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Development Plan Scheme Required
Local Authorities
Angus Council: The preparation of a Development Plan Scheme is a reasonable requirement which will assist timetabling commitments. The frequency at which development plan schemes should be prepared requires further consideration recognising the variations in local circumstances across Scotland and should not be tied rigidly to a two year timescale but should reflect local circumstances.
City of Edinburgh Council: Welcome attempts to introduce transparency but still need flexibility to respond to changing factors such as more consultation.
Comhairle Nan Eilean Siar: Whilst it is accepted that the production of an annual published scheme would provide more clarity to the public, stakeholders and generally greater awareness of the process, it should be noted that the preparation of the scheme would add a burden on planning resources at a local level. In addition, contributing stakeholders have time demands and the Plan programme needs to take account of their timescales.
East Dunbartonshire Council: This good practice is welcomed but will place an additional workload burden on the Council
East Lothian Council: The value of the proposed development plan scheme is unclear. Authorities know when they have to timetable actions to ensure plans are kept up to date, the Scottish Executive will be informed via the regular liaison meetings with council officers and the public are unlikely to be interested until there are options or proposals to react to. Reference to the timetable for review/replacement would better form part of annual monitoring reports, as would the updates of the Action Plans.
Glasgow City Council: This proposal will provide prior notice of consultation stages and, as such, is likely to make the plan process more accessible. In this respect, it is worthy of support.
Inverclyde Council: Like many proposed changes in the White Paper, on the surface a good idea, but if the resources and 'the will to succeed' is not part of the 'culture' then this is no more than a label or name change. Most LAs do this already in some form.
Renfrewshire Council: Support in principle. This is an extension of the current system which requires that the steps taken to engage the public are recorded and made available as a publicity statement. The new proposal will assist in ensuring that the public are offered full participation in the plan making process.
West Lothian Council: This proposal is supported, particularly with regard to the identification of national issues by ministers. However, it is not clear if this will take the form of a direction from the ministers. It is the view of West Lothian Council that this should be advice rather than direction.
Other LA Organisations
Glasgow and the Clyde Valley Structure Plan Joint Committee:
The Joint Committee operates the joint working model for strategic planning structures that is being proposed through the White Paper for the city regions. additionally, the Joint Committee's approach to monitoring and review, to publishing Alterations in response to changing contexts, and to a five year review period for the Structure Plan accords with the proposals in the White Paper. In terms of the Joint Committee's approach, therefore, the publication of a Development Plan Scheme (a programme for publication, review and alteration of the SOP) should pose little problem for the Joint Committee.
Development Industry
EDI Group Ltd: Ministers should have regard to representations made on the annual development plan programme in directing reviews of Development Plans.
Other Business
Scottish Financial Enterprise ( SFE): Welcomes the intention to provide greater certainty and predictability for businesses about the timescales for plan revision by requiring an annually updated development plan scheme to be prepared and making this publicly available.
Professional Organisations
RTPI Scotland: We support the proposals for development plan schemes, to be prepared on an annual basis. Such schemes should look in particular at the synchronisation of the strategic and local development plans. We strongly recommend that statutory means are found to allow for transitional arrangements based on the use of supplementary planning guidance or other similar mechanisms to overcome the serious problem in the current system. Further consideration also requires to be given to the manner in which those authorities beyond the city regions will provide strategic planning context for their local development plans.
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