Chance of say on shaping future

Our built environment needs to adapt and deliver much more to help reduce carbon emissions. We must all consider what climate-friendly places will look like in future and how they can be made more resilient to the long-term impacts of climate change.

Opportunities to address climate change in rural areas should not be underestimated, especially where they could support the rural economy and jobs.

Existing and emerging renewable technologies, tree planting, land management for carbon capture and biodiversity or coastal planning may all be areas of growth and opportunity in the near future.

Scotland’s population is set to age considerably in the next 20-30 years, with the number of over-75s increasing 25% by 2041.

At the same time, the number of children will fall by around 2% and the working age population will only increase by 1%. This creates significant challenges for existing and future service provision and how and where we plan and build.

Planning processes have to consider how many and what type of homes will be needed and how the Scottish Government’s stated aims of increasing the rural population and targeted rural repopulation can be achieved, as well as how all places could be made more inclusive, diverse, creative, vibrant, safe and empowering.

The Planning (Scotland) Act 2019 received royal assent in July 2019.

A key feature of changes introduced by the new Act is that the fourth National Planning Framework (NPF4) will consider a long-term plan for development and investment across Scotland to 2050.

For the first time, NPF4 will also form part of the statutory development plan, setting out national planning policies and guiding where future development should take place.

Local authorities will then be required to take account of the contents of NPF4 when formulating their own local development plans.

In a rural context there is still likely to be a need to differentiate between types of areas, eg accessible rural areas, remote rural areas, and island and sparsely populated areas.

Planning should recognise and develop housing policies suited to those rural areas where housing can be a positive form of development and indeed encouraged, given its significance to the wider rural economy and societal needs.

The Scottish Government is consulting until March 31 on what it terms a “Call for Ideas” for NPF4, after which the draft NPF4 will be laid in the Scottish Parliament around September.

Formal parliamentary scrutiny and wider public consultation will then follow before a revised finalised version is taken back to parliament to be approved next year.

For the first time the strategy that is to be set out in NPF4 will also be supported by a clear plan for delivery which will be aligned with Scotland’s Infrastructure Investment Plan and the government’s second Strategic Transport Projects Review.

Consideration therefore needs to be given to what infrastructure will be required, how we can make better use of existing capacity (including through innovation), how digital connectivity could continue to change the way we live and work, and what emerging and future technologies we will need to plan for over the next 30 years.

The opportunity to contribute to this important consultation before March 31 should not be missed.

Mark Myles is head of planning at Bidwells.

“Opportunities to address climate change in rural areas should not be underestimated

Picture: Andrew O’brien. Tackling climate change could support the rural economy and jobs.