RTPI Scotland has expressed disappointment that the Scottish budget hasn’t recognised the important role that planning and planners can play in achieving net zero carbon and delivering a post Covid green recovery.
RTPI Scotland Director Craig McLaren said: “We are concerned that, despite our analysis showing a need for £86m over the Parliamentary term to allow planning departments to meet their statutory duties, there have been no new resource allocated to tackle this. Planning services across Scotland have a key role to play in achieving the budget's ambitions of a being net zero and a post Covid green recovery but they need to be adequately resourced to do it.
"It is also disappointing to see that Scottish Government Planning division operations budget is cut by £0.5m at a time when a new National Planning Framework is being developed and large parts of the 2019 Planning Bill have still to be enacted. Given this we are keen to explore with Scottish Government how next year's budget can be used to deliver the ambitions of the new National Planning Framework so as to ensure the vision it will provide for Scotland can be delivered on the ground.
"That said we welcome the increase in its capital budget of £2m which is part of the previously announced digital planning transformation programme. RTPI Scotland is pleased to see the Scottish Government's support for housing and a commitment of £831 million to support the delivery of 110,000 affordable, energy efficient homes across the next decade and that £150 million has been allocated for active travel to support Scottish Government's commitment to cut car kilometres by 20% by 2030. We also welcome the increased investment in the government’s Place Based Investment Programme from £23m in 2021/2 to £33m in 2022/3.”
Read the joint letter from RTPI Scotland and Heads of Planning Scotland to Finance Secretary Kate Forbes
RTPI Scotland budget analysis Funding the Planning Service 2021
