Planning and Architecture

  • Updated evidence in the Local Development Plan (LDP) process

    9th July 2026 by

    Stakeholder workshop Earlier in the Spring, the Scottish Government hosted a workshop to consider implications of new evidence as LDPs are prepared. It was prompted following the publication of updated household projections (2022 base) by National Registers for Scotland (NRS). Attendees included representatives from Heads of Planning Scotland, Homes for Scotland, the Improvement Service and...

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  • Revocation of Safeguarding Direction Annandale, Dumfries and Galloway

    23rd March 2026 by

    The Scottish Government has issued a direction (text below) revoking The Town and Country Planning (Safeguarding of Land at Annandale) (Scotland) Direction 2022 (the 2022 Direction). The 2022 Direction ensured a proposal for a train stabling depot on a site in Annandale would be taken into account in the consideration of planning applications for development...

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  • The National Planning Hub – A year of delivery!

    16th March 2026 by

    Overview This month completes the first full year of the National Planning Hub. In 2025/26, the Hub has provided over £1m of support in surge capacity with 50 projects across 20 planning authorities, alongside a cross-cutting programme by the Improvement Service and direct Scottish Government brokerage for stalled housing sites. This represents a significant package of support and a good basis to build from as the Hub team plan for the year ahead,...

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  • Stalled Housing Sites

    13th March 2026 by

    From early 2025 we have worked collaboratively with industry and local authorities to remove barriers on stalled housing sites. The work demonstrates how the planning system can be proactive in addressing the housing emergency and the importance of partnership working to overcome barriers. A Short Life Working Group (SLWG) was convened involving Heads of Planning...

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  • Local Development Plans (LDP): Action Plan and Advice on Evidence Reports and Gate Checks

    26th February 2026 by

    Challenges An increasing number of Evidence Reports have been returned to planning authorities following the Gate Check, on the basis of having insufficient information to inform the proposed local development plan. This has particularly related to key issues of housing and infrastructure, including education, transport and health. Addressing the issues is adding time to plan...

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  • Compulsory Purchase Reform: post-consultation update

    19th February 2026 by

    Overview Between September and December 2025, the Scottish Government consulted on a comprehensive package of proposals to reform and modernise Scotland’s compulsory purchase system. The consultation was part of our ongoing reform programme, the timescales and objectives of which were outlined in a previous blog. In this blog we provide a brief update following the...

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  • National Planning Framework 4 Policy Overviews 23 to 33

    29th January 2026 by

    NPF4 policy overviews We have collated over three blogs, overviews of advice and guidance available for each of the 33 policies contained in National Planning Framework 4. The blogs contain the following policy split. blog 1 – policy 1 to 11 blog 2 – policy 12 to 22 blog 3 – policy 23 to 33...

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  • National Planning Framework 4 Policy Overviews 12 to 22

    29th January 2026 by

    NPF4 Policy overviews We have collated over three blogs, overviews of advice and guidance available for each of the 33 policies contained in National Planning Framework 4. The blogs contain the following policy split. blog 1 – policy 1 to 11 blog 2 – policy 12 to 22 blog 3 – policy 23 to 33...

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  • National Planning Framework 4 Policy Overviews 1 to 11

    29th January 2026 by

    NPF4 Policy overviews We have collated over three blogs, overviews of advice and guidance available for each of the 33 policies contained in National Planning Framework 4. The blogs contain the following policy split. blog 1 – policy 1 to 11 blog 2 – policy 12 to 22 blog 3 – policy 23 to 33...

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  • Publications declutter

    8th December 2025 by

    The 2025 Programme for Government contained a commitment to declutter the planning system by removing all dated national planning advice. This commitment continues our aim to reduce the volume of advice, to avoid confusion and reduce complexity. We consulted a number of stakeholders over the summer on a list of advice and other guidance that...

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