The RTPI Scotland Annual Review

It’s been a busy year with RTPI in Scotland continuing to raise its profile and engage with members through communications and events despite the ongoing constraints of the pandemic. My year has been one of constant learning. In part that’s because of the level of activity going on in planning in Scotland but also because, as I have been more involved in my institute, it has been an opportunity to meet (even if that is often only virtually) others from across the British Isles and beyond to share and exchange ideas and good practice. I’ve told you before that my original stimulus to join the RTPI was shallow as corporate membership meant I was promoted through a pay bar but if I had known just how much I would enjoy being part of the RPTI family and learn from that experience I’d have been more involved earlier in my career. Highlights from my year have included meeting Tom Arthur Minister for Public Finance, Planning and Community Wealth, the Geddes Lecture with Alice Chares, the RTPI Scotland Conference and the Young Planners Conference organised by our Scottish Young Planners Network, as well as judging our Young Planner of the Year (shout out to Jane Tennant) award. However, my key highlight has been the support I have had from fellow members and the fantastic team at RPTI Scotland. Craig, Robbie, Annette and Jennie do a fabulous job and make being involved easy and a pleasure – next time you have an opportunity to take part, don’t hesitate, you’ll be glad you did. I wish you all a happy Christmas and a peaceful and healthy New Year. Here’s hoping for more in person events in 2022.

Barbara Cummins

Convenor 2021

The Institute responded quickly to the Covid-19 pandemic and RTPI Scotland has continued to function throughout this period. All staff have been working from home since March with our events and meetings being undertaken online.

As part of our immediate response we looked to support members through keeping them up to date with updates in emergency legislation and practice, meeting regularly with Scottish Government to discuss emerging issues. We aimed to inform members of developments through our regular e-bulletins and published a range of documents and videos highlighting good practice. You can see much of this on the RTPI’s Covid-19 pages.

RTPI also moved all our events online and free to attend to help members to undertake CPD.

Policy Consultations

RTPI Scotland responds to policy consultations from Scottish Government, agencies and other organisations and publishes briefing papers to take forward thinking on planning issues. In 2020 RTPI Scotland published the following:  

• Scottish Government consultation on the Proposed programme for reviewing and extending Permitted Development Rights
• Scottish Government consultation on Planning Performance and Fees
• Call for evidence on the Town Centre Action Plan Review by the Town Centre Action Plan Expert Review Group
• Scottish Government’s Technical Consultation on Proposed Policy Amendments on Housing
• Scottish Government’s Consultation on a licensing scheme and planning control areas in Scotland
• Scottish Government consultation on Pre-Application Consultation
• The Scottish Government's Programme for Reviewing and Extending Permitted Development Rights (PDR) in Scotland
• Scottish Government Draft Infrastructure Investment Plan – 2021-22 to 2025-26
• Scotland's Road Safety Framework to 2030 Draft Public Consultation, Transport Scotland
• One Planet Prosperity: Our Flooding Services Strategy, SEPA
• Guide to appeals and other casework handled by DPEA, DPEA
• A Consultation on the Digital Strategy for Scotland, Scottish Government
• Cleaner Air for Scotland 2 - a consultation on a draft new air quality strategy for Scotland, Scottish Government

The Director has been involved in the following online evidence sessions:

• Just Transition Commission on infrastructure and place
• Law Society of Scotland on ways forward for Section 75 agreements
• Infrastructure Commission for Scotland on place
• Town Centre Action Plan Review Expert Group

Scottish Parliament

RTPI Scotland engages with the Scottish Parliament through providing briefing for debates and evidence to Committees. In 2020 we have provided written evidence on:

• Economy, Energy and Fair Work Committee’s Inquiry into COVID-19 – impact on Scotland’s businesses, workers and the economy: Plans for economic recovery (including scrutiny of the Advisory Group on Economic Recovery report).
• Parliament Economy, Energy and Fair Work Committee’s Inquiry into COVID-19 – impact on Scotland’s businesses, workers and the economy: Role of enterprise agencies, Scottish National Investment Bank and other economic development partners.
• Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Committee’s call for evidence on a Green recovery. Scottish Parliament Energy, Economy and Fair Work Committee Energy Inquiry.
• Local Government and Communities Committee inquiry into Community Wellbeing.

Throughout 2020 we met with MSPs, MPs and party spokespersons including Kevin Stewart MSP, Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning; Douglas Ross MP, Leader of the Scottish Conservatives; Alexander Stewart MSP, Scottish Conservatives spokesperson on planning; Sarah Boyack MSP, Scottish Labour Party spokesperson on planning; Graham Simpson MSP, Scottish Conservatives spokesperson on planning and housing; Jeremy Balfour MSP, Member of the Local Government and Communities Committee.

Advisory Groups

RTPI Scotland is represented on the Expert Group reviewing the Town Centre Action Plan through our Convenor Irene Beautyman.

We are involved in over 20 advisory groups including the Ministerial High Level Group on Planning Performance; the Vacant and Derelict Land Taskforce; and the Centre for Collaborative Housing Evidence (CaCHE). The Director Chairs the National Walking Strategy Delivery Forum. 

National Planning Framework 4

RTPI Scotland was provided with grant funding to implement an engagement programme with the profession to help inform NPF4. This has comprised:

• 5 events organised with RTPI Scotland Chapters
• A report and series of blogs arising from each event
• 3 online events comprising presentations on learning from international practice in Finland, Australia and Ireland, which were recorded and are now on the RTPI YouTube channel
• A number of articles in the Scottish Planner journal. The June edition of the Scottish Planner was themed around NPF4

As part of the Scottish Government’s call for ideas on the NPF4 RTPI Scotland published a paper outlining ’10 Big Ideas’, which are:

• NPF4 embeds the new purpose of planning
• NPF4 is supported by a capital investment programme
• NPF4 is a “First Minister’s document”
• NPF4 contains milestones that are tracked transparently
• NPF4 prioritises climate action and tackling health inequalities
• NPF4 promotes active and sustainable travel
• NPF4 embeds the Reuse First Principle
• NPF4 promotes decision making based around the well-being of future generations
• NPF4 becomes The National Plan for Scotland
• NPF4 embeds and champions the Place Principle and Place Standard Themes

Measuring What Matters

In November the Measuring What Matters research was published. It considers how local authorities can measure the outcomes of planning. This means going beyond simple metrics like speed of processing applications and number of housing units delivered and assessing planning in terms of placemaking aspirations and social, economic and environmental value, in order to track and improve the impact of planning.  Building on previous work that has taken place across the nations, the research team reviewed the context and needs of planning jurisdictions across the UK and Ireland, identifying guiding principles, developing a toolkit and then contextualising, testing and refining that toolkit.

The project has culminated in the development of a report and series of toolkits which can be adapted by local planning authorities across the UK and Ireland to improve their outcome measurement.  While this project covered the UK and Ireland, work took place specifically in Scotland, which included a number of Scottish Pilot Case Studies.  We would like to thank our Scottish partner, the Scottish Government and Heads of Planning Scotland for their support in moving this project forward.  The project was led by a consortium of planning consultancies and academics from around the UK and Ireland, led by Kevin Murray Associates, with support from Cardiff University, the University of Dundee, MacCabe Durney Barnes, and Yellow Book Ltd..

The Benefits of Digital Planning

The Benefits of Investing in a Digital Planning Service research series is funded by Scottish Government.  In commissioning RTPI to undertake this work Scottish Government aimed to explore the evidence base in implementing a Digital Planning Strategy through examining:

• the economic and societal benefits arising from digital transformation
• efficiencies that accrue within the planning system from investment in new technology and validation of the estimated cost and time savings
• the costs (financial and other) of not taking forward digital approaches across the planning service.

For this research RTPI Scotland has coordinated a programme of work analysing the need, demand and possible impacts of supporting a digital planning strategy. This comprises:

• An economic impact analysis, which was undertaken by KPMG, to assess the potential efficiencies that could be provided from a digital planning service
• A user and customer impact analysis setting out the benefits for planning authorities, planning applicants and communities
• A policy impact analysis setting out the range of policy ambitions that rely upon a digital planning service
• Case studies, which have been written by KPMG, analysing the impact that digital planning could have on Scottish Government aspirations on its net zero carbon targets, in tackling health inequalities and as part of post Covid-19 recovery.
• A summary document setting out the key findings across the papers
• An infographic

Covid-19 meant that all RTPI events shifted to an online format from April. This required some adjustments to event organisation but we still managed to organise 44 events or webinars which were attended by 2634 people. This was higher than the 1671 people attending 54 events in 2019 and perhaps shows that online events can be more accessible to members. Also, many of the events were recorded and showcased on the RTPI YouTube channel and they have had over 1600 views recorded across the range of events organised in Scotland.     

Chapters

Despite Covid-19 the Chapters continue to be a key means of supporting members to access CPD organising events in the year. These were free or to Members. Examples of events held include:

• Grampian Chapter - The Events Complex Aberdeen (TECA) with a focus on net zero
• West of Scotland chapter - Strategic Planning in the West of Scotland: moving with the times?
• East Scotland Chapter - Nature-based solutions for water management – a case for multifunctional landscapes
• Dumfries and Galloway Chapter - Intergenerational Housing: care campus study tour to the Netherlands and Denmark
• South East Scotland Chapter – Child Friendly Planning
• Central Chapter – Heat Networks and their Contribution to Carbon Abatement
• Highlands and Islands Chapter – Planning and Ecology

National Events

The Sir Patrick Geddes Commemorative Lecture was, for the first time, held online. It explored “Shaping the new normal with a wellbeing economy: The role for place and planning” was given by Katherine Trebeck, Advocacy and Influencing Lead for the Wellbeing Economy Alliance, on 18 June. Over 300 people tuned in, whilst there have been an additional 470 views of the recording.

This year’s RTPI Scotland Annual Conference was transformed into The Scottish Planner Live comprising a series of shorter online events over the week 28 September to 2 October.  It looked at a range of issues around health, planning and placemaking. Chaired by RTPI Scotland Convenor Irene Beautyman it involved a range of speakers including Planning Minister Kevin Stewart MSP; Angela Scott, Chief Executive of Aberdeen City Council; Claire Sweeney, Director of Place and Wellbeing in Public Health Scotland; RTPI President Sue Manns; Daisy Narayanan, Director of Urbanism at Sustrans; Michael Chang form Public Health England and Liz Green from Public Health Wales. Videos of all the sessions are now available on YouTube. 

Connecting Planning, Health and Place

• How Can Planners Embed Health in Place?
• How Can Planners Embed Place in Health?

Designing Healthy Places

• How do planners develop more resilient communities and housing?
• How can planners help move towards the 20 minute neighbourhood?

Assessing the impact of planning on health

• How can planners assess the Impact of Development on Health?
• How can planners build, use and source the evidence we need to support us to tackle health Inequalities?

Rethinking transport to support ambitions for health

• How can planners prioritise Active Travel?
• How can planners rethink transport to support health as well as climate?

Learning Lessons

• What can planners learn from one another across the UK?
• What do planners need to make the step change?

Scottish Young Planners’ Network

The Scottish Young Planners’ Network (SYPN) continue to support their peers and organised 7 online events including webinars on Post Pandemic Placemaking and Planning for Nature Based Solutions. As part of this the SYPN hosted four online roundtable discussions with its members exploring the role of the 4^th National planning Framework in tackling issues including climate change, inclusive economic growth, inequalities and delivery.  The reports of these were fed into Scottish Government to help inform the development of the NPF.

The RTPI UK and Ireland Young planners’ conference was scheduled to be hosted by the Scottish Young Planners’ Network in Edinburgh in 2020 though Covid-19 meant that it was held online. However it is now planned that the 2021 conference be held in Edinburgh.

Partners in Planning

RTPI Scotland continues to support the Partners in Planning Group to bring together training and education providers with employers and practitioners. PIP has been supportive in taking forward the RTPI Scotland Workforce Development Strategy and in supporting engagement with Skills Development Scotland.

International Group

The RTPI Scotland International group aims to bring together members with experience of or an interest in global planning issues to explore what can be learned for Scotland and what Scottish practice can be promoted internationally. 

Communications

We continue to spread key messages through our social media channels such as Twitter, Linked In and Instagram.  The @RTPIScotland twitter account has over 4500 followers whilst the @ConvenorRTPIS account has over 1600 followers.

Scottish Planner

Three editions of the RTPI Scotland journal The Scottish Planner have been published in 2020 and distributed online. These have looked at planning for a zero carbon Scotland, the 4^th National Planning Framework and the future of our town and city centres.                     

Media

In 2020 we issued 12 news releases:

• RTPI Scotland welcomes NPF4 position statement, November 2020
• Digital planning could benefit Scottish economy by £200m, says RTPI report. November 2020
• More effective way to measure impact of planning published by RTPI, November 2020
• Minister thanks Scottish planners for ‘rising to the challenge’, October 2020
• Planners welcome vacant land proposals, October 2020
• Walking vital for green recovery, says RTPI Scotland, July 2020
• RTPI Scotland to sit on Town Centre Recovery Group, July 2020
• Scottish Government must plan for a ‘different’ Scotland post COVID-19, says RTPI, May 2020
• RTPI Scotland welcomes emergency planning legislation, April 2020
• Climate action must underpin NPF4, says RTPI Scotland, March 2020
• RTPI Scotland welcomes Scottish Budget but calls for more investment in planning, February 2020
• Major Scottish infrastructure report welcomed by RTPI, January 2020

We have seen continued coverage of Scottish issues and RTPI Scotland activity in The Planner magazine.

New Fellows

Congratulations go to Brian Evans and John McNairney who were both elected to become Fellows of the Institute.

New Chartered Members

We are delighted to welcome new members to RTPI Scotland and now have around 2100 across Scotland working across sectors, organisations and roles. 

Congratulations to the following who became Chartered Members of RTPI in the year:

• Ilja Anosovs
• Lewis Begbie
• Hannah Belford
• Colin Bradley
• Roy Brown
• Alexander Calderwood
• Robbie Calvert
• Rim Chouaib
• Heather Ennis
• Alison Ewing
• Mark Fitzpatrick
• Ritchie Gillies
• Kate Givan
• Kara Harrison
• Laura Johnston
• Claire Johnston
• Monica Loughran
• Samuel Mackeddie
• Stephen Macleod
• Meadhbh Maguire
• Carrie Main
• Stephanie McMillan
• Neil Millar
• Kenneth Mitchell
• Craig O'Holleran
• Robert Portman
• Roslyn Purdie
• Murray Rankin
• Samuel Simms
• Steven Sinclair
• Clarinda Stewart-Leslie
• Keith Stirton
• Andrew Strachan
• Amy Unitt
• Thomas Francis Walsh
• Jamie Watt

The Scottish Executive Committee is represented on the RTPI's General Assembly, committees and panels. The people who sat on the SEC in 2019 are:

Office Bearers

• Irene Beautyman, Convenor
• Barbara Cummins, Senior Vice Convenor
• Andrew Trigger, Junior Vice Convenor
• Julia Frost, Immediate Past Convenor
• Stefano Smith - Trustee for Scotland

Corporate Members

• Elected for 2020/21: Ian Aikman, Jim Birrell, Matthew Watson
• Elected 2019/20: Lesley Martin, Claire McArthur, Kevin Murray

Student/ Licentiate Representatives

• Robbie Calvert
• Aaron Doidge

Chapter Representatives

• Central: Richard Callender
• Dumfries and Galloway: Shona McCoy
• East Scotland: Ritchie Gilles
• South East Scotland: Alastair Bledowski
• Grampian: Donna Laing
• Highlands and Islands: David Cowie
• West of Scotland: Duncan Smart

Other Representatives

• Scottish Planning Consultants' Forum: Stuart Salter
• Scottish Young Planners' Network: Lisa Proudfoot/ Rhiannon Moylan
• Partners in Planning: Kevin Murray

RTPI General Assembly Members

• Kirsty Macari
• Tammy Swift-Adams

The Scottish Executive Committee has a Planning Policy Sub Committee and a Communications, Education and Lifelong Learning Sub Committee.

Staff

• Director: Craig McLaren
• Policy Officer (until March): Kate Houghton
• Office Manager: Annette O'Donnell
• Communications and Events Administrator: Jennie Stansfield
• Intern Project Officer (until September): Lisa Davison