Planning Advice Note 51: planning, environmental protection and regulation

Planning Series:

• Scottish Planning Policies ( SPPs) provide statements of Scottish Executive policy on nationally important land use issues and other planning matters, supported where appropriate by a locational framework..
• Circulars, which also provide statements of Scottish Executive policy, contain guidance on policy implementation through legislative or procedural change.
• Planning Advice Notes ( PANs) provide advice on good practice and other relevant information.

Statements of Scottish Executive policy contained in SPPs and Circulars may be material considerations to be taken into account in development plan preparation and development management.

Existing National Planning Policy Guidelines ( NPPGs) have continued relevance to decision making, until such time as they are replaced by a SPP. The term SPP should be interpreted as including NPPGs.

Statements of Scottish Executive location specific planning policy, for example the West Edinburgh Planning Framework, have the same status in decision making as SPPs.

The National Planning Framework sets out the strategy for Scotland's long-term spatial development. It has the same status as SPPs and provides a national context for development plans and planning decisions and the ongoing programmes of the Scottish Executive, public agencies and local government.

Important Note: In the interests of brevity and conciseness, Scottish Planning Policies do NOT repeat policy across thematic boundaries. Each SPP takes as read the general policy in SPP1, and highlights the other SPPs where links to other related policy will be found. The whole series of SPPs should be taken as an integral policy suite and read together.