Scotland’s leading planner – Ian Aikman, chair of Heads of Planning Scotland (HOPS) – has responded to the ‘Scotland’s broken planning system’ series of Scottish Construction Now (SCN), noting the ‘demographic time-bomb’ facing planning departments.
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… Craig McLaren has recently been appointed Planning Improvement Champion…
Scottish Construction Now writes:
As chair of Heads of Planning Scotland (HOPS), I felt compelled to write to you after reading your recent editorial in Scottish Construction Now….
….I would prefer that we all focus our efforts on how to work better together moving forward, in what are incredibly challenging times for us all.
The key to that is open, honest and positive dialogue…. I am happy to extend the offer of dialogue to other organisations within your readership.
There is also discussion on the planning system happening at the High Level Group chaired by the planning minister, Joe Fitzpatrick MSP, at which there is representation from the wider development industry through the Applicants Stakeholder Group.
You will also be aware that Craig McLaren has recently been appointed Planning Improvement Champion and I am sure that he will be looking to engage with all sectors to discuss current issues and promote best practice from all….
You acknowledge that planning departments are understaffed and under-resourced. However, I am not sure that you fully appreciate the significant pressures there has been on council budgets in recent years and that planning departments around Scotland have suffered substantial loss of planning staff, many of them very experienced officers, and this has undoubtedly impacted on services and how they are operated. This budget pressure and loss of staff continues. The funding and investment in planning departments is a key focus for HOPS….
It is also critically important, due to this loss of experienced staff and the demographic timebomb the profession is facing….
NPF4 is now part of the development plan and… is incumbent on us collectively to work to together to deliver its aspirations….
There is also a training programme being developed through the Improvement Service, Scottish Government and HOPS to ensure that planning officers have the necessary skills and knowledge to operate the new planning system….
….We will work with the construction industry to improve how the system operates (for all involved) but also, importantly, how we deliver the right outputs to realise the sustainable, liveable and productive places set out in NPF4.
For more background see the IHBC NewsBlog
