Transport
Transport infrastructure and services help to ensure that our land works efficiently. Good planning should integrate transport and land use to support sustainable economic growth as well as social well being and clean environments for communities. Most forms of transport are absolutely fundamental to modern life, whether moving people to school, to work, to health facilities, for shopping or recreation, or moving goods to and from farms and factories, docks and distribution and retail outlets.
The Scottish Government's Strategic Transport Projects Review announced a number of proposals which will be safeguarded in development plans. The National Planning Framework also identifies a number of transport related national developments which will establish the need for such projects in the national interest.
Policy summary
Scottish Planning Policy (SPP) 17 Planning for Transport sets out the transport policy and this is supported a range of Planning Advice Notes (PANs). The key policy messages are that land use planning:
- should help to reduce the need to travel and reduce dependence on the car
- create the right conditions for greater use of sustainable travel modes; and avoid or mitigate adverse environmental impacts.
- ensure that new development should connect to local services by walking, cycling and public transport.
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.
Latest
Consultation
The joint Planning and Transport consultation Designing Streets closed on March, 23 2009.
In Summary
This consultation aims to drive up design quality and the draft document Designing Streets, incorporates the principles of PAN 76 and Designing Places as well as comprehensive information and guidance drawn from the UK Department for Transport's Manual for Streets. The new policy document is intended to complement Designing Places, providing added weight to quality issues, whilst ensuring that the guidance attached to the policy is implemented consistently across Planning authorities.
The document places emphasis on a clear vision of design quality at local level and stresses the importance of collaborative working and coordinated decision-making, as well as strong leadership. It seeks to engender a shift in design emphasis from movement functions to the people-focused functions of streets, highlighting the linkage between street design and good place-making.
The intended outcome is streets that are better designed to accommodate the needs of pedestrians, cyclists and public transport users as well as contributing to the quality of the built environment and place-making. The policy statement, together with guidance will replace PAN 76.