Planning and Architecture

Streamlining Planning Obligations Improvement Project – October 2017

October 31, 2017 by planningarchitecture No Comments | Category Uncategorized

Workshops update

The fourth and final initial workshop has now been held with East Dunbartonshire Council.

The initial sessions earlier on in the year acted as a brief introduction to improvement tools to get authorities started in developing improvements. Authorities considered their draft aims, looked at the planning obligations process and identified issues within and outwith their control, and started to consider potential change ideas.

Some feedback from the sessions included:

• ‘It put a framework to the work we are trying to do. It was stimulating and easy to follow’
• ‘It was good to see various techniques to break down issues and investigate the source/ identify solutions.’
• ‘interesting to see how many ideas came up in a short space of time’
• ‘Helped us focus the mind and start a good conversation that will need to be continued’

Driver diagrams

Based on the outputs of these initial sessions, Planning and Architecture Division have produced a draft driver diagram based on the outputs of the initial sessions which aims to link project aims to change ideas. This is intended to provide an overarching structure to the project, but is very much a work in progress and can be updated at any point. Participating authorities are producing their own draft driver diagrams to reflect their own aims and change ideas.

Change ideas

Each authority identified a number of potential change ideas at the initial workshop. The next step is to prioritise those ideas which are achievable, but will also have the biggest impact.

Aberdeenshire Council have made progress with  finalising its process map and identifying change ideas. Those change ideas are to be prioritised and testing will begin on some of those ideas in the next couple of months. The change ideas relate to professional development and training;  recording of timescales (e.g. use of stop the clock); monitoring internal and external delays; and further developing positive relationships with developers, agents and solicitors.

East Dunbartonshire Council have set up  monthly meetings to consider their aims for the streamlining project and will be looking at potential improvements to their monitoring of  planning obligations.

Sharing ideas

Participating authorities will be invited to a ‘knowledge hub’ group to share outputs.

We are available to discuss any aspect of the project and to help authorities move their projects forwards. For more information, please contact lorna.aird@gov.scot

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