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INTRODUCTION
Scottish Ministers are determined to make the planning system more inclusive and accessible to everyone with greater openness and accountability in the decision making process.1. Planning is important. It really matters. The planning system is there to promote, facilitate and regulate development in the public interest. Development is essential if we are to meet current and future economic, social and environmental challenges. These challenges require jobs, homes, schools, hospitals, leisure and recreation facilities. To enable development to proceed and to deal with the consequences of development requires timely investment in a range of infrastructure - transport, energy, water, drainage and waste as well as a wide range of community facilities. Provided at the right place, at the right time and to the right standard these developments and their supporting infrastructure can make a significant contribution to our sustainable development aspirations.
2. The impact of development, much of which is irreversible, on the lives of individuals and communities can be very significant depending on its nature, scale and location. That is why all sections of a community need to engage in planning the future of their area. Our aim is for a planning system that promotes early and broad based engagement in the formulation of planning policy and decision making on applications for planning permission. While there is already
a range of opportunities to get involved in the planning system, some people
do not feel that their views are considered sufficiently. They feel that there are barriers to getting involved, including a lack of awareness and complex procedures. Some may have no interest as they do not see the relevance of getting involved in planning. All too often, engagement is left to the last minute, whereas early involvement would have been easier and much more effective.
3. Better engagement cannot, however, guarantee that everyone gets the decisions or outcomes they desire. Land allocations and investing in the infrastructure that society needs, or demands, throws up tough choices and hard decisions. The challenge lies in ensuring that communities are engaged in shaping the future of their area; that the basis and justification for policies, land allocations, infrastructure priorities and decisions are clear; and that the trade-offs between competing and, in some cases, conflicting interests are explicit and transparent. That places responsibilities on the planning authorities, the development industry and communities themselves.
4. This PAN suggests ways to help improve community engagement. It seeks to raise awareness of the many examples of good practice in Scotland and to demonstrate how the proposed reforms should result in more widespread trust and confidence in the planning system. 1 Our aspirations go beyond planning authorities and developers publishing their plans or submitting planning applications and waiting for a reaction. It is instead about promoting a more inclusive and participatory system. To achieve this, everyone interested in the future development of their neighbourhood, village, town or city should understand the importance of the planning process, how to get involved at the earliest possible opportunity and feel confident that engaging in the process has been meaningful. The PAN sets out advice to help ensure that everyone, no matter what their age, gender, or cultural background, can participate in ways that suit them in the planning decisions that affect their environments.
5. The PAN has been designed with a range of users in mind; communities, planning authorities, Councillors, and applicants. It contains general information that everyone should find useful, including people with little knowledge and experience of planning. More technical information is contained within a series of summary boxes. These are aimed at people with more experience of the planning system. To help understanding, a glossary of planning terms is included at the end of the PAN. 2 The Annex to the PAN provides some good examples of community engagement used by several planning authorities, developers, and community organisations.
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