other stakeholders. In the longer term, a move towards common standards and categorisation will be promoted. Further Information The definitive description is contained within the published Development Plan Scheme for each planning authority, available online. Reference can also be made to Scottish Government policy on development plans: https://www.gov.scot/policies/planning-architecture/development-plans/

A council development plan may designate a green belt around a city or town to support the spatial strategy by: - directing development to the most appropriate locations and supporting regeneration; - protecting and enhancing the character, landscape setting and identity of the settlement; and - protecting and providing access to open space. This dataset has been developed as a polygon layer.

Scottish Planning Policy sets out the Scottish Government's policies in relation to economic development in Scotland. An Employment Land Audit is produced to monitor the supply, take up and status of employment land in line with National Guidance. The audit assesses the range and choice of marketable sites and locations for businesses with a variety of size and quality requirements. The audit identifies the availability and constraints of employment land sites within the local authority.

Scottish legislation (Section 17) of the Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Act 2009 dictates that records of culverts must be created and maintained. Specifically: (1) Every local authority must prepare a map which shows (or more than one map which, taken together, show) relevant bodies of water and sustainable urban drainage systems in its area. (2) Each map must - (a) be prepared by such date as the Scottish Ministers may direct, (b) be prepared at a scale that the authority considers most appropriate, and (c) contain such information and be in such form as the Scottish Ministers may specify in regulations. (3) A local authority must, from time to time, review and where appropriate update the map (or maps) prepared for its area under subsection (1). (4) A local authority must make available for public inspection the map (or maps) prepared under this section for the time being applicable to its area. (5) In this section and section 18 - “relevant body of water” - (a) means - (i) a body of surface water other than a stretch of coastal water, or (ii) a body of underground water forming part of a watercourse (but not including a watercourse which is wholly underground), but (b) does not include sewers and drains which drain into sewers, “sustainable urban drainage system” has the meaning given in section 59(1) of the Sewerage (Scotland) Act 1968 (c.47). Most Local Authorities have contributed (natural) culvert data to the new OS MasterMap Water Network Layer either through providing data to the Scottish Government or through the James Hutton Institute. As this data is now live, a mechanism for managing/maintaining/updating this data needs to be put in place. SCOTS (Society of Chief Officers for Transportation in Scotland) have approved for this dataset to be managed by the Spatial Hub and any amended data can be uploaded (and potentially downloaded) before being shared with OSMA members and the OS. We have initially created a point and line data layer representing the data we have been sent by some LAs. However, we really need line data in order for it to be merged into the OS MasterMap Water Network Layer data in due course. The LA "culverts" data as included in the OS MasterMap Water Network Layer is also available for LAs to download and use as part of this dataset

Local nature reserves are areas of (at least) locally important natural heritage, designated and managed by local authorities to give people better opportunities to learn about and enjoy nature close to where they live. They are found across the country, but generally close to towns and cities. More details are available here: http://www.snh.gov.uk/protecting-scotlands-nature/protected-areas/local-designations/lnr/ Where we have not been supplied with data by local authorities we are extracting it from a previously produced SNH national dataset.

HERs (Historic Environment Records) developed out of SMRs (Sites and Monuments Records). SMRs were established from the 1960s onwards in response to the loss of the archaeological resource through urban and rural development. From their original remit of recording archaeological sites, they have been developed to encompass a wide range of information about the historic environment which has been reflected in the change of name from SMR to HER. Today they provide a unique information resource, forming the basis for sustainable conservation and playing an important role in informing public understanding and enjoyment of the local historic environment. The historic environment includes all aspects of our surroundings that have been built, formed or influenced by human activities from earliest to most recent times. A Historic Environment Record stores and provides access to systematically organised information about these surroundings in a given area. It is maintained and updated for public benefit in accordance with national and international standards and guidance. An HER makes information accessible to all in order to: - advance knowledge and understanding of the historic environment; - inform its care and conservation; - inform public policies and decision-making on land-use planning and management; - contribute to environmental improvement and economic regeneration; - contribute to education and social inclusion; - encourage participation in the exploration, appreciation and enjoyment of the historic environment. Local authorities and most National Park authorities maintain records of the archaeological, built and natural environment. However, many services group together to form archaeological services to collate their standardised records. Specialist staff are employed to curate these records and also to provide specialist advice for land-use planning and public information services. This dataset has two distinct data layers: - Historic Environment Sites (including Known Site Extents and Areas of Archaeological Interest) - a polygon dataset - Historic Environment Events (also known as interventions) - a polygon dataset. Where only points or lines have been provided these have been buffered by 10m to create representative polygons.

A ‘polling place’ is defined as the building or area in which a polling station will be located. A ‘polling station’ is the room or area within the polling place where voting takes place. Unlike polling districts and polling places which are fixed by the local authority, polling stations are chosen by the (Acting) Returning Officer for the election. The Representation of the People Act 1983 places a duty on LA to divide the local authority area into polling districts based on ward boundaries, and to designate a polling place for each district. LAs also have a duty to keep these polling arrangements under review. The Electoral Administration Act 2006 introduced amendments to the 1983 Act (which in turn has been superseded by The Electoral Administration Act 2013). Now local authorities must conduct a full review (with public consultation) of its polling districts and polling places every four years, however adjustments to the boundaries of polling districts and the designation of polling places within LA wards can be proposed at any time in response to changes in ward boundaries or to the availability of premises that can be reasonably designated as polling places. The Fifth Review of Electoral Arrangements concluded in May 2016 when the LGBCS made recommendations to Scottish Ministers for the number of Councillors and the electoral ward boundaries in each of Scotland's 32 local authorities. The review recommended changes in 30 LA areas of which all but 5 were accepted and came into force on 30th Sept 2016. As a result, ward boundaries (and therefore polling districts and possibly polling places) were changed after this date in time for the May 2017 elections.