Planning for a greener Scotland

摘要

With COP26 taking place in Glasgow later this year, and the latest Scottish National Planning Framework (NPF4) set to focus even more on the environment than in years gone by, many eyes are cast on the environmental impact of planning decisions. While this focus on greener, more carbon-neutral development isn't anything new, additional scrutiny and regulation means planners will need to begin to make more extensive considerations on the environmental impacts of planning applications, given the UK's wider statutory Net Zero targets. The coal mine being planned for Whitehaven is one key example of where English planning authorities are being asked to make these considerations. So, what can Scottish planners expect from the environmentally focused NPF4, a draft of which should be available for consultation in autumn later this year? And how might this change their approach to environmentally sensitive development applications? The first main change to note will be the framework's enhanced status. To give the NPF4 greater weight as it demands a fresh approach to addressing ambitious climate change targets, it will become part of the statutory development plan. The importance of this is that, going forward, the NPF4 along with the planning authority's local development plan will be the starting point for the decision-making process.