NPF4 call for ideas: analysis of responses - executive summary

Supporting our quality of life, health and wellbeing in the future

Where we might want to live in 2050

Many comments focused on the type of communities in which people might want to live in the future, with successful placemaking often seen as central to the purpose of planning and integral to achieving many of Scotland's National Performance Framework Outcomes. There was a consensus that placemaking should remain central to NPF4, and that the new planning framework should continue to identify the qualities of successful places in Scotland.

Placemaking was seen as connecting many planning policy themes, and as key to both delivering new development as well as regenerating existing communities. Engaging with local communities was seen as key, with NPF4's role being to set the strategic and policy content for that engagement. There were calls for a community-led approach to be taken, including by placing a greater emphasis on community priorities established by effective and inclusive consultation.

It was suggested that whether it be social or private, new housing should be built in places where communities can thrive, residents have access to services and are well connected, and with a view to creating healthy sustainable lifetime communities. In 2050 the aspiration should be that Scotland is made up of communities with a good balance of affordable and high-quality housing options and that meet the needs of people at all stages of life. Most essential services including education, health, community facilities and food will be accessed at a local level. Other types of facilities or services, such as local hubs with office space shops, safe play spaces and sports facilities will also be important, and it was suggested that the COVID-19 crisis has highlighted importance of a range of local services being available.

It was argued that NPF4 should require developers and planning authorities to consider the impact of new development on existing community facilities, and any requirement for new facilities that the development may generate. One suggestion was that, wherever possible, new homes should be built within the existing boundaries of towns and villages to allow easy access to existing community facilities. There was also a view that development obligations and conditions should be used to provide facilities if capacity would otherwise be exceeded.

By 2050, it was thought that the design and layout of communities will encourage healthy lifestyles and promote wellbeing. An accessible and inclusive environment will help sustain better health, prevent isolation and promote participation, with an opportunity for planning to promote building and environmental design standards which prioritise accessibility, inclusion and integration for all residents. It was suggested that planning can affect quality of life and wellbeing in many ways, including as part of Scotland's whole system approach to health improvement.

Connections were made to the health and wellbeing impact of other planning themes, including green infrastructure and having access to greenspaces and nature, sustainable transport and promoting and enabling active travel. It was suggested that the planning system has been progressive in its acknowledgement of place and its influence on the health outcomes of society in recent years and that NPF4 provides an opportunity to define and further support the attainment of desirable social and health outcomes within planning policy and applications, and to align the development process with wider aspirations for better wellbeing outcomes.

Finally, it was thought where we live in 2050 will very much be influenced by how we live and work, and that while there will always be a pull towards the cities and urban areas, advances in technology will create opportunities to live in a wider range of locations and yet remain connected.

How many and what types of homes we will need

It was suggested that NPF4 presents an opportunity to assist in shaping an evolving housing system in line with the ambitious vision and principles of 'Housing to 2040'. It was also suggested that Local Place Plans, LDPs and Regional Spatial Strategies (RSSs) all have a role to play and that NPF4 should allow scope for regional and local priorities to be considered. NPF4 should also ensure that the planning system is empowered to enable forms of development which enhance existing places, and to resist poor quality housing that is not sustainable.

There was a call for homes for all to be a central objective for NPF4, with the importance of those homes being affordable also highlighted.

In terms of whether there should continue to be a focus on delivering new homes, some respondents considered that the Scottish Government should (continue to) set housing targets. There were some references to the national targets for affordable new homes, including how local or regional plans are seeking to support the Scottish Government in meeting those targets. More generally, there was a suggestion that new homes should be classified as essential infrastructure and that there should be a pan-Scotland all-tenure housing delivery target of 25,000+ homes a year.

The shortage of available affordable housing, and the subsequent social and economic repercussions, were seen as critical to the health and wellbeing of the individuals and families affected. Other comments included that investing in affordable housing generates significant benefits for the economy and that ensuring that investment can be realised in rural areas, including to support local employment and skills development, is worthy of support from planning policy.

Some respondents identified reasons or factors which they considered to be limiting the number of new affordable homes Scotland can provide. These included the development of new build housing being monopolised by volume builders and that ambitious targets for affordable housing cannot be met without the delivery of private housing and the associated infrastructure it delivers.

Respondents commented on the particular challenges associated with delivering affordable housing in rural, remote and/or island communities. In terms of the impact of a lack of appropriately located, fit-for-purpose housing, the challenges faced by island communities, including in relation to population decline and the sustainability of local services, were highlighted. It was suggested that NPF4 needs to enable distinct and responsive approaches to affordable housing delivery for rural and islands areas.

In terms of the focus of policy going forward, suggestions included that it should take account of quality and design and the importance of placemaking, of creating high-quality and well-functioning places and mixed communities, and of how new housing can accommodate a range of needs as part of better integrated communities. It was seen as important not to focus simply on numbers but also on quality including the design of new homes and that they are accessible and built to lifetime homes standards.

In addition to comments relating to new supply, some respondents addressed issues associated with the existing housing stock. These included that refurbishment, adaptation and improvement of existing stock and associated community regeneration have a role to play in a refocusing on quality of housing. The importance of continuing to tackle empty homes was also highlighted.

Encouraging more people to live in rural Scotland

There was support for using the planning system to stem depopulation in sparsely populated areas. Among requirements identified as necessary for rural populations to be maintained or increased were sufficient housing, employment and educational opportunities, with an associated requirement for good digital connectivity. The need for a balanced population profile, with economically active people encouraged to live in rural areas, was highlighted.

It was seen as important to continue to differentiate between different types of rural areas, and to recognise that rural areas close to towns and cities may experience very different pressures, with concerns of an increase in ad hoc residential development, or creating commuter housing in attractive areas of countryside.

The need for a strong emphasis on how to bring multiple benefits to depopulated areas was highlighted, as was a rural infrastructure first approach, with longer term strategic planning to address issues such as transportation, health and education. Stronger links between planning, housing, infrastructure and economic policies were argued to be necessary if ambitions for rural areas are to be successful.

The particular challenges and potential around supporting business and employment in rural and island locations were highlighted. It was reported that the leading recommendation from the National Council of Rural Advisers' New blueprint for Scotland's rural economy (2018)^[3] was that a vibrant, sustainable and inclusive rural economy can only be achieved by recognising its strategic importance and effectively mainstreaming it within all policy and decision-making processes. It was suggested that NPF4 needs to recognise the context and challenges are different in rural and island areas.