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PLANNING Bulletin Issue No 21

Getting Involved in Planning

Public involvement is an important and long-standing feature of the Scottish planning system. People, quite rightly, expect to have the opportunity to have their say on plans for the future of their area, on planning applications in their neighbourhood, and on developments going on nearby that may affect their quality of life. But people do not always find it easy to get involved in planning issues and therefore actual levels of involvement are fairly low.

Scottish Ministers are determined that the planning system should be accessible and open to everyone whatever their age, sex, ability or cultural background. The Scottish Executive has recently been reviewing current arrangements for people to get involved in planning issues, measuring current levels of public involvement, and looking for ways to encourage greater, more effective involvement in the planning system by individuals and communities.

In November 2001 we published the consultation paper Getting Involved in Planning which looked at the effectiveness of existing arrangements and considered the scope for improvements, through promoting best practice, by highlighting the benefits of new technology and by considering changes to legislation. Some of the main proposals for change contained in the consultation paper were:

• introduction of community-based consultation forums for planning
• neighbour notification for new land use proposals in development plans
• new arrangements for Local Plan Inquiries and adopting local plans, with more weight to Reporters' recommendations
• standard national Planning Application Forms
• a series of changes to the neighbour notification process including providing more information to neighbours and extending the period for making representations
• reduced period for lodging Planning Appeals from 6 to 2 months
• regular national consultation to identify problems and good practice in Scotland
• a new working group to co-ordinate central and local use of information technology for information & service, and identify good practice
• a National Planning Helpline network linked to local sources of information and advice
• investigation of the possible long-term funding for Planning Aid's work in community training and support.

In October 2002 we published Analysis of Consultation Responses, an independent analysis of the responses we received on the consultation paper. In addition, we published a report Perceptions of the Wider Public which contained the findings from a related piece of research on public involvment. We have also published a Summary of Evidence report which brings together the findings from the consultation and research together with the outcome of a survey of over 1000 adults across Scotland designed to establish people's views on participation in planning.

We have found that there are high levels of general public interest in planning, and that people consider public involvement to be very important. Yet there are fairly low levels of actual involvement. This was despite efforts by local authorities, using a wide variety of participatory methods and techniques beyond the statutory minimum requirements, to engage with the public.

The main barriers to participation, or more meaningful involvement, were identified as:

• lack of awareness of available opportunities
• inaccessibility of documents
• complex procedures and practices
• lack of expertise
• consultation fatigue
• a belief that views would not be taken into account
• distrust of government
• personal circumstances.

Improving public involvement in the planning process was considered to require the removal or minimisation of these barriers. Key areas for improvement were considered to be:

• restoring confidence in government
• more user-friendly information and procedures
• greater use of deliberative consultation mechanisms
• targeting of particular groups
• more capacity building
• better use of new technology
• additional resources.

It was recognised that there may be a tension between speed and involvement in the planning system and consequently there is a need to get the right balance, ensuring that enhanced involvement does not slow down decision making.

Ministers have been examining the findings from the consultation, research and survey and are now considering the way forward. The results of these considerations will be published as a White Paper on public involvement in planning early next year.

Copies of the Getting Involved in Planning documents and their summaries are available through the Planning Helpline, tel: 08457 741 741 and on the internet at www.scotland.gov.uk/planning .

For further enquiries, or to comment on the proposals telephone 0131 244 7059, or e-mail public.involvement@scotland.gsi.gov.uk

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