The Twisting Paths to Planning Reform in Scotland

Abstract

In the context of modernization in the public sector and the reforms of land use planning practices, this article traces the paths followed in Scotland to articulate an appropriate agenda for change to create a modern planning system. Fundamental to this drive for public sector reform is devolution, and the search to articulate an appropriate form of state apparatus for a modern Scottish state. Context, however, is all-important. Research and extensive consultation have paved the path to a planning White Paper, Modernizing the Planning System, and a draft Planning Bill. This article examines the archaeology of the Scottish road to reform, and considers the nature of the changing practices associated with devolution in Scotland.

Towards a social–ecological resilience framework for coastal planning

“…More recently social/institutional framing of statutory planning has been modified to accommodate a relatively more holistic social construction of sustainable growth -as has been witnessed in the reform of land use planning and a shift to spatial planning in Scotland (Peel and Lloyd, 2006). At times of relative economic contraction and decline, the public interest role of land use planning has been articulated in terms of re-creating conditions in which growth can be re-vitalised.…”

Functionalism and representationalism in contemporary urban agendas: a Scottish perspective on city-region branding

“…Clearly shaped by insights around the importance of scale and connectivity, together with arguments for integration and inclusion, the contemporary developmental agenda has prompted a practical interest in the functional and leadership roles of the principal cities as spatial containers in attaining Scotland's broader sustainable economic development (Peel and Lloyd 2006). An important question then turns on how precisely this particular urban logic is being articulated and crafted in the new state policy arena.…”

“…In formal terms, city-regions may be considered a novel agenda in land and development planning practices in the UK, although de facto city-regions have prevailed in different places at different times (Lloyd and Peel 2006a The case of Glasgow and West Central Scotland provides a powerful example of such city-regional planning (Wannop 1995). Nevertheless, as a consequence of the current reformation of the land-use planning system, the city-region as an entity has become the subject of considerable speculation since it now forms an integral part of a new development plan hierarchy (Peel and Lloyd 2006). On the one hand, this reflects a much wider continental European interest in devising appropriate spatial planning constructs to mediate the appropriate territorial management of change (Tewdwr-Jones and McNeill 2000).…”

National Planning Framework for Scotland 2010–2025

“…The more recent legislation is the result of an active programme of modernisation and reform initiated following the introduction of devolution and the creation of the Scottish Parliament and the Scottish Executive in 1999. The objectives of the modernisation process were ambitious-and principally concerned with meeting the perceived strategic deficit in the (then) land-use planning system (Peel & Lloyd, 2006). As importantly, however, the process of modernisation was intended to secure real efficiencies in decision making through achieving up to date development plans; greater effectiveness in delivering the most appropriate forms of land and property development; facilitating more extensive and transparent civil involvement in the planning process; articulating a clearer statement of planning and development priorities; and contributing to a wider sustainable economic growth agenda in Scotland.…”