Hansard

I am sure that Mr Harvie will be relieved to hear that we have greater protection of the environment at our core at the same time as encouraging sustainable economic growth. It is for those reasons that he can have the certainty that we are very mindful of our obligations.

It is only through a well-functioning planning system—efficient, inclusive and focused on delivering high-quality development—that we can fully realise our ambitious plans. I will therefore briefly outline the next steps that I have identified for our planning reform.

I want to underline our commitment in Scotland to a plan-led system. I do not mean a slavish adherence to lines on a map at the expense of good judgment and common sense; I mean forward-looking, place-based, visionary development plans that support growth and are produced on time. We need to focus on performance and resources. That is why we, with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, have convened a high-level group to look at planning performance and work in partnership to improve it.

I believe that an adequately resourced planning system is a fair expectation if we are to have a high-quality service and continual improvement. That is why in April, with the Parliament’s support, we increased by 20 per cent the cost of planning fees. It is also why we introduced the e-planning system, which has been such a great success, making the planning system more efficient and more inclusive, and allowing online access to planning information across the country. Five years since its launch, it is on track to deliver financial savings of £50 million during its first 10 years, all for an initial investment of £11 million. Today, some 45 per cent of all planning applications in Scotland are submitted through the e-planning website.

The expectation cuts both ways, though, because an adequately-resourced planning authority must deliver the level of service that we all want to see. We are progressing that through the Regulatory Reform (Scotland) Bill.

Margaret Mitchell has lodged an amendment that would have the Scottish planning policy underline the crucial role of enforcement in the planning system. In cases in which a failure to comply with planning requirements causes real problems for communities or risks serious environmental harm, it is absolutely right that the planning authority has the power to take timely and effective action to remedy the problem. I am therefore happy to accept the amendment in Margaret Mitchell’s name.

I am convinced that ambitious policies and a well-performing planning system go hand in hand. That is why, throughout the spring and early summer, I have been leading an intensive engagement programme with people who have an interest in planning. I am delivering a series of workshops for front-line planning staff around the country that focus on our agenda of improved performance and culture change. In support of our consultation on national planning framework 3 and the Scottish planning policy, we are looking at holding a series of stakeholder events across Scotland—from Orkney to Edinburgh and from Dundee to Dumfries. I will visit many of the national developments that are proposed in our report, “Scotland’s Third National Planning Framework: Main Issues Report and Draft Framework”.

On the first comprehensive review of the Scottish planning policy, a recurring theme in our stakeholder engagement has been that the SPP is serving us well for the most part. However, I want to make the SPP much clearer on the specific outcomes that we want planning to deliver.

First and foremost, I want the SPP to be much clearer about how important it is that the planning system delivers jobs and growth. Development plans must be deliverable and informed by sound economic evidence, particularly the local economic strategy. The economic benefits of a proposed development need to be a material consideration. Significant weight should be placed on economic benefits and in particular on jobs.

I intend to bring key policy messages on place making into the heart of Scottish planning policy. Our proposed policy reflects the issues that are being considered in our review of town centres, which will report shortly. In particular, we have widened the town-centres-first approach, so that not only retail and leisure developments but other developments that generate significant travel, such as schools, hospitals and offices, should be in the town centre wherever possible.

Members might think from recent press coverage that the SPP and NPF3 are all about wind farms. That is far from the case, of course, but let me be absolutely clear: the Scottish Government’s support for renewable energy, including onshore wind, remains as strong as ever. Alongside that, we want to see more community benefits from new wind farms and more community-owned developments.

We need the right developments in the right places. We are strengthening protection for our finest landscapes, including greater protection for wild land. We do not want to see new wind farms in our national parks and national scenic areas—our most scenic and iconic landscapes.