Planning and Architecture

Planning, Infrastructure and Place Advisory Group Annual Report 2025

February 13, 2025 by planningarchitecture No Comments | Category Infrastructure and Place Advisory Group (PIPAG)

After a busy few months, the Planning, Infrastructure and Place Advisory Group (PIPAG) have published their first Annual Report, on the 13 February 2025.

PIPAG was established to find solutions to infrastructure challenges, support the delivery of National Planning Framework 4, and to promote joined-up, place-based delivery of development and infrastructure in Scotland. The group, which includes infrastructure specialists, has been meeting quarterly, with subgroups taking deeper dives into subjects such as funding and finance and data.

The Annual Report updates Ministers and wider stakeholders on the work of the group covering the period of 2024 and the latter part of 2023 when it was first established.  The Report provides a summary of activities and outputs to date, as well as progress against the group’s strategic objectives which were set in the Terms of Reference.

PIPAG’s high level achievements include work around:

• funding and finance – through a short life working group using Winchburgh as a case study
• alignment of place based and spatial approaches through case studies across Scotland
• infrastructure delivery – identifying good practice through 5 case studies and 2 working group (summaries appended to the annual report)

Whilst some of the strategic objectives remain amber or red, this is due to a decision to narrow focus early on, rather than slippage in timescales.  The findings of the year one case studies enabled the identification in recurring themes such as; the case for investment, capacity building, coordination, planning tools, risk and return and alternative funding and finance.

The annual report suggests areas for potential focus in 2025 and proposes a targeted approach of 3 priorities.

Tags: Infrastructure and Place Advisory Group, PIPAG, planning

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