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GETTING INVOLVED IN PLANNING: ANALYSIS OF CONSULTATION RESPONSES

CHAPTER SIX: NATIONAL CO-ORDINATION

THE REMAINING CONSULTATION DOCUMENT QUESTIONS

6.1 The final three questions in the consultation document relate to different facets of national co-ordination of efforts to better involve people in the planning process. Question 30 sought views on the establishment of a national group of stakeholders to undertake an annual review of the planning system. Question 31 proposed a national group to identify and keep under review opportunities provided by new technology. Finally, Question 32 suggested the need to examine ways of achieving better co-ordination between national and local helpline services.

Question 30: Do you see value in a national consultative group to review current problems and help promote best practice and policy development?

People already have the opportunity to influence the development of national policy by responding to consultation when new guidance is being prepared. But we think there is a place for a national users consultative group, convened by the Sco ttish Executive and covering a wide range of interests, which would put forward views on problems and good practice in an annual stock-take of the planning system as a whole.

6.2 Table 6.1 shows the breakdown of responses to Question 30 for each of the main stakeholder groupings. Three quarters of all respondents supported the proposal to set up a group, but a significant minority (19%) did not think it would be useful., while 6% had mixed views. All the public body respondents (7) supported the idea and in all the other groups approval ranged from 71%-81%. Reservations were highest amongst professional and voluntary bodies and the public.

Table 6.1 Views on setting up a national consultative group

Note: The overall response rate for this question was 79%

6.3 Strong support was often conditional on 2 factors - a clear remit and balanced representation of interests. On the first issue there were concerns that the group should have identified goals and not just become a, "talking shop" but that it should be task focused. There were repeated references to the need for follow up action and to demonstrate that it was having an impact. The requirement for an appropriate composition for the group was the most frequently mentioned concern. A "wide mix" of interests and the involvement of all relevant stakeholders, were mentioned by some respondents. A large number of bodies expressed interest in becoming involved while, it was also felt by some consultees, that disabled people, community councils and rural areas should specifically be represented. However, there were suggestions that the group needed to be of manageable size and not too cumbersome.

6.4 One national professional body, which was supportive of the idea in principle, felt that there were other models than the proposed consultative group which should be explored. - they included a commission, professional think tank and forum. There were also suggestions about key issues to tackle - the role of community councils in planning; rural issues; disability and planning; and the development of national standards. There was a proposal that good practice needed to be disseminated at the local level via booklets and videos etc., and that the consultative group could, perhaps, be established for a trial period in the first instance.

6.5 Opposition to the proposal focused on 2 main concerns, although a number of other reasons were mentioned. First, it was felt that a sufficient number of bodies dealing with these issues already exist and there was no need for another one, or that enough was already being done via PANs and NPPGs etc. Disapproval at what was seen as more bureaucracy/quangos and the consequent waste of resources was another recurrent theme. Other matters mentioned in this context were:

• The group should be local not national (given the diversity of areas)
• May be dominated by influential interest groups
• Could become a forum for criticising local authorities
• The internet could be used instead to disseminate information
• Could be seen as elitist - direct consultation with groups is better
• Local planning policy forums could perform this function.

For these and other reasons there was a view that the proposal should be reconsidered and its remit, composition and integration with existing community/consultative groups be given more thought.

Question 31: We think that a working group should keep abreast of electronic opportunities for better access to planning information and services, co-ordinating progress across Scotland and drawing attention to good practice. Do you agree?

In looking at public involvement in development control and development planning we have seen opportunities for more effective use of new technology. New technology can give people access to information and service outside the usual constraints of time and place, but non-electronic options must remain available and can be improved. However, as more aspects of planning information and service are placed on the internet, we think it would be helpful to the public for the Scottish Executive and local authorities to work together to co-ordinate common elements and suggest good practice.

6.6 Table 6.2 shows the breakdown of responses to Question 31 for each of the main stakeholder groupings. There was strong support (82%) for the proposal to set up a group, but 13% of respondents did not think it would be useful, while 5% had mixed views. All the public body (8) and business (16) respondents supported the idea and in all the other groups approval ranged from 67%-97%. Reservations were again highest amongst professional organisations and voluntary bodies.

Table 6.2 Views on setting up an electronic opportunities working group

Note: The overall response rate for this question was 81%

6.7 There was a general recognition that this was an important and fast developing area of practice which, it was felt could make a significant contribution to improving the planning process. The consultation document referred to potential electronic applications and one authority suggested a comprehensive list covering most current paper-based outputs. There were several complementary remarks about the Executive's planning website and those of a number of local authorities.

6.8 Attention was drawn to the fact that while local authorities had their own e-planning groups, there was a need for consistency across the country. A number of local authorities pointed out that an SEDD group dealing with this issue already existed, but they thought its remit and composition should be extended. Several councils also referred to the high costs of developing the appropriate technology and a group, which could set realistic standards and protocols and maximise the compatibility with existing systems, would be very valuable. One public body suggested that links with the Digital Scotland initiative would also be useful.

6.9 While the consultation document had emphasised that non-electronic means of communication must remain available this was an area which attracted a good deal of comment. There were concerns about over-reliance on the internet and the need to improve other mechanisms. A particular view was for the need for local groups and community councils to have better access to IT facilities if electronic communication methods were seen as the way forward. It was felt that this raised issues about the funding of both equipment and training, these were matters, which it was considered the Executive should address.

6.10 Those opposed to the proposal generally mentioned what they considered to be an excessive concentration on the internet and the potential exclusion of significant sectors of society, while a number also mentioned the increasing problems of information overload. There were some views that the objectives were desirable, but that a working group was unnecessary. In this context, it was suggested that a network of planning officers would be more appropriate or the use of existing groups dealing with these matters.

Question 32: We propose to explore ways to co-ordinate national and local planning helpline services. Do you agree?

Service by telephone is a key element in planning, and is being improved by many local authorities. For members of the public a Planning Helpline, has been operated by the Scottish Executive in recent years. There may be simple ways to make this more helpful to people by co-ordinating it with the planning elements of council telephone helplines. This could begin to form a Scottish planning helpline network linked to local sources of information and advice.

6.11 Table 6.3 shows the breakdown of responses to Question 32 for each of the main stakeholder groupings. There was strong support (85%) for the Executive's proposal, and only 9% of respondents did not think it would be useful, while 5% had mixed views. All respondent groups except one expressed high levels of approval ranging from 81%-100%. Reservations were again highest amongst professional organisations, where 33% indicated opposition to the proposal, however, the number of responses in this group was quite small (9).

Table 6.3 Views on co-ordinating national and local planning helpline services

Note: The overall response rate for this question was 77%

6.12 Once again the general view was that this was a sensible proposal, which would provide a measure of consistency and which therefore should be explored further. Much of the support was in principle and subject to the clarification of a number of matters. These included: the need to be clearer about project objectives; to understand what might realistically be achieved by co-ordination; for a proper assessment of resource implications and funding options; and for a proper training programme. Many operational issues also needed to be resolved - fundamentally, it was not clear whether what was being proposed was a national service with local links or vice versa. On balance there was more support for a locally based option with common national elements.

6.13 There was considerable support for Planning Aid Scotland to have some role in the proposed helpline system. Their current role in terms of training and advice was highly commended by local authorities, community councils, voluntary groups and individuals. However, it was recognised that the organisation's capacity to support such activities was constrained by the absence of secure funding, and there were recommendations from a number of respondents that a greater financial commitment to Planning Aid Scotland should be made by local authorities and the Scottish Executive. The organisation itself felt that a key factor in any helpline was that it was considered by callers as independent and impartial, and this would not be the case if it were to be provided either by the Scottish Executive or local authorities. Consequently, this amongst other matters would need further investigation as part of the necessary development work on the shape of any new service.

6.14 There was no dominant theme amongst those opposed to the proposal. The most frequently mentioned concern was that some form of call centre operation was being proposed and this was viewed as being most unhelpful. There were some views that it would be difficult or impossible to link national and local schemes as they served different purposes, that local services would be subsumed in the national, or that local services were all that was really necessary. One respondent thought that the search for consistency would stifle local innovation. Concerns about cost and bureaucracy were also mentioned.

OTHER NATIONAL POLICY MATTERS RAISED IN RESPONSES

Mainstreaming Equality in National Planning Policy Guidance

6.15 A national body representing disabled people drew attention to the fact that NPPG 1 'The Planning System' states that the wider objectives of the Scottish Executive should be integrated into the planning system. They felt that planning, design and the built environment have a major impact on the potential for disabled people to access and participate in every day life in Scotland and that this could not be emphasised strongly enough. The organisation urged the Scottish Executive to consider a strategic review of all NPPG's to ensure that access and inclusion of disabled people was enshrined with the highest possible priority throughout the Guidance.

Sustainability Policy

6.16 A development industry response considered that there was a real problem in rural areas arising from the implementation of "sustainability" policy. It stated that the embargo on new housing in the countryside meant that the population to support local facilities was not as great as it might be and increasing the rural population would reduce unit costs, while appropriate small scale development would sustain rural services and businesses. The company considered that there was great potential to make more use of disused, non-traditional agricultural buildings and rural brownfield sites. It was felt that this would contribute greatly to the rural economy and such an approach should be encouraged in National Planning Policies and incorporated into Structure and Local Plans. This would provide choice, rural regeneration and sustainability for rural services and businesses.

National Planning Authority

6.17 A respondent felt that a National Planning Authority should be established to deal with major planning applications, since these were frequently difficult and contentious, and put local authorities under significant pressure. Under this approach, applications would be dealt with dispassionately by professionals and would not be subject to any form of lobbying. An appeals procedure could be envisaged but grounds would be restricted.

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