Chamber and committees

We have facilitated Community Planning Partnerships as key fora for public bodies to work together. We have also developed the hub programme, where Community Planning partners team up with a private sector development partner to form a joint venture delivery company the hubCo to deliver best value in procurement of community infrastructure.

The Scottish Government will continue to work closely with local government to get maximum benefit to the economy from our combined investment. The Scottish Futures Trust has a particular role in supporting local authorities to deliver capital investment, such as schools and other community projects, efficiently and effectively.

In line with their statutory duty and the Prudential Code, decisions on the capital investment, and the financial plans to ensure adequate budget provision is made to meet the costs of that investment, are a matter for each local authority.

The Scottish Government welcomes this report by the Accounts Commission which sets out some valuable messages. It is, of course, up to councils to ensure they spend capital budgets effectively and in line with local needs.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-13794 on 3 April 2013. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

Scottish Ministers welcome the findings in the report by Brodies LLP that challenges to planning decisions in Scotland are less likely to be successful than similar challenges in England and Wales. This demonstrates that decisions taken by local planning authorities and by the Scottish Government are soundly based and well-reasoned and play an important part in delivering sustainable economic development.

It is open to parties to seek review by the courts of planning decisions made by planning authorities or the Scottish Ministers.

Scottish Government has been actively engaging Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) on the development of National Planning Framework 3 (NPF3) and the preparation of revised Scottish Planning Policy (SPP) and looks forward to receiving SNH’s views on the NPF3 Main Issues Report and draft Scottish Planning Policy when these are issued for consultation. SNH will use their strategic locational guidance to help inform their response(s) to these consultations.

Scottish Natural Heritage are consulted on windfarm applications submitted to Scottish Ministers under Section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 and there is a range of criteria which triggers consultation with SNH on applications submitted to planning authorities. SNH will use their Strategic Locational Guidance to provide consultation responses on these applications, which Scottish Ministers and planning authorities will take into account in determining these applications.

Before determining an application the planning authority must also consult SNH on any Environmental Statement accompanying the planning application, where such a statement is required under the Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) (Scotland) Regulations 2011, SSI 2011/139 or where an appropriate assessment is required under The Conservation (Natural Habitats & c.) Regulations 1994 as amended.

Scottish Government, through Scottish Planning Policy (SPP), establishes the framework for Scottish Natural Heritage’s (SNH’s) strategic locational guidance (SLG) and provides statutory opportunities for SNH as a key agency to use their SLG to make representations to planning authorities on natural heritage matters to help inform local development plans.