Winter Webinar Series

Understanding Scotland’s new planning system 

Wednesday 15th November 2023 19:00-20:30

Find out how new style Local Development Plans could help save the planet.

New Local Development Plans (LDPs) will guide decisions about what development does and doesn’t get built for the next 10 years. Every local authority has an LDP and all of them will be renewed to come into line with the new National Planning Framework 4. Community views must be taken into account as these plans are prepared and there are reasons to hope that these new LDPs will make planning decisions more planet friendly.

Now is your opportunity to influence what these plans say, for example what sites are put forward for development and how to strengthen policies to protect greenbelt and nature.

Find out more about the new style LDPs and when your LDP will be renewed and how and when you can get involved.

Our speaker will be Alasdair Edwards: a Principal Reporter at the Planning and Environmental Appeals Division of the Scottish Government (DPEA). The DPEA have a key role in the production of LDPs. Alasdair will be speaking to us about the new Local Development Plan process, his presentation will include:

• How National Planning Framework 4 affects Local Development Plans.
• The LDP process – when you can get involved and how.
• Local place plans (how these might inform LDPs).
• Regional Spatial Strategies (how these fit into the new system).

This session will be most useful for anyone who wants to influence planning decisions in future, particularly community councils and individuals living in areas of high development pressure or who are likely to be affected by planning decisions in future.

NPF4 – How have things changed

Wednesday 6th December 2023 19:00-20:30

This session is for people who have had some involvement in planning issues or in campaigning in for their local area. It will explore what the main changes are in National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) from the previous planning system and what implications it may have for those campaigning against unsustainable development in their areas.

Clare Symonds of Planning Democracy and Nikki Sinclair of APRS will give an overview of the potential of NPF4 to be more progressive, including in the areas of climate, biodiversity, green belts and cover how decisions are made. Then there will be a discussion of the needs for monitoring of how it is being delivered and how we can work together to do this.

We expect a lot of questions to arise from our initial discussions. We also hope to gather intelligence as to what people’s experience on the ground is of using the new system and how it interacts with ongoing campaigns.

Green Belts and NPF4

Wednesday 17th January 2024 19:00-20:30

This webinar will help resource those campaigning specifically to stop unsustainable developments on local green belts. We will be launching our revised guidance on Green Belts and Planning which will incorporate the changes that have come in with NPF4. This session is suitable for anyone interested in finding out more about Green Belts and the Scottish Planning policies that apply to them.

Having a say in the future of your area

Wednesday 31st January 2024 19:00-20:30

Local Development Plans should be for the long-term benefit of both local communities and the environment, but knowing how to have your voice heard in the planning system can be hard. This online workshop will help people understand the best way of having a say in the planning of Local Development Plans, as well as how to best make your area more sustainable and nature-friendly using the overarching themes of climate and biodiversity as set out in National Planning Framework 4.

This session will be suitable for those who are new to campaigning for their local areas and those with experience of campaigning with the planning system. We also wish to hear from those who have been involved or wish to be involved, as to the barriers they are facing and how we can best advocate for community voice in Local Development Planning.