WMS

Community councils are required to be established by local authorities. They are the most local tier of statutory representation in Scotland. They bridge the gap between local authorities and communities and help to make public bodies aware of the opinions and needs of the communities they represent. Community councils are statutory consultees under various processes, such as for planning applications.

There are many instances where polygons do not tessellate or snap to local authority boundaries. The Spatial Hub processing can correct for some minor gap errors (<5m) but not larger ones. Such gaps in the dataset mean that it cannot potentially be used for some kinds of spatial analysis e.g. point in polygon, because some point locations may fall within the gaps. These gaps either require amendment at source or approval for the IS to change.

Marine Consultation Areas are non-statutory areas identified by NatureScot as deserving particular distinction in respect of the quality and sensitivity of the marine environment within them. Their selection encourages coastal communities and management bodies to be aware of marine conservation issues in the area.

SNH nature reserves (NR) are those SNH properties (owned, leased, or under agreement) it manages for nature with some provision for people to visit. SNH also manages some properties as National Nature Reserves.

Local Nature Reserves (LNRs) are established in a variety of locations with very varied habitats and species. They must lie wholly within the area of jurisdiction of the local authority which declares them to be reserves. Prior to such declaration, the local authority must own or lease the site or obtain an agreement from the owner. LNRs are generally smaller than NNRs and closer to centres of population. They are frequently provided for the enjoyment and education of local people whose involvement in site management is encouraged.