Fourth National Planning Framework - position statement: consultation analysis

Annex 2: Priority policy changes being considered

A Plan for Net-Zero Emissions

1 Strengthening support for retaining and reusing existing buildings to maximise the use of the embodied energy of our building stock. We will consider how carbon assessments can ensure that the carbon stored in buildings is accounted for in decision making.

2 Making it more difficult for new developments that generate significant emissions, across the lifecycle of a development as a whole, to gain planning permission.

3 Supporting the use of materials with low embodied emissions, that can act as an emissions store and where the materials can be re-used with minimal re-processing at end of life of the building to avoid release of the embodied emissions.

4 Embedding of the National Transport Strategy 2 Sustainable Travel and Investment Hierarchies into the appraisal and assessment of development proposals as well as the proposals themselves. This will also be achieved through an infrastructure-first approach to future development.

5 Actively planning future development in a way that helps us to achieve zero carbon living that minimises the need to travel by unsustainable modes, for example by helping to create 20 minute neighbourhoods where achievable.

6 Facilitating development that is highly energy efficient and which meets greenhouse gas emissions standards, including making provision for zero carbon energy generation.

7 Setting out a consistent policy for meeting Section 3F of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 in relation to emissions policies.

8 Clarifying where net-zero building approaches may allow development to proceed by offsetting emissions.

9 Promoting nature-based solutions to climate change, including woodland creation and peatland protection and restoration.

10 Integrating development with natural infrastructure, including blue-green networks, to deliver multiple benefits including carbon sequestration, community resilience and health improvement.

11 Strengthening our support for re-powering and expanding existing wind farms.

12 Updating the current spatial framework for onshore wind to continue to protect National Parks and National Scenic Areas, whilst allowing development outwith these areas where they are demonstrated to be acceptable on the basis of site specific assessments.

13 Introducing new policies that address a wider range of energy generation technologies for example for electrical and thermal storage, and hydrogen.

14 Setting out a more practical and outcome-focused approach to accelerating a transition to renewable and zero emissions heating in buildings, including by linking with wider policies for green and blue infrastructure and vacant and derelict land and properties.

15 In line with the Bank's primary mission, the Scottish National Investment Bank has the opportunity to use its investments to be part of the drive towards a just transition to net zero emissions

A Plan for Resilient Communities

1 Promoting innovative place-based solutions to reflect a new approach to localism, including 20 minute neighbourhoods, an infrastructure first approach and a move towards more mixed land uses to improve local areas. A stronger focus on place-based actions will also help us to adapt to long-term climate change.

2 Introducing an overarching principal policy that puts the needs of people and their health and wellbeing at the heart of the planning system; encouraging people to engage with decisions about their communities, providing for a more joined-up, collaborative, and participative approach, achieving better outcomes for everyone by enabling communities to shape their own places.

3 Minimising and mitigating environmental hazards and pollution, and embedding an evidence-based approach to the avoidance and alleviation of health impacts from new development. We will also include new policies to improve air quality alongside reducing climate change emissions.

4 Ensuring that the full range of policies and proposals included in NPF4 will work together to support a fairer, more inclusive and equalities-based approach to planning in the future.

5 Promoting places which create the conditions for healthier, more sustainable living, including by addressing the links between planning, transport, place, food and drink and other lifestyle choices, and the retail environment.

6 Refocusing our policies on housing on quality and place, and linking with wider housing investment so that the needs of everyone, including older people and disabled people, can be met. We expect to strengthen requirements for affordable housing provision and include policies that help to diversify delivery and reflect the future needs and aspirations of communities.

7 Replacing the current focus on maintaining a 5 year supply of effective housing land with a longer term perspective so that future plans can promote immediate deliverability and viability, but also proactively steer development to appropriate locations in line with the plan's spatial strategy, informed by an infrastructure-first approach. We could seek to monitor the pace of land take-up through completions and to trigger the release of additional land, in line with the development plan, when the need for additional capacity is clearly demonstrated. Housing Land Audits will help us understand programming and we are considering how they can be clearer and more consistent.

8 Proactively bringing forward good opportunities for quality homes in places that would benefit from them, including town centres, remote rural and island communities, vacant and derelict land and adaptation and re-use of disused properties. An infrastructure-first approach should be an integral part of site selection to assist with development viability and minimise the need for the construction of new infrastructure and its associated costs to the public and private sectors.

9 Promoting self and custom build/self-provided housing, co-housing and other innovative approaches to delivery, also linking with the potential for Masterplan Consent Areas. This will link with the new requirement to prepare and maintain a list of people interested in self-build introduced by the Planning (Scotland) Act 2019. We will also support purpose-built build to rent homes in contributing to meeting need and demand.

10 Providing a consistent national planning policy that proactively addresses the comprehensive evidence on the needs of the Gypsy/Traveller population. This could include criteria against which ad-hoc proposals for public or private permanent sites or temporary transit sites can be assessed. We will also address the specific accommodation needs of Scottish Showpeople.

11 Setting out clearer requirements for infrastructure to support developments and more proactively considering how it will be delivered. We will explore the level of service provision that can reasonably be expected by communities where development takes place, particularly for health and education. New policies will provide a framework for taking into account the impacts of proposed new development on infrastructure, including by prioritising areas where there is existing capacity. This will be supported by a clearer and more consistent framework for developer contributions.

12 Ensuring well-designed, high quality provision and long term maintenance of natural infrastructure in new development, recognising its contribution to goals for climate change mitigation and adaptation, biodiversity and health and wellbeing, including clean air, place-making and community resilience.

13 Promoting multifunctional blue and green networks, accessible to all, supporting active travel, recreation and habitat connections for nature. Our policies will also focus on the quality, functionality, usability, accessibility, inclusiveness, and future maintenance of green space. We will plan for allotments and community growing spaces given their benefits for health and wellbeing, community and quality of life.

14 We will introduce a new policy to address play and playability, covering both informal and formal play and considering spatial opportunities for play as part of wider place planning.

15 Promoting natural flood risk management and strengthening our policies on the water environment and drainage infrastructure to address the future impacts of climate change to build the resilience of our communities.

16 Reducing the need to travel unsustainably by embedding the Sustainable Travel and Investment Hierarchies into decisions about locations for change. This should guide development to places which can currently be sustainably accessed, or have the ability to become so, with minimal cost to the public and private sectors arising from the need to subsidise public transport or invest in new infrastructure resulting from the need to rely on the private car. We will consider the accessibility and needs of different groups – for example of children and young people in accessing schools and opportunities for play.

17 Restricting development in flood risk areas that generate the need for additional flood risk management measures and which put pressure on drainage systems.

18 Align with our Capital Investment Plan in terms of the role of private capital in developing sites of strategic importance to Scotland.

A Plan for a Wellbeing Economy

1 Promoting a place-based approach to investment across all development plans, in line with the Infrastructure Investment Plan, priorities of the Scottish National Investment Bank, and the recommendations of the Advisory Group on Economic Recovery.

2 Explicitly supporting development that can demonstrate its contribution to a wellbeing economy and fair work. This could include, for example, the introduction of new requirements from investment to secure social and environmental value and the delivery of our Public Health priorities.

3 Creating certainty for investors whilst providing flexibility to allow the planning system to respond more effectively to market opportunities.

4 Facilitating new ways of working such as remote working, homeworking and community hubs, in line with our emphasis on localism and to help reduce demand for motorised travel.

5 Ensuring that we reflect the vision, objectives and framework of Scotland's upcoming third Land Use Strategy. We will consider how spatial planning at regional and local scales can protect and enhance the multiple benefits that can be gained from our land including food production and access to local markets.

6 Reflecting any development and infrastructure needs arising from changes to wider markets, linking with our proposals for strategic freight connectivity.

7 Continuing to grow Scottish aquaculture in a way which balances production with environmental quality. This could include criteria for assessing aquaculture proposals that can be consistently applied and which are sufficiently flexible to respond to changes in practice.

8 Revisiting the interface between terrestrial and marine planning to ensure our policy properly reflects more recent developments in marine planning and associated research and evidence.

9 Encouraging the expansion of tourism and associated infrastructure in an inclusive and sustainable way to ensure local communities have a share in tourism benefits, and safeguard environmental and community assets. We will explore how relevant tourism management considerations can be built into decisions on future development – for example by supporting developments that redistribute tourist uses and alleviate pressure on the capacity of sensitive areas. We will also build on investment through the Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund.

10 Providing greater flexibility for housing development that provides accommodation for rural businesses.

11 Tackling the impact of short term lets in pressured areas by providing a framework for decision making on planning applications.

12 Actively enabling development that supports expansion of the creative sector.

13 Reflecting the importance of cultural facilities in different types of places, such as city and town centres and more rural communities and to stimulate more creative approaches to place-making and regeneration, for example in temporary uses of vacant spaces or in animating public spaces.

14 Protecting existing cultural assets from inappropriate development including through the Agent of Change principle.

15 Promoting the broader circular economy agenda and considering how it can improve our approach to place-making more broadly, including by making best use of existing buildings, and by prioritising waste prevention through innovation in design and construction. We will also look to ensure that, where feasible, existing materials are salvaged and reused or recycled.

16 Encourage new buildings to connect to existing heat networks where located in a Heat Network Zone, wherever feasible; and encouraging applications for energy from waste facilities to provide a connection to a heat network, taking into account the practical considerations involved.

17 Enabling the development of future zero carbon infrastructure in a way that supports wider spatial objectives, including mixed use and sustainable connectivity. This could include larger scale facilities as well as small scale interventions to support communities and households to make the transition to a circular economy.

18 Updating our policies on fossil fuel extraction to reflect our climate change objectives and wider energy policy. Policies will mitigate certain environmental and health effects of minerals developments. We will also reflect wider policies on unconventional oil and gas and fossil fuels and confirm that we do not support applications for planning permission for new commercial peat extraction for horticultural purposes.

19 Supporting heat network opportunities that can safely utilise former deep mining areas.

20 Reviewing our approach to calculating and maintaining a suitable landbank for aggregates that reflects the 10 year development planning timescale.

21 Decarbonising our transport system in relation to car and light commercial vehicles, Scotland's passenger railways and scheduled flights within Scotland.

22 Setting out the key considerations to be taken into account when considering proposals for strategic low carbon transport infrastructure and ensuring that local development plans factor in strategic transport connectivity as part of their spatial strategy.

23 Supporting the roll-out of digital infrastructure across Scotland in a way which allows planning authorities to manage its impact. We will encourage the redevelopment of existing infrastructure, including retrofitting and shared use of facilities.

24 Introducing stronger requirements for new housing and business developments to build in connectivity and connecting the planning of future development with existing and future digital infrastructure capacity.

25 Providing a framework to manage the impacts of development on digital networks.

26 A new values-led approach to Inward Investment that will focus our efforts to build a technologically enabled, net zero economy with the principles of fair work and sustainable, inclusive growth at its heart.

A Plan for Better, Greener Places

1 Embedding the Place Principle throughout NPF4.

2 Promoting the value of good design in creating great places. We will continue to reflect the 6 principles of successful places and consider the extent to which they can be developed further to reflect wider priorities, such as climate change, biodiversity and public health, including the health benefits from clean air and access to nature and quality green space. We will also consider scope to provide a framework for bringing forward Masterplan Consent Areas within this context.

3 Embedding the use of the Place Standard Tool to reflect the importance of public involvement in a collaborative approach to place-making and the links between place, environment, health and wellbeing.

4 Refreshing 'Designing Streets' to bring it up to date, clarify specific issues such as inclusive and sustainable design, and strengthen its applications, particularly in the context of 20 minute neighbourhoods.

5 Broadening the mix of uses in town centres in the future. As part of this, we will look at how our policies can help to deliver the Town Centre First Principle and associated work on regeneration as a key contributor to achieving a new emphasis on localism and sustainability. We will promote new opportunities to increase town centre living, for example by stimulating the re-use of empty properties and gap sites and actively promoting homes for people of all ages, with greater recognition of the contribution these can make to housing requirements whilst following the agent of change principle. We will also look at how our policies can respond to current and future expected changes to the retail sector and harness the energy of the cultural heritage, historic environment and arts economy, including the evening/night time economy, to support town centre regeneration.

6 Reconsidering the evidence, monitoring and appraisal required to inform spatial strategies in development plans, such as town centre health audits and strategies, transport and emissions modelling of land use options.

7 Aligning the strategy with the Land Use Strategy and identifying opportunities to align emerging Regional Spatial Strategies with future Regional Land Use Partnership Frameworks.

8 Prioritising the use of vacant and derelict land ahead of greenfield land through a 'brownfield first' approach. As part of this, we will consider the various definitions of vacant and derelict land, buildings at risk and their respective implications for planning policies.

9 Strongly incentivising the imaginative and sustainable re-use of vacant and derelict land and buildings by highlighting the wide range of potential temporary and permanent uses it could support and providing a positive policy framework for achieving long term positive outcomes.

10 Promoting a plan-led approach to re-use and remediation of sites, linking with wider delivery tools such as design briefs and local place plans. We will consider the evidence required to inform spatial strategies as part of this.

11 Actively encouraging sustainable, innovative and low carbon development and re-use of existing buildings or vacant and derelict land.

12 Tackling the challenges of viability arising for some types of development on vacant sites, by considering how plans can be supported by a wide range of delivery mechanisms. We will look at, for example, how we can promote proactive land assembly to enable the re-use of land and disused buildings.

13 Updating our green belt policy to provide greater clarity on acceptable uses whilst also recognising its role as part of multifunctional natural infrastructure.

14 Proactively rebuilding the resilience of rural communities and economies by enabling well designed, sustainable development. This will include policies to strongly support rural investment and diversification and enable the development of essential infrastructure for rural areas including affordable housing. As part of this we will take into account the specific circumstances of island communities.

15 Strengthening the links between development proposals and wider sustainable land use objectives, contributing to the outcomes of Scotland's Environment Strategy. This includes reframing policy to reflect the fundamental role of our natural environment and biodiversity in providing essential natural services and benefits for our economy, health and wellbeing, and climate resilience. We will explore opportunities to ensure that our approach to using and managing natural assets is sustainable and regenerative, restoring and enhancing our stocks of natural capital.

16 Strengthening the consideration given to the likely effects of development on carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions where peat and other carbon rich soils are present.

17 Securing positive effects for biodiversity from new developments. We are developing ambitious new proposals which deliver positive outcomes for biodiversity from development without the need for overly complex metrics, and will consider how they can support wider approaches to natural infrastructure.

18 Strengthening policy on woodland protection and creation in association with development, aligned with new provisions on forestry and woodland strategies.

19 Clarifying our policies on locally important built and natural assets where required.

20 Given the new requirements in the Planning (Scotland) Act 2019 to support the repopulation of rural Scotland, we will consider whether our policies on wild land need to change, while ensuring effective safeguards for our natural environment and landscapes.

21 Maintaining, strengthening and clarifying our policies for the historic environment to ensure planning policies align with the vision set out in our Historic Environment Strategy and the operational policy framework in HES's Historic Environment Policy for Scotland.

22 Enabling the continuing use, or re-use where appropriate of historic buildings given their importance in making sustainable use of embedded carbon as part of a circular economy.

23 Considering whether Heritage Impact Assessments should be mandatory for all listed building and conservation area applications.

24 Supporting development and infrastructure needed to realise the potential of the blue economy and coastal communities, including opportunities to enhance natural infrastructure. We will also factor in long term coastal vulnerability and resilience in order to future-proof development decisions.

25 As part of delivery against the missions set for it, the Scottish National Investment Bank can support improving places and regeneration in order to reduce inequality, and improve opportunities and outcomes for people and communities through its investment activity.