Housing
Housing has a long-term impact on Scotland's urban and rural landscape. It also has an important role to play in the health and well-being of its people and communities and helps to deliver sustainable economic growth.
Planning helps to deliver the Scottish Government's key housing policy objectives on quality homes and higher environmental standards. It does so by identifying the land needed to support the right kinds of houses in the right places to meet both housing need and market demand across all tenures.
Policy summary
Scottish Planning Policy 3 - Planning for Homes (2008) replaces the 2003 version, removes PAN 38 and brings Planning for Homes into line with the modernisation of the planning system, reflecting the Scottish Government's housing agenda. SPP 3 provides key policy guidance on:
- the identification of housing need and demand on a more consistent and robust basis through joint working between local authorities and a range of partners;
- the use of the planning system to facilitate the construction of well-designed, good-quality housing in sustainable locations;
- the allocation of a generous supply of land to meet identified housing requirements across all tenures, including affordable housing;
- mechanisms to help ensure that planned housing is built, including quick and efficient review of development plans to enable the maintenance of a 5-year effective land supply; all of which supports
- the creation of high-quality places, which support the development of sustainable communities.
The revised SPP 3 is part of a new policy and delivery framework designed to improve the operation and responsiveness of Scotland's housing system. The Scottish Government has published local housing strategy guidance and housing need and demand assessment guidance which will assist in shaping local authorities' housing strategies and identifying the housing requirement. SPP 3 will be the main mechanism through which land for housing requirements, and new houses themselves, will be delivered, and, along with the local housing strategy guidance and the housing need and demand assessment guidance, it should be considered part of this suite of guidance.
Following the publication of SPP3, the Scottish Government undertook a dissemination programme to assist with its implementation. A presentation used in the course of this programme is available. A number of frequently asked questions arising from the programme is also available.
As a result of the SPP consolidation, SPP 3 Annex A Housing Land Audits will be retained and included in an updated PAN 74 Affordable Housing. This will be published at the same time as the final consolidated SPP later in 2009.
SPP Update
As part of the commitment to proportionate and practical planning polices, the Scottish Government is rationalising the Scottish Planning Policy (SPP) and National Planning Policy Guidance (NPPG) series into a single, shorter statement of national planning policy. The initial sections of the consolidated SPP were published in October 2008 as Scottish Planning Policy (SPP) covering the core principles, aspirations and expectations of the planning system. The remaining sections of the consolidated SPP, covering community engagement, sustainable development, outcomes and the subject policies, were published for consultation in April 2009. The consultation closed in June 2009. A further consultation on changes to the sustainable development, climate change, flooding and coastal planning sections and to policy on onshore oil and gas operations and high amenity business locations ran from September 30, 2009 until November 12, 2009. The final consolidated SPP will at published by the end of 2009. More information on the consolidation is available on the SPP home page.
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