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PLANNING Bulletin: Issue No 22 December 2003
International Planning
The Scottish Executive is forming links with other regions of Europe and Planning Division is no exception. We are keen to make improvements to the planning system in Scotland. While we are developing our ideas we keep in contact with our UK neighbours, but we think that there is also value in looking at practice elsewhere in Europe and beyond. Contacts with the Republic of Ireland, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden and New South Wales, Australia have given us an insight into their practices.
In addition we are undertaking a joint project with the planning department of the Bavarian Ministry of the Interior. This builds on existing contacts with Bavaria in order to learn more about their approach to planning for new housing. We are working together on a short report comparing the processes and outcomes related to new housing between the two planning systems with reference to case studies. The project is one of the themes contained in the new Co-operation Agreement between Scotland and Bavaria. This work grew out of the quality agenda which was promoted by Designing Places and by Scottish Planning Policy 3: Planning for Housing. An early output from the project has been the inclusion of examples from Bavaria in Planning Advice Note 67: Housing Quality.
The Bavarian system is based on planning legislation which applies throughout Germany. It is strongly plan-led and speculative development is minimised. The state and the municipalities appear to set the agenda with a strong emphasis on sustainability. A high standard of public transport and local service provision integrated into housing developments play their part in creating new communities. In addition the Ministry of the Interior promotes design experiments in housing for various purposes such as reducing construction costs and improving energy efficiency.
In doing this work we are hoping to identify good practice which can be exchanged between Scotland and Bavaria, although recognising that there are some important differences between the two systems and the cultures to which they belong. The work so far is looking promising.
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