NPF4 call for ideas: analysis of responses - executive summary

What development will we need to address climate change?

Reaching the target of net zero emissions by 2045

The urgency of tackling climate change was a theme of many responses with a view that NPF4 offers a real opportunity to place the planning system at the heart of the climate change agenda, and that NPF4 will be crucial to ensuring that all decisions consider the net zero by 2045 target.

There was a call for NPF4 to be fully aligned with Scottish Government's Climate Change Plan and with the with the Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Act 2019,, including by supporting the delivery of local climate change adaptation frameworks. It was also suggested that a more overarching and joined up approach, that better reflects current understanding than Scottish Planning Policy (SPP) now does, will give planning authorities a better basis to include achievable and realistic policies in their Local Development Plans (LDPs). Other comments referred to the importance of land use to tackling climate change, including through the alignment of NPF4 with the Land Use Strategy.

Respondents often highlighted particular areas of planning policy which they saw as key. These are summarised in turn below.

Sustainable energy: There was support for maximising the contribution of renewable electricity generation to meeting the net-zero target in a sustainable way and it was suggested that NPF4 should be clear that a significant increase in the generation of renewable energy will be required. There were calls for NPF4 to support the development of energy storage capacity and there were frequent references to the need to improve grid infrastructure and capacity. While the importance of onshore wind was often acknowledged, there were differing views on the extent to which it should be prioritised. There were calls for a presumption in favour of consent for renewable energy projects, consents in perpetuity, and reviews of the policy on Wild Land Mapping and landscape capacity studies. There were calls for NPF4 to promote decentralisation of electricity generation including small scale local and off-grid production as well as promoting community energy and energy co-ops.

Sustainable and active travel: The importance of supporting the National Transport Strategy 2 was highlighted, along with the need for a major shift in emphasis from roads and cars to walking, cycling and public transport. There were calls to consider the location and design of new developments with a view to reducing dependency on cars, and to provide safe walking and cycling routes. This was sometimes associated with the need to prioritise or invest in active travel infrastructure and improvements to public transport. The role of multi-modal transport hubs and encouraging multi-method travel were highlighted and it was suggested there should be investment in transport interchanges. The importance of decarbonising transport was also noted and there were calls for a greatly increased charging network for electric vehicles.

Nature-led approaches and green infrastructure: The inter-relationship between the climate change emergency and the natural environment was highlighted and it was argued policies designed to contribute to meeting net-zero carbon targets must also take account of opportunities to enhance biodiversity and aid nature recovery. The important roles of peatland in storing carbon, maintaining biodiversity and flood mitigation were all highlighted. There were also many references to the benefits of green infrastructure including providing a carbon sink or otherwise contributing to climate change targets, contributing to flood management and enhancing biodiversity.

Circular economy: There was broad support for development of a circular economy and embedding of zero waste principles in NPF4, including a presumption in favour of enhancing, repurposing or maintaining existing infrastructure and the repair and re-use of existing buildings. This was sometimes connected with unlocking the potential of vacant and derelict land, protecting greenbelts or creating and preserving greenspaces. Respondents commented on requirements for appropriate infrastructure for a circular economy and sustainable waste management and the importance of waste prevention, re-use and recycling was also noted.

Design and energy efficiency of buildings: Many of the comments addressed the critical role of the built environment in the mitigation of, and adaptation to, climate change. General comments included that properties must be low carbon by design and that this could be taken forward through changes to Building Standards. It was suggested that reducing greenhouse gas emissions over a building's lifetime needs to be at the top of the hierarchy of factors in the planning permission decision making process. There were calls for all new homes to be certified to Passivhaus standard. The value of the re-use of existing buildings over new build was highlighted, along with the importance of retro-fitting efficiency measures for the existing building stock.

Carbon sequestration or capture: A range of issues were raised in relation to carbon capture, sequestration or offsetting. They included that one approach could be offering carbon sequestration opportunities, such as through woodland creation and management, peatland restoration and wetland creation and management. Another theme was in relation to Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS). It was suggested that there is no credible scenario for meeting net zero targets that does not include CCS and that Scotland is uniquely placed to take advantage of the opportunities CCS presents.

Opportunities to support jobs and the economy

There was a call for NPF4 to set out a framework to stimulate and encourage job creation, and the potential to create 'green' job opportunities was highlighted, including to replace jobs lost in the fossil fuel-based industries. The potential of low carbon sector businesses was highlighted, including in relation world-class training and research facilities.

In addition to the wider green economy, there were specific references to NPF4 offering the opportunity to create a positive development context for renewable energy, which can help in promoting investment in renewable technologies and development on the ground. It was suggested that affordable renewable power could transform Scotland's economy in the medium and long term, and that as Scotland has been at the forefront of renewable energy developments there is great potential to build on this, especially with the transferable skills and expertise that exist through the oil and gas sectors.

Other issues highlighted included localising production of goods and services, such as local food production for communities and localised energy production and distribution. It was suggested this would create jobs within communities, reducing the need to travel to access goods, services and jobs. The potential for job creation to support improvements to energy efficiency and other retrofitting of the existing building stock was also highlighted.

Specific recommendations included that NPF4 should identify clusters and activity with the greatest potential to address climate change and that this could relate to a business sector or infrastructure capacity. There was a view that, as NPF4 will provide a national perspective, it needs to show how different clusters of business sectors, population, skills and infrastructure interlink and connect Scotland to provide solutions. There was also reference to creating potential low carbon, sustainability focused investment hot spots and that if these strategically critical sites are identified in NPF4, regional economic partnerships can then collaborate in relation to sites in their area.

More resilient places

The importance of creating sustainable, resilient places was a theme for many respondents, including that the presumption in favour of sustainable development should remain a component of national planning policy. It was suggested that, if Scotland is to meet its emissions reduction targets, it needs to deploy a more purposeful land use planning approach to encourage more development that supports inclusive growth, wellbeing and the sustainability agenda.

In terms of protection against flooding, there was agreement that land required for flood management now and in the future should be safeguarded and that development on flood plains should be discouraged or prevented. The benefits of natural flood management were often referenced, including the need to manage rainwater close to where it falls. It was suggested flood management needs to be considered in the management of all land with both farming and forestry/tree planting playing roles in flood mitigation.

A requirement for improved integration between the flood risk management and coastal protection planning activities of Scottish Environment Protection Agency and local authorities and local development planning was suggested, and some respondents argued that there should be consideration for policies on managed coastal retreat from at-risk areas.

With particular reference to developing in a sustainable way, it was suggested that a whole systems approach that considers the environmental, social and economic impact of any planning decision should be presumed. It was suggested that delivering sustainable development is a key function of the planning system but that support and guidance is required.

Climate change friendly places in the future

In terms of what climate change places might look like, ideas often centred around having addressed many of the challenges identified in order to reach the target of net zero emissions by 2045.

The focus tended to be on our places being well connected through sustainable travel options, including that integrated, low carbon public transport options that would mean the use of cars in residential areas and town centres would be a relative rarity. Active travel would be the norm and would have been supported by investment in safe and well-placed walking or cycling routes that connect with public transport options. More localised services would allow people to access much of what they need closer to home.

Flood risk would have been reduced through nature-based solutions and urban air quality would have been improved through the creation of more urban green spaces. These urban green spaces would be connected via local, regional and ultimately national networks, providing carbon sequestration and, with the right planting in the right places, resources for locally grown foods within each community.

Some comments focused on the urban or suburban form, and the density of development. They included that benefits flow from increased urban densities, including playing a critical role in determining carbon emissions and the carbon intensity of a given population. Other comments included that, while increased urban density has a clear link with reducing carbon emissions, a policy framework is required that achieves this without compromising on quality of place. There was also a call for NPF4 to include a specific policy setting out the need for the highest standards of sustainable design and construction.

It was also suggested that NPF4 should support inclusivity and community wealth building, including by ensuring that communities are all benefiting from the local economy through support for a diverse range of local businesses and approaches to create a resilient community.