Places, people and planning: consultation on the future of the Scottish planning system

Our proposals for change

Planning should be central to the delivery of great places and a force for positive change. Scotland's economy needs a planning system which is open for business, innovative and internationally respected. Our people need a planning system that helps to improve their lives by making better places and supporting the delivery of good quality homes.

We recognise the unique contribution that the planning system can make to shaping the future of our places.

Scotland needs a planning system which helps growth to happen and unlocks the potential of our people and places. Our proposals have been developed in response to the independent review of the planning system which was published in May 2016. We believe that there should be four key areas of change:

• Making plans for the future. We want Scotland's planning system to lead and inspire change by making clear plans for the future. To achieve this, we can simplify and strengthen development planning.
• People make the system work. We want Scotland's planning system to empower people to have more influence on the future of their places. To achieve this, we can improve the way we involve people in the planning process.
• Building more homes and delivering infrastructure. We want Scotland's planning system to help deliver more high quality homes and create better places where people can live healthy lives and developers are inspired to invest. To achieve this, planning can actively enable and co-ordinate development.
• Stronger leadership and smarter resourcing. We want to reduce bureaucracy and improve resources so Scotland's planning system can focus on creating great places. To achieve this, we can remove processes that do not add value, and strengthen leadership, resources and skills.

Responding to this consultation

We would like to hear your views on 20 proposals for improving the planning system. To help you respond to this consultation, we have set out a key question for each of the four areas of proposed change. More detailed technical questions are also provided for those who wish to answer them.