On 29 August 2025, RTPI Scotland submitted a response to Environmental Standards Scotland's consultation on its draft Strategy 2026-2031. Read the response below.
About the RTPI
The RTPI Champions the power of planning in creating sustainable, prosperous places and vibrant communities. We have over 27,000 members in the private, public, academic and voluntary sectors. Using our expertise and research we bring evidence and thought leadership to shape planning policies and thinking, putting the profession at the heart of society’s big debates. We set the standards of planning education and professional behaviour that provide our members, wherever they work in the world, a unique ability to meet complex economic, social environmental and cultural challenges.
RTPI Scotland's Response to the Draft EES Strategy 2026-2031
RTPI Scotland welcome the draft Strategy. We broadly support the vision, priorities, strategic objectives and principles.
The draft Strategy acknowledges that “protecting and improving the environment is important for both current and future generations”. We strongly agree with this statement and note the timing of this consultation coincides with the recently closed consultation on the Wellbeing and Sustainable Development (Scotland) Bill, which is at Stage 1.
In our response to the consultation on the Bill, we highlighted the importance of the environment in delivering health and wellbeing outcomes for current and future generations. We advocated for the definitions of “sustainable development” and “wellbeing” within the Bill to veer away from a human-centred approach and to recognise the responsibility that human beings have to the natural environment in order that we can benefit from the health and wellbeing outcomes that nature has to offer.
We note that it is part of Environmental Standards Scotland’s role to scrutinise public bodies to ensure their compliance with environmental law in Scotland. We see that this role will likely overlap with the role of the Future Generations Commissioner (FGC). As such, we would be supportive of EES and the FGC working in close collaboration to ensure a supportive and complementary relationship is established once the FGC role comes into force, to avoid any unnecessary duplication of work.
At section 2.2 of the draft strategy, it acknowledges important developments that will be taking place at the national level over the next five years that will provide context for the ESS’s work. We believe that the Wellbeing and Sustainable Development (Scotland) Bill should be acknowledged in this list as an additional important development. As a public body, the ESS will be subject to the scrutiny of the FGC. Also, as a public body whose role it is to scrutinise other public authorities’ compliance with Scotland’s environmental law, we foresee there being likely overlap with the work of the ESS and that of the Future Generations Commissioner. This relationship will need to be carefully considered as part of the ESS’s strategy for delivering further positive environmental outcomes over the next five years and beyond.
