Scottish Planning Policy requires planning authorities to carry out a comprehensive open space audit and prepare a strategy for their area which will inform the regular review of the Development Plan.

The open space audit provides the essential baseline understanding of open space assets across the local authority area. Open space audits should provide a sound platform on which authorities can develop an open space strategy. The open space strategy will use the information gathered by the audit to assess current and future open space needs, set standards for open space provision and establish clear policies and priorities for action.

The key elements of open space audit and strategy development are:

• strategic vision for open space
• quantitative audit of the open space resource
• qualitative assessment of the open space resource
• open space strategy development based on audit intelligence and strategic vision
• the development of locally open space standards
• establishment of frameworks for implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the open space strategy

In April 2010 greenspace scotland carried out a review of practice on open space audits and strategies across Scottish planning authorities. It identified that significant progress has been made across the 34 Scottish planning authorities. Download the full review report here