POSITIVE ABOUT PLANNING
By Craig McLaren, National Director, Royal Town Planning Institute Scotland
Planning is all about creating great places for people. It does this through providing vision on how best to shape our communities over the short, medium and long term. The ‘customers’ of the planning system are not only those applying for planning permission but also broader society at large, given the system’s role in helping to shape our built and natural environment, which we all use and appreciate.
The Scottish Government has already set out how it sees planning, planners and the planning system as key ‘tools in the box’ that can help to achieve its aspirations such as sustainable economic growth, sustainable development, climate change and great places. RTPI Scotland are positively engaged in work to develop approaches to ensuring we have a plan-led approach to planning and development; to streamlining those parts of the planning process that do not add value; to promoting better approaches to placemaking; and to improving planning performance. Scottish Government has demonstrated its continued commitment through recently publishing a new draft Scottish Planning Policy document and a draft National Planning Framework. It has just published a new Architecture and Placemaking policy which outlines the value of planning. And the Town Centres Advisory Group led by Malcolm Fraser is about to publish its report which, by all accounts, sees a key role for planning in supporting our town centres. We are delighted that the Government has shown belief in, and respect for, the different roles that planning can play.
The issue which is perhaps our biggest challenge is performance. RTPI Scotland shares the aspirations of Scottish Government, and others, for the improved performance and resourcing of the planning system. The mission of RTPI is to ‘promote the art and science of planning for the benefit of the public’ which inherently means that we aim to ensure that the performance of planners is exemplary. We believe that a properly resourced planning system, working within the right framework, is key to achieving ambitions for sustainable development, economic growth and successful places across Scotland.
The Scottish Government has already set out how it sees planning, planners and the planning system as key ‘tools in the box’ that can help to achieve its aspirations such as sustainable economic growth, sustainable development, climate change and great places.
We do not think that the proposal will work. A consistently excellent planning system can only be delivered through continuous improvement which, amongst other things, involves support for poorer performing planning authorities to learn from those that are performing well.
So why do we say this? Firstly, we think it will be counterproductive to withdraw funding from planning authorities that need to improve. We feel that Scottish Government should seek to incentivise rather than penalise and look to reward good performance. It would be unthinkable that an education service, for example, would have its budget cut because of failure to meet national standards of educational attainment.
In fact we feel that it is essential that income from planning fees should be ring-fenced, used only to fund the planning service or functions supporting it. It would be perverse if any uplift in fees was not passed onto the planning service, since this could hinder the goal of performance improvement.
Our second argument is that it is currently unclear how Scottish Ministers will assess how they judge when they “are satisfied that the functions of the authority are not being, or have not been, performed satisfactorily” to quote the Regulatory Reform Bill. There is a danger that the lowest common denominator of measures will be given most attention, namely speed of decision making. Speed is an important aspect of performance but it is not the only one. The Planning Performance Framework developed by Heads of Planning Scotland takes a broader and holistic approach to assessing performance. It’s criteria focus on planning authorities being open for business; supporting high quality development on the ground; providing certainty; ensuring they have good communications, engagement and customer service; having efficient and effective decision-making processes; having effective management structures; providing good financial management and local governance; and embedding a culture of continuous improvement. This approach should influence any performance measures chosen by Scottish Government.
The issue which is perhaps our biggest challenge is performance.
And finally, the proposal may lead to different planning authorities having different fees for planning applications. This would run counter to any move to simplify and unify and could potentially cause huge confusion across the industry. Applicants often cite the need for the planning service to provide certainty and predictability. This proposal, if implemented, may make this more difficult.
We feel that the planning proposals contained in the Regulatory Reform Bill are not necessary. However, if Ministers are still minded to take them forward they should ensure that the criteria which establish whether a planning authority has ‘passed’ or ‘failed’ are clear, measurable, evidence-based and outcome-focused and examined within the context of the Planning Performance Framework. They should also make sure that the assessment of a planning authority’s performance is independent and professional and undertaken by a capable organisation with individuals that have an in-depth knowledge of planning and the planning system. And any process adopted must involve an assessment that works towards constructive and continuous improvement.
By Craig McLaren, National Director, Royal Town Planning Institute Scotland
OTHER ARTICLES IN THIS ISSUE
- Editorial
- Scotland's Digital Connectivity
- In My View...
- Dundee: From Waterfront redevelopment to city economy regeneration
- Scottish Universities And Reputation Management
- Energy Master Planning And Sustainability
- This land is our land ? Or is it?
- How is Scotland Weathering the Storm? Can other small countries learn from the 'Scottish model'?
- Social Business Can Transform Public Services
- Whistleblowing - prevention better than the cure
- Lessons From The 3rd Annual School Business Managers Conference
- The Opportunity to eradicate child poverty in Scotland
- Positive About Planning
- Policy Shorts
- Rail freight, the economy, the environment and the Highlands
Issue 6
TRAINING, SKILLS, EDUCATION AND THE ECONOMY
- Securing Futures For Our Young People
- Christie Commission Principles In The Employability And Skills Sector
- Training and education for public service workers mustn't be forgotten
- A New Deal For Scotland's Colleges?
- What do our human rights and business have in common? A missed opportunity, that's what.
- Imagining the future of higher education
- Buying into a brighter future: Why public procurement is a career of choice for professionals, graduates and school leavers
- Chill winds blow on Further Education
PREVIOUS ISSUES
Looking for a previous issue? Use the menu below to select an issue.
MOST READ ARTICLES
- Bringing alive the Digital Participation Charter for Scotland's citizens, communities and businesses
- Transport for Edinburgh - Integrated Transport for a Smart City
- Worth more than the First Minister? Senior Salaries in Scottish Quangos
- A Planet of Smart Cities: Scotland's digital challenge
- Dundee: From Waterfront redevelopment to city economy regeneration
- Social Business Can Transform Public Services
- Success secrets shared: Learning from the best Mittelstand and British global niche champions
- Public Services Reform and Public Opinion
- Increasing digital participation levels in Scotland - what needs to happen next?
- The Evolving Public Sector Response to Budget Challenges