This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Moves to modernise the planning agenda
15/11/2002
Planning is pivotal to making Scotland a better place to live and work for everyone, the Royal Town Planning Institute was told today.
Social Justice Minister Margaret Curran emphasised how the modernisation of the planning system is a key driver of the government's agenda.
She called for a culture change in poorly performing councils from a 'can't do' to the 'can do' attitude of the best performing authorities.
Ms Curran also launched the new Scottish Planning Policy (SPP) on Economic Development which sets out how the planning system can maintain and enhance economic competitiveness.
It underlines how the planning system should recognise and anticipate changes in the economy, promotes the use of sites for economic development in sustainable locations such as town and city centres, and calls for more effective dialogue with the business community.
The MInister said:
"We are actively modernising the planning agenda to make it fit for the 21st century. Today's theme 'Delivering Excellence' is what we are striving for. We should aspire to excellence in the places and spaces we use daily. It is crucial that delivery of the planning service is of the highest possible standard.
"The planning system has clear strengths - its statutory basis, the primacy of the development plan and the absolute right of public involvement. But planning is not delivering as well as it should and that is why we are committed to modernisation."
She also directed comments to underperforming authorities.
"We want joined up working, best value and sustainable practices. Councils must deal with planning applications for business and other developments efficiently. Our planning audits contain too many examples of management failure, inefficient practice and ineffective process.
"Taking almost three years to process a planning application for housing on a site already allocated for housing development is unacceptable. We need better management of the processes, a clearer understanding of the issues to be addressed, more realistic achievements with clear direction for staff and effective community involvement."
Public involvement has been an important and longstanding feature of the Scottish planning system. Local communities have real opportunities to express their views on plans for the future of their area, on neighbourhood planning applications and developments which might have a bearing on their quality of life.
Ms Curran continued:
"Our 'Getting Involved in Planning' consultation found public involvement to be disappointingly low compared to public interest which was relatively high. We aim to publish a White Paper on public involvement towards the end of the year.
"Over the next year we will concentrate on the delivery of an ambitious work programme to modernise the planning system: ensuring community access and engagement at the start and speeding up the time taken to conclude the process."