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Foreword by the First Minister and Deputy First
Minister
The Executive's top priority is promoting
sustainable economic growth to create a modern and vibrant
Scotland. A modern, up to date planning system is critical
to achieving that objective. Sustainable growth requires
development, and the role of planning is to ensure that
this development is encouraged and managed in a sustainable
way.
Planning also underpins all our high level priorities -
stronger, safer communities; delivering excellent public
services; and a more democratic, confident Scotland. A
modern planning system is central to our investment in new
schools and hospitals, providing water and sewerage
facilities, waste installations to ensure the environmental
impact is minimised, the regeneration of deprived areas,
and providing affordable housing where it is needed. All of
these critical developments depend on a modern planning
system.
The way in which planning balances the various interests
of development, the environment and social justice will
determine how Scotland will look in the future. It is a key
tool in creating the dynamic, forward-looking, confident
and sustainable Scotland that we aspire to.
We have consistently said that our objectives for
modernising planning are to make the system more efficient
and to give local people better opportunities to
participate in the decisions that affect them. This is what
our modernisation of the planning system will deliver - a
fairer, more balanced system.
We want our planning system to return to the vision of
Patrick Geddes, the Scot who is the father of town planning
who saw the need for a system that balanced the needs of
'folk, work and place', but with a fourth objective -
fairness. Patrick Geddes saw how the way we live affects
everything around us, we know that that is still the case
and we need a modern planning system that helps us to plan
for the way we live now.
We are therefore determined to build a planning system
that balances the right of individuals to develop their
property and the interests of the wider community. This
White Paper outlines our detailed proposals for
modernisation of the planning system, to secure greater
fairness and equity, a system where everyone's views are
listened to and taken proper account of.
Our proposals will improve the efficiency of the
planning system to allow the investment we need to grow the
economy and create jobs and opportunities for all. They
will ensure that local people are better able to
participate in decisions that affect them, and that no
developments will go ahead where community voices have not
been fairly heard. They will also ensure that our
commitments to sustainable development remain at the centre
of everything we do.
Our proposals will restore confidence in the planning
system, and revitalise it as a critical tool for shaping
the future of our country, our towns, cities, countryside
and our communities. A system that helps us to secure a
better quality of life for all. These proposals will help
us to plan together our common future. We hope everyone
will study this package of reforms as a whole and consider
their views on issues such as rights of appeal in light of
these proposals.
We are delighted to commend this package of reforms to
modernise the planning system.
Jack McConnell,
MSP
First Minister
Nicol Stephen,
MSP
Deputy First Minister
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