Wednesday, January 07, 2009
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PLANNING

2.1

Introduction
2.1.1 The NI 195 survey is designed to provide a ‘representative’ picture of cleanliness within an authority. More importantly, the survey enables local authorities to compare their performance with national benchmarks (produced annually by Defra’s Local Environmental Quality Survey of England - LEQSE), on a ‘like-for-like’ basis using ten standard Land-use Classes.
2.1.2 For this reason, the survey is carried out in a way that is comparable with the LEQSE, including dividing a year’s sample equally over three, four-monthly periods.
2.1.3 The survey is designed to be economical to undertake in relation to staff time and material resources. However, maximum economy can only be achieved if sufficient time and care is put into survey planning.
2.1.4 The survey planning method described below - based closely on that used for the LEQSE - is designed to be used by people with little or no advance knowledge of the authority.

2.2

Sources Of Information For Survey Planning
2.2.1 The following basic information is needed for survey planning:
  1. Indices of Multiple Deprivation (IMD)
  2. Maps of Electoral Wards to which the Indices of Multiple Deprivation relate;
  3. Information on the distribution of Land Uses within the authority.
2.2.2 Indices of Multiple Deprivation
Although updated figures for Indices of Multiple Deprivation were published in December 2007 by the Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG), they are available only for Low Level and Mid Level ‘Super Output Areas’ (LLSOAs and MLSOAs), and have not been published for Electoral Ward boundaries.
2.2.3 Use Of The 2004 Indices Of Multiple Deprivation
However, for the 2004 estimates of IMD published by the then Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM), the boundaries of the Low Level Super Output Areas (LLSOAs) were compatible with the prevailing Ward boundaries.
2.2.4 This enabled ENCAMS to make estimates of the IMD scores for Electoral Wards, which for most authorities could be aggregated to the Ward boundaries that existed at 31st December 2002, and which would be used for the 2003 local elections.
2.2.5 For a minority of authorities, the Wards used were those where a Statutory Instrument giving notice of changes to Ward boundaries had been published by 31st December 2002, and those changes were expected to be used for the 2003 local elections. Some Wards have been combined because of confidentiality restrictions imposed by the Office for National Statistics.
2.2.6 Authorities can download the estimated IMD scores for Wards in their District by clicking on the appropriate Regional file below, and printing the page(s) that relate to their District.
2.2.7 Important Note
These IMD scores have been aggregated from LLSOAs to Wards solely for the purpose of planning the NI 195 Survey. The method used is simple and does not include, for example, weighting based on population size. The results are not approved by the National Statistics office and should not be used an an official measure of the 2004 IMD at Ward level.
2.2.8 Use Of The 2007 Indices Of Multiple Deprivation
If authorities feel that they wish to use the 2007 IMD figures together with their current ward boundaries, then if they have access to computerised Geographic Information System (GIS) facilities they may be able to do so in the following way:
  1. obtain a set of the 2007 IMD information for the authority by sending an email order to communities@twoten.com. (General enquiries should be sent to indices.deprivation@communities.gsi.gov.uk);
  2. obtain a CD containing the digitised boundaries of the Lower Level Super Output Areas (LLSOAs) within their authority, using the order form obtainable at the following Office for National Statistics website. This website also gives further information about the SOA boundaries.
    Please note that the SOA boundaries are only available as a standard product for the whole of England and Wales, not just for individual authorities.
    If using MapInfo software, authorities should request a midmif file. If using ESRI software (e.g. ARCINFO), authorities should request a shapefile. The order form, with a covering email, should be sent to ons.geography@ons.gov.uk.
  3. create a file within their GIS that contains the digitised boundaries of the current electoral wards;
  4. overlay the LLSOA boundaries for the authority over the electoral ward boundaries, and assign each of the LLSOAs to the appropriate electoral ward;
  5. make appropriate adjustments where LLSOAs are split between electoral wards;
  6. add together the IMD scores for the LLSOAs within a ward, and divide the total by the number of LLSOAs.
2.2.9 This will give an estimate of the IMD for each electoral ward. Rank the electoral wards within the district according to their estimated IMD figure. The resulting list of wards may then be used to help plan the NI 195 survey in the manner set out in this Manual.
2.2.10 Maps of Electoral Wards To Which the IMD Figures Relate
Within each local authority the Electoral Registration Office (or the Chief Executive’s Department) should be able to provide a map showing the District’s Electoral Ward boundaries which relate to the estimated 2004 (or 2007) IMD scores.
2.2.11 Information On Land Uses Within The Authority

There is a wide range of sources of information that can assist in planning a NI 195 Survey:

Local Knowledge – local authority staff will, in many cases, be familiar with large parts of their area.

Ordnance Survey Maps – maps at 1:50,000 scale (the ‘Land Ranger’ series) and 1:25,000 scale (the ‘Explorer’ series) show areas of Housing, Industry and Recreation) as well as Main Roads and Rural Roads. They will also show Other Highways such as alleyways and public rights of way.

A to Z Maps – large scale Collins, Phillips and Ordnance Survey Gazetteers may help to identify Commercial, Housing, Industrial and Recreation Areas, as well as Main Roads and Rural Roads.

The Highways Department – should be able to advise on the location of formal lay-bys and the adopted highways network, distinguishing between adopted and private highways. In the case of two-tier administration (County/District), the Highways Department will be located in the County Council. However, many District Councils act as highway maintenance agents on behalf of the County Council for all or part of their Districts. If this is the case, the District Technical Services/Engineering Department should be able to assist.

Definitive Rights of Way Map – are usually held by the Highways Department, and should show all footpaths, bridleways, Byways and Roads Used as Public Paths (or, where the latter have been reviewed, Restricted Byways as referred to in the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, S 47-52).

The Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse (COPL&R) , updated in November 2006, requires all Principal Litter Authorities to prepare a map of its district identifying areas of high, medium and low intensity of activity, and areas with special circumstances. COPL&R (p20ff) links these zones to the standard Land Uses used by the previous Cleanliness Performance Indicator BVPI 199.

Where authorities have prepared this zoning map, for which COPL&R sets a target date of 1 st April 2008, this could provide a source for the mapping required for NI 195.

Development Plans – the Development Plans prepared by the Planning Department are a possible further source of information.

2.3

Survey Structure
2.3.1 The prime objective of a NI 195 Survey is to obtain, as far as is possible, a sample that is representative of the range of conditions that are to be found in each local authority. The surveys are therefore not based on random samples.
2.3.2 A ‘representative’ sample is one that, in its selection of transects to survey, seeks to reflect the different types of development that are present within a Land Use, within the authority.
2.3.3 Different types of development often reflect the age of development, which can vary in age from late Victorian/Edwardian, to the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Retail and Commercial, Housing and Industrial/Warehousing land uses usually all show this kind of variation.
2.3.4 Authorities should try to ensure that the NI 195 sample reflects such variations, where they exist, within the target wards.
2.3.5 This can be done either in planning each four-monthly NI 195 Survey, and/or by surveyors using their local knowledge to select transects on site.
2.3.6 Surveyors should also try to get a geographic ‘spread’ across the target ward, rather than concentrating all the transects for a particular land use in a small area.
2.3.7 In this way, the NI 195 survey will maximise the extent to which it reflects the variations that exist within an authority.
2.3.8 The NI 195 Survey therefore draws its samples from representative selections of electoral wards within an authority. The aim is to survey a set number of sites for each land-use that is present in the district. Sample sites (‘transects’) are drawn, as far as is practicable, from locations across the selected (‘target’) wards.
2.3.9 A new selection of five target wards is used for each four-monthly survey period. Using the methods described below, all wards in a district will be sampled in a planned rotation.
2.3.10 The use of a limited number of target wards has two objectives:
a. to ensure that, over a period of time, the survey is drawn as evenly as possible from all parts and types of area comprising a district; and,
b. to minimise the amount of travelling between transects on any one survey day, resulting in more productive use of staff time and reduced overhead costs.
2.3.11 It is recommended that the five target wards should be selected using:
a. the estimated 2004 Indices of Multiple Deprivation for electoral wards contained on the www.NI195.com website; and,
b. the set of ward boundaries that existed on 31st December 2002, to which those estimates relate. (For a minority of local authorities, the estimates refer to the set of wards that would be used for the local 2003 elections. In these cases, a Statutory Instrument had been issued before 31st December 2002, but had not yet come into force).
2.3.12 Alternatively, if the authority wishes to, it may use the 2007 Indices of Multiple Deprivation for Lower Level Super Output Areas (LLSOAs), adapting them to reflect current ward boundaries in the manner described in Section 2.2 above.

2.4

The Role Of Wards Within The NI 195 Survey
2.4.1 It is important to understand the role of electoral wards within the NI 195 Survey and what can and cannot be determined from the data.
2.4.2 The NI 195 Survey uses ward boundaries only in order to subdivide a local authority into sub-areas for survey purposes. The link to IMD allows a reasonable cross-section of areas to be surveyed across the range of deprivation within an authority. The NI 195 Survey is not designed to provide accurate figures at ward level, and should never be used for this purpose.

2.5

Survey Planning
2.5.1 The NI 195 survey planning system, outlined in the following sections of this Manual, takes account of the ways that land-uses are typically distributed within a local authority:
a. some land-uses are restricted in their distribution, and have to be surveyed wherever they exist. Good examples of these are Main Retail and Commercial Areas, and Industrial Areas;
b. some land-uses occur in some, but not all, electoral wards. The most common example is Medium Obstruction Housing;
c. some land-uses occur in all or most wards, such as Recreation Areas.
2.5.2 There are three steps in the survey planning system:
a. STEP 1 - selecting comparable groups of five target wards to be sampled during each four-month survey period;
b. STEP 2 - identifying and mapping the locations of relevant NI 195 Land Use Classes;
c. STEP 3 - scouting the selected wards to check the accuracy of desk-top work undertaken during Steps 1 and 2, and to identify locations containing more difficult-to-find land-uses, such as ‘Other Highways’.
  Within each target ward, surveyors should try to achieve a reasonable geographic ‘spread’ of survey sites, and of different types of development.

2.6

How Long Should Survey Planning Take?
2.6.1 The process described in the following sections should normally take the equivalent of one working day for two surveyors, once the necessary materials have been assembled (such as maps, listings of Indices of Multiple Deprivation, and locations of key land-uses). It is not necessary to have completed all the mapping before starting to survey, it is acceptable to complete the mapping in stages.
2.6.2 After a few survey cycles most local authorities will have compiled a definitive NI 195 land-use map of their district. Therefore, progressively less time will be needed for planning future surveys. However, periodic checks will be needed to monitor where, and what types of new development have taken place in the district and whether any developments have changed the prevailing land-use.

2.7

How To Plan For NI 195 Surveys In New Unitary Authorities?
2.7.1 A number of authorities may be affected by recent proposals to create additional Unitary Authorities. The normal principles used for NI 195 Surveys will be applicable for the new authorities, but may need to be adapted according to local circumstances including the proposed contents of Local Area Agreements.
2.7.2 Staff responsible for planning the NI 195 Survey for new Unitary Authorities should contact the local Environmental Quality Team in Defra for advice and assistance at the following email address: localenvironment@defra.gsi.gov.uk.