This Technical Note will be published on the Council’s website following circulation to Members. Its contents may be disclosed or shared outwith the Council.
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The draft Fourth National Planning Framework (NPF) was laid in parliament 10 November 2021. A stakeholder consultation will run concurrently with parliament’s consideration of the draft document, both of which conclude 31 March 2022. This follows the NPF4 Position Statement which was published for consultation on 26 November 2020. The Council’s response to the position statement is contained within report PNCA/006/AL/21.
The draft Fourth National Planning Framework and associated information can be found via the following on the Transforming Planning website.
Members will be aware of the ongoing reforms to the planning system and NPF4 is central to the implementation of the Scottish Government’s vision for the future of planning in Scotland. The draft NPF4 not only replaces the current NPF(3) but will also replace Scottish Planning Policy by combining and streamlining the two documents into one. This single document will therefore have significant ramifications for the preparation of the Council’s next Local Development Plan. In addition, the Planning (Scotland) 2019 Act will give the NPF enhanced status, as itself being considered part of the development plan, and will become a material consideration in the determination of planning applications.
Given the future role of the draft NPF, it is extremely important that all stakeholders with an interest in land use planning take part in the consultation. The Land Planning Policy team has promoted the consultation to local stakeholders through the Local Development Plan Newsletter and has encouraged all with an interest in planning to take part.
Recognising that communities often find it difficult to engage in consultations at the national level, the Scottish Government have launched a Community Grants Scheme to encourage local communities to get involved in the consultation as much as possible. Grants of up to £250 are available to community groups to assist them in considering their responses to Draft NPF4. The government have also put a range of support materials online including a video and self-read presentation to aid individuals, groups and organisations in preparing their responses. These resources are also available for stakeholders to use in undertaking their own consultations to garner wider opinion on NPF4 and further promote the consultation.
The Scottish Government will be undertaking a series of online consultation events during January and February 2022. There will be one location specific event for each of the 5 spatial focus areas described in the draft NPF, East Dunbartonshire being located within the ‘Central urban transformation’ area, and four thematic events each focussed on one of the key NPF4 themes; Sustainable Places, Liveable Places, Productive Places and distinctive Places. Dates and further information regarding the sessions have not yet been released.
Officers are currently reviewing the content of the draft NPF and associated supporting documents. In conjunction with relevant internal services the Land Planning Policy Team will prepare a draft response which will be discussed at a Local Development Plan Working Party meeting prior to being presented for formal committee approval.
Members are encouraged to view the documents via the link above and provide any comments that they wish to be incorporated into the draft Council response to Stewart McNally, Policy Planner by Friday 07 January 2022.
