National Planning Framework 4
NPF4 is a radical new national development plan that unequivocally puts climate change at the heart of Scottish planning policy for the first time.
It demonstrates how planning can rise to unprecedented challenges to lead decisive and positive change in society.
This has been achieved through professional rigour, as well as energy and commitment to actively involve stakeholders and the public in shaping the long-term future of their country.
It demonstrates that our response to climate change need not be a barrier to development, or a sacrifice, but a real and significant opportunity to achieve economic, social and environmental goals.
The Hagshaw Energy Cluster - Planning for Net Zero
The Development Framework for the Hagshaw Energy Cluster represents an innovative approach to renewable energy planning that addresses climate change through collaborative and coordinated deployment.
This pioneering framework, adopted as non-statutory guidance, creates an ambitious blueprint for managing the energy transition while balancing environmental and social outcomes.
It aims to assist in the delivery of 1GW of renewable energy capacity through repowering and deployment of other technologies, demonstrating how strategic planning can accelerate decarbonisation while maximising benefits for people, nature and place. The framework has been recognised as an exemplar for shaping a Just Transition to Net Zero in Scotland.
Hawick Place Plan
By Hawick, For Hawick - The Hawick Place Plan is the community’s impassioned vision for their Scottish Borders town, representing a fresh and collaborative way of working, the legacy of which will be felt for many years to come.
With over 200 groups and many hundreds more individuals, the establishment of the Town Team and development of the Plan brought everyone together for the first time, combining pride, culture and passions, unifying an enormous community effort and heart towards the greater goal of improving the Hawick for everyone.
Flow Country World Heritage Site
In July 2024, UNESCO inscribed the The Flow Country as a World Heritage Site, marking the site as globally significant, as important as the Great Barrier Reef or the Serengeti and worthy of protection and restoration.
The planning position statement sets out the Council’s position with regards to proposed developments within the Site . The need for this guidance results from the lack of precedent, with no site in Scotland previously nominated for wholly natural World Heritage criteria, nor one in a location where there is there is significant development pressure, specifically from onshore wind energy and electricity.