Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government works through established national and regional governance structures to ensure that freight-related infrastructure investment aligns with wider economic and industrial priorities. Regional Economic Partnerships and City Region and Growth Deals provide coordinated engagement between local authorities, industry, and national agencies, supporting investment in freight corridors, ports, and logistics assets. This approach is guided by National Planning Framework 4, which sets clear spatial priorities for development, including regeneration areas and energy transition zones where improved freight connectivity is essential to unlock economic opportunity. Local Development Plans are also required to align with these national and regional strategies.

The draft Infrastructure Strategy, published for consultation on 13 January 2026, further strengthens this alignment, highlighting the role of national developments such as Green Freeports, where public and private investment in transport and enabling infrastructure is coordinated. As part of the Green Freeports Programme bidders were required to show how seed capital proposals aligned with regional and local transport plans, regional Economic Strategies, Local Development Plans, and skills plans.

In addition, the second Strategic Transport Projects Review(STPR2), published in 2022, provides the evidence base for future transport infrastructure investment. It highlights the economic importance of safe, efficient, and resilient movement of goods to Scotland’s economy and the predominance of road freight. It also notes the need for the freight sector to support Scotland’s 2045 net zero ambitions, identifying opportunities to increase rail freight and reduce dependence on road haulage alongside advances in low-maritime, rail and road technologies.