Hansard

Today's statement honours the commitment to provide Parliament with the criteria that the Government will use in designating national developments in the national planning framework. I would also like to take this opportunity to set out the Government's approach to planning reform, the link between planning and the Government's central purpose, and our aspirations for the national planning framework.

The Planning etc (Scotland) Act 2006 was passed by a majority of 114 to 13 in the previous session of Parliament. That represents a significant endorsement and, as I have gone round Scotland over the summer, I have been struck by the general support for the purpose of the legislation. However, there is much still to do to deliver a modern, effective, efficient and responsive planning system, and we will continue to develop the direction of travel that was set by the act, which, as I said, was passed during the previous session of Parliament.

We have consulted on the designation orders and statutory guidance for strategic development planning authorities. This autumn, draft regulations on other aspects of development planning, development management, appeals, enforcement and the conduct of examinations will be the subject of consultation. We will take the opportunity with appropriate dialogue and debate to get this right and to ensure that processes are proportionate, and we will deliver better outcomes.

Planning is in essence a local government function, and some councils have already altered their practices and approaches to embrace the aims of the modernised system. I encourage more to do so. They should take those steps in the knowledge that we are not seeking to change local government boundaries, remove functions from local authorities, or reopen the debate about the underlying principles of planning reform.

I believe that the planning system must contribute significantly to meeting the Government's overall purpose, which is to promote increased and sustainable economic growth. The publication, next month, of the Government's economic strategy will set out how we intend to improve Scotland's economic performance. Planning will have an important part to play in that strategy.

Ensuring that planning makes a contribution to sustainable economic growth certainly does not mean unfettered development. The qualities of Scotland's cities, towns and countryside are critical assets in promoting the country internationally, as well as in providing places for people to work, live and play. Promoting development regardless of location, quality or environmental impact is therefore firmly not on our agenda. Development must not be at the cost of damaging our world-renowned built and natural heritage. However, economic benefits can and should hold sway over protecting vested interests or knee-jerk resistance to any change.

We need development. A country of 5 million people in the north-west of Europe will not prosper if we place unnecessary or unreasonable constraints on development or take decisions at a pace that discourages potential investors. A thriving economy requires investment in jobs, homes, schools, hospitals and facilities for leisure and recreation. Investment in infrastructure—transport, energy, flood defences, water and drainage, and waste—is fundamental, not an optional extra. Some of those developments raise issues of genuine concern for local communities, but developments must happen somewhere and these are decisions that governments—national and local—must get right to support Scotland's long-term interest.

Early and broadly based discussion with local communities and other parties, including business, on the future direction of change in their area is a fundamental part of the reformed planning system. We remain committed to that. Our expectation is that debate will be held and decisions made in development plans, not through objections to individual planning applications. However, I fully accept that not every development can be anticipated and that planning must demonstrate that it is sufficiently fleet of foot and responsive to emerging opportunities.

The role of the national planning framework is to set a strategy for Scotland's long-term development; in other words, it is about the sort of place that we want Scotland to be—or, more accurately, what sorts of places we want in Scotland, as we have a remarkably diverse natural and built heritage.

The first national planning framework, which was published in 2004, was well received. It was welcomed by local authorities, the business community and the planning profession, and it won international recognition as an example of good practice in spatial planning. In acknowledging the diversity and potential of each part of Scotland, it raised the profile of geography in policy making, and contributed to the development of a renewed interest in long-term strategic thinking and a belief that we can shape our future rather than react to events.

Although the first framework brought benefits as regards co-ordinated thinking, there was a view that it could have played a more active delivery role. That was reflected in the report of the Parliament's Finance Committee of March 2005, in which the committee concluded that

"there should be a strengthened national planning framework which enables better direction, coordination and prioritisation of project and programme spend".

From the point of view of legislation, aspiration and the link with the national conversation that the Government has started, I believe that the timing of our second national planning framework could not be better.

The Planning etc (Scotland) Act 2006 put the framework on a statutory footing and the relevant parts of the act have been commenced. The framework must be prepared with the objective of contributing to sustainable development. Strategic environmental assessment has an important part to play in achieving that goal and our approach to it has been well received. Ministers are required to prepare a participation statement that sets out how they will engage the people of Scotland in preparing the framework. The seminars that my officials have held across Scotland have revealed strong interest in and support for the framework.

The framework is about what we want Scotland to be like in 20 to 25 years' time and where things need to happen to make that possible, so it can be an important vehicle for our national conversation. The First Minister has asked

"every Scot to pause and reflect not on the kind of country we are—but on the kind of country we could be—we should be."

The Government poses the question, "What do we want Scotland to be by 2030?" That is what we are asking people in Scotland to think about.

For too long, the climate around the discussion of planning issues has been adversarial, with the emphasis being placed on objection and protest. Our aspirations for the debate around the national planning framework are identical to those for "Choosing Scotland's Future". Planning is about shaping our future, so we ask the country to focus on what is best for Scotland and what offers the best opportunities for future generations. Today, I say optimistically what the First Minister said about the national conversation:

"let us have this debate in a context of civility, intelligence and maturity."

The second national planning framework will guide Scotland's spatial development to 2030. It will take forward the spatial aspects of the Government's economic strategy by highlighting the importance of place and places. It will identify key priorities for investment to enable each part of the country to play to its strengths in building a Scotland that is wealthier and fairer, smarter, greener, healthier and safer and stronger.

The framework will focus strongly on priorities for the improvement of infrastructure to support Scotland's long-term development. On transport infrastructure, it will draw on the work that is being undertaken as part of the strategic transport projects review to further our objectives of cutting journey times between our cities and easing congestion. It will identify strategic priorities for investment in energy and environmental infrastructure. It will reflect the Government's policy commitments on sustainable economic development, climate change, regeneration and housing supply. It will help to move us towards more sustainable patterns of development and a low carbon economy.

The Planning etc (Scotland) Act 2006 makes provision for the national planning framework to be used to designate certain projects as national developments. Major strategic transport, energy and environmental infrastructure projects may fall into that category of development. The essential test will be whether the development is of strategic importance to Scotland's long-term sustainable economic growth. Designation in the framework is the mechanism for establishing the need for such developments, so that any inquiry focuses on issues such as design and the mitigation of environmental impacts, not on matters of principle, which this Government, like the previous Administration, believes are matters for political debate and decision.

The projects that will be designated as national developments will be fundamental to the delivery of the spatial strategy that we will set out in the second national planning framework. They will help to unlock the potential of priority locations for sustainable economic growth and regeneration. They will be not free-standing projects, but planned strategic interventions as part of an overall strategy.

Let me make it clear, though, that designating a project as a national development will not mean making a spending commitment. No minister can make commitments over such a length of time. Indeed, some developments might well be funded entirely by the private sector. What the designation should provide is an indication of relative priorities for investment, thereby helping to create the certainty and confidence that business and local communities seek.

We have been keen to keep the criteria that we will use to identify national developments as clear and as simple as possible. Our approach will be that projects that may be identified as national developments are those that are considered relevant to the following six factors. They must make a significant contribution to Scotland's sustainable economic development. They must strengthen Scotland's links with the rest of the world. They must deliver strategic improvements in internal connectivity. They must make a significant contribution to the achievement of climate change, renewable energy or waste management targets. They must be essential elements of a programme of investment in national infrastructure, or they must raise strategic issues of more than regional importance—for example, projects with impacts on more than one city region.

The first criterion reflects the priority that we give to achieving higher and sustainable economic growth. Projects that are critical to achieving that objective will be identified as national developments. The second criterion reflects our commitment to promoting Scotland as a place in which to do business, as a location for investment and as a top tourism destination. That means a Scotland that is well connected to the rest of the world.

The third criterion reflects our commitment to an effective national transport infrastructure that makes journey times faster and more reliable; improves connections in order to build and sustain economic growth; provides travel opportunities for employment, business, leisure and tourism; and links cities, towns and rural communities throughout Scotland. The fourth criterion reflects our commitment to creating a greener Scotland and specific commitments on reducing CO2 emissions, making the most of Scotland's renewable energy potential and improving our management and recycling of waste.

The fifth criterion recognises that key individual projects may be critical to the successful delivery of wider programmes of investment in national infrastructure in areas such as renewable energy development, electricity transmission and waste management. The sixth and final criterion ensures that the focus remains firmly on the top tier of projects that are genuinely of national significance, which are those that are important for more than one part of Scotland.

The projects that the national planning framework will identify as national developments are likely to be relatively small in number and genuinely of national strategic significance. We do not intend to use the national planning framework to take decisions that are properly the preserve of local government.

National developments will not be conjured out of thin air. We do not intend that potentially contentious national projects should emerge for the first time in the national planning framework without any prior policy context. Projects that are identified as national developments will be likely already to have been the subject of consultation and debate as part of the development of existing policy commitments and programmes, such as those relating to the economy, transport, energy and waste management. They will be projects such as the replacement Forth crossing, for example.

The national planning framework will not make policy in areas such as the economy, transport, energy and waste management, although it should provide opportunities to improve co-ordination of effort and investment in certain locations. Planning authorities will have to ensure that their development plans fully reflect the national infrastructure needs that are identified in the national planning framework.

In the case of energy, the Government is firmly opposed to further nuclear power stations, so let me make it absolutely clear that the framework will not identify locations for new or expanded nuclear power stations. However, it will address the geographic implications, opportunities and benefits around the generation and transmission of clean energy.

To put it simply, national developments will in essence be infrastructure projects, that in the Scottish Government's view, have a critical contribution to make to our overall purpose of creating a more successful country.

The projects that we propose to designate as national developments will be identified in the consultative draft of the national planning framework, which we intend to issue before the end of the year. The draft framework will contain a statement of ministers' reasons for considering that there is a need for the developments in question. On publication of the draft framework, there will be a further, major round of consultation, including a series of regional seminars. Where the draft framework can be sufficiently specific about the location of a national development, additional, targeted community engagement will be undertaken.

Our proposals for national developments will be subject to scrutiny by the Parliament as part of the statutory process of consultation on the national planning framework, and we will seek to proceed by consensus. There will be opportunities for scrutiny, comment and debate throughout the process.

The second national planning framework offers a timely opportunity for the Government to set the tone on how it wants the debate on planning issues to be conducted, to demonstrate how an ambitious but stable planning regime can provide the necessary opportunity, certainty and stability, and to provide a mechanism for ensuring that decisions on strategic infrastructure investment are taken as part of a long-term strategy for Scotland's sustainable economic growth. I look forward to discussing it with members.