LOCAL NEEDS ... regeneration, community context and development
• Local Board context: how does this project link into the board's wider strategic asset management plan? Is it a piece in the onward development of a larger site and therefore must include elements that deliver on broader site masterplanning and infrastructure elements or set a standard for future developments on the site? What additional benefits does the board want from the project in terms of public perception?
• Community Context: The project is undoubtedly a significant investment in the community it serves, how should that be used to support the community structure including local needs for healthier places, regeneration and sustainable growth in the community?
e.g. The construction of a facility in a run-down area is a chance to develop local civic pride and a feeling of worth (thereby potentially increasing community ownership and reducing vandalism as well as setting a benchmark for future projects in the area) as opposed to developing something that is simply 'in keeping' with the current dilapidated nature.
• Planning and Local Development: In broad terms, the new Planning Act shifts the emphasis of planning to consider and plan "what goes where and why" and therefore local development plans should be supporting the identification and protection of community facilities, such as those for health. This, combined with Single Outcome Agreements, is a real opportunity to plan the location of facilities to support local development rather than in response to it.
An agreed 'non-negotiable' objective that requires the facility to be placed in a location the supports local regeneration or a planned shift in population, on a project commissioned jointly with the local authority, is likely to be a very powerful tool.
• Local Board context: how does this project link into the board's wider strategies such as commitments under the Single Outcome Agreement or local initiatives on health promotion, carer support etc?
How does the project fit into the board's strategic asset management plan? Is it a piece in the onward development of a larger site and therefore must include elements that deliver on broader site masterplanning and infrastructure elements or set a standard for future developments on the site?
What additional benefits does the board want from the project in terms of public perception of the board?
e.g. The location and approachability of the facility can increase or reduce the likelihood of people walking or cycling to the facility and even using it.
NATIONAL NEEDS ... NHSScotland Policies
• Better Health Better Care : how does the project support the shift in care patterns and embody the concept of mutuality.
• Sustainability and Asset Management : how the project will allow you to improve your reporting on these elements.
• Design Quality : This is unlikely to need a specific objective as it should be met in achieving the others.
NATIONAL NEEDS ... Broader Governmental Objectives
• The 5 Strategic Outcomes and 45 National Indicators : Health boards, as bodies spending the public purse, are expected to contribute across all of these outcomes.
• National policies on placemaking and design : the call for leadership by example in the public sector.
Scotland's Infrastructure Investment Plan 2008 establishes that good design is key to achieving best value from all public sector investment.
"In developing Scotland's infrastructure, the Scottish Government recognises that good building design should be responsive to its social, environmental and physical context. It should add value and reduce whole life costs. Good building design should be flexible, durable, easy to maintain, sustainable, attractive and healthy for users and the public; and it should provide functional efficient adaptable spaces ... Equally important to the design of individual buildings is the design of sustainable places. Well-designed buildings and places can revitalise neighbourhoods and cities; reduce crime, illness and truancy; and help public services perform better".
It is this approach - which is underpinned by national policies on Architecture and on Place Making - that will inform appraisal of all projects.