SUSTAINABLE PLACES
Creating attractive, healthy, accessible and sustainable places can make an important contribution to meeting regional housing and economic needs and improving the quality of the environment. Planning authorities will need to develop strategies for more sustainable patterns of development which take account of climate change predictions. We need to develop a range of models of sustainable development to reflect Scotland's geographical diversity. There remains a pressing need for the planning system to help deliver growth in the long term supply of new homes throughout both urban and rural Scotland to respond to long term housing pressures and to improve the affordability, stability and fairness of Scotland's housing system.
In the Central Belt there is an opportunity to build on initiatives such as the Ayrshire and Glasgow and Clyde Valley Green Networks, the Central Scotland Forest, the Millennium Canal Link, the Falkirk Helix and the Edinburgh and Lothians greenspace and forest habitat networks to create a Central Scotland Green Network capable of delivering a step change in the quality of the environment for the benefit of people, landscape and nature.
A well planned increase in woodland cover can substantially enhance the landscape setting of our towns and cities, bringing vacant and derelict land back into beneficial use, improve biodiversity and amenity and help to absorb Carbon Dioxide (CO 2). Improvements can also be made to networks of other habitats, including wetlands, to counter fragmentation and assist species migration, adaptation to climate change and biodiversity enhancement. The creation of national ecological networks could provide opportunities to achieve this whilst improving the environment for local communities. The development of footpath and cycleway networks and other facilities and attractions will contribute to a more sustainable transport network and expand the range of recreational opportunities close of major centres of population helping to encourage active travel and healthier lifestyles.
Infrastructure
The competitiveness of places depends on adequate investment in infrastructure. Improvements in transport infrastructure are needed to strengthen international links, tackle congestion, reduce journey times between our cities and support our rural communities. Parts of our electricity transmission network need to be strengthened if we are to realise the potential of our renewable energy resources. New installations are needed for the more effective management and recycling of waste. Water capacity should generally not now be a constraint on development, however continued prioritised investment in replacement and upgrading of water infrastructure is required. Climate change has significant implications for flood risk, water catchment area wide approaches to flood risk management can provide long term solutions and integrate ecological and greenspace networks. Scotland is one of Europe's leaders in broadband availability, however the planning of major new infrastructure should take account of opportunities to extend the digital communications network.
Transport
Scotland needs an effective national transport infrastructure which will facilitate sustainable economic growth. The Scottish Government is strongly committed to promoting a shift to more sustainable modes of transport. However, good air links remain vital for international connectivity and competitiveness. In promoting enhancements at our airports, the Scottish Government is placing emphasis on measures which improve surface access by public transport.
Cross border road and rail links are of prime economic importance and congestion and lack of infrastructure outwith Scotland can have an adverse impact on access to Europe and other parts of the UK. Bringing Dundee, Aberdeen, Inverness and Newcastle closer to the Central Belt can do a lot to strengthen economic relationships between the city regions. Reducing journey times between Aberdeen and Inverness will help us to capitalise on synergies in the North-East and Highland economies.
Current transport infrastructure commitments include the implementation of the Airdrie-Bathgate and Borders rail link projects, new surface rail links serving Glasgow and Edinburgh Airports, continuing improvements to Edinburgh Waverley Station, removing the bottleneck at the Raith junction on the M74, completion of the motorway network by delivering the M74 extension and upgrading of the A8 and A80 to motorway standard east of Glasgow and construction of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route. The Government is also committed to expediting the replacement Forth crossing and electrification of the main rail line between Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Ports make a vital contribution to the economy and are modernising to meet the growth in world trade. A growing proportion of freight is containerised and the number of containers handled by Scottish ports is expected to increase in the long term. On the East Coast, the Firth of Forth is a key strategic freight gateway and there is potential for the further expansion of port capacity, including container freight facilities. The international trend is towards larger container vessels and few existing European ports offer the channel and berth necessary to accommodate the largest container ships. The sheltered deep water locations at Hunterston and Scapa Flow represent substantial opportunities for developing new transhipment and gateway facilities linked to world shipping routes.
The Challenges in moving towards more sustainable forms of travel are to create urban environments which facilitate walking and cycling, to ensure that new residential development is well related to existing public transport networks and designed to accommodate the extension of public transport services, to concentrate business and retail activity at locations which minimise reliance on the private car, and to promote water-based distribution of freight. The renewal of existing urban areas can help to counter the trend towards long distance commuting.
Energy
In addition to the target of generating 50% of electricity from renewable sources by 2020, the Scottish Government is committed to working towards deriving 20% of total energy use from renewable sources by 2020. The Government is also committed to establishing Scotland as a leading location for the development of renewable energy technology and an energy exporter over the long term. It is encouraging a mix of renewable energy technologies, with growing contributions from offshore wind, wave and tidal energy, along with greater use of biomass.
The Crown Estate has identified the Moray Firth and a zone to the east of the Firths of Tay and Forth as locations with potential for the development of offshore wind farms. The north and west coast offer a number of locations with very substantial potential for harnessing the energy of tidal streams.
Given the variable output of some renewable sources of energy, large baseload power stations will have a role to play in maintaining the stability of electricity supply for some time ahead. While important elements of Scotland's existing baseload generating capacity are scheduled to close over the next 10 years, steps are being taken to extend the lives of existing power stations and develop new ones.
The pattern of the existing electricity transmission grid reflects the relationship of existing power stations to settlement. New capacity for the generation of electricity from renewable sources is being developed across Scotland, much of it in remoter coastal and upland areas, and the electricity generated requires to be transmitted to centres of population. The capacity of parts of the system needs to be increased to facilitate this transmission.
Waste
The development of necessary waste management infrastructure is a Government priority. There is currently capacity to divert 1 million tonnes of municipal waste from landfill. This needs to be increased to 1.5 million tonnes by 2010, over 2 million tonnes by 2013 and 2.5 million tonnes by 2020. Additional capacity is also required to treat commercial and industrial waste. The planning system has a crucial role to play in ensuring that installations are delivered in time to allow waste management targets to be met.
