The new National Planning Framework (NPF4) in Scotland must be ‘deliverable, connected and influential’, the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) has said.
Responding to the Scottish government’s NPF4 position statement, RTPI Scotland said it broadly welcomed the direction of travel and was pleased to see ‘a clear synergy’ with the Institute’s Plan The World We Need campaign.
But it called for NPF4 to be supported by resources to deliver its ambitions through a linked capital investment programme, coordination between other national strategies and stakeholders and a commitment to make NPF4 a key corporate document that serves as the core of future policy development in Scotland.
Barbara Cummins, Convenor of RTPI Scotland said: “RTPI Scotland is in no doubt that the National Planning Framework, with new collaborative thinking and new ideas has the potential to help transform Scotland’s environment, places, communities and economy. It provides us with a strong and very promising foundation for this and shows how planning can support a sustainable and equitable green economic recovery that delivers the new normal we need post-Covid.
”But success will depend on implementation of the plan, not its preparation. RTPI Scotland wants to see clear emphasis on deliverability and action plans and clearly defined success metrics.”
RTPI Scotland said it was delighted the position statement had picked up on all the points raised in the Institute’s 10 Big Ideas Paper and welcomed the inclusion of its key asks to prioritise planning for the net zero carbon target by 2045 putting people’s health and wellbeing at the heart of the planning system and prioritizing active and sustainable travel.
See RTPI Scotland’s full response here.
