Place and Scottish Government announcements (a work-in-progress list)

IT requires a fair amount of patient detective work to pin down the various Scottish Government documents that range across the subject of ‘place design’.

This (undoubtedly incomplete) review stretches back to 2011 and a bold review of housing for older people, which had a target date of two years ago.

Feel free to get in touch, via our ‘Contact Us’ page, to suggest further inclusions.

Title: Age, home and community – a strategy for housing Scotland’s older people, 2012-2021, Publication date: November 2011, Notable wording: “We will therefore review whether current building and design standards meet the needs of older people; and encourage development of new models of housing with care and support in all tenures.” Link here.

Title: A policy statement on architecture and place for Scotland, Publication date: June 24 2013, Notable wording: “Architecture and place has an established, strong relationship with planning. Therefore, the policies contained in this document are material considerations in determining planning applications and appeals. However, the planning system alone cannot deliver good places. This document highlights the significant relationship between architecture and place to a range of policy areas which contribute to our National Outcomes.” Link here.

Title: Scottish planning policy, Publication date: June 23 2014, Notable wording: “Planning should support development that is designed to a high-quality, which demonstrates the six qualities of successful place: distinctive, safe and pleasant, welcoming, adaptable, resource-efficient and easy to move around.” Link here.

Title: Programme for [Scottish] Government, 2018-19, Publication date: September 4 2018, Notable wording: “Too often, old age can be isolating. In the coming year, we will pilot innovative housing solutions for older people, testing inter-generational and other co-living arrangements to meet housing needs and reduce loneliness.” Link here.

Title: A Connected Scotland: our strategy for tackling social isolation and loneliness and building stronger social connections, Publication date: December 18 2018, Notable wording: “In August 2018, Scottish Government and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities jointly published Age, Home and Community – The Next Phase. This is a refresh of the original strategy published in 2011 and has been updated with input from partners in health, housing and third sectors. The refreshed strategy continues to highlight the importance of housing

“in the lives of older people not least its impact on social isolation. We recognise that the majority of older people live in ordinary homes in their local communities. As part of the refreshed strategy we will explore various housing options to meet the needs of a broader range of purchasers including alternative models such as self-build, co-housing and intergenerational living.

“The Programme for Government 2018-19 reaffirms this commitment stating that in the coming year we will pilot innovative housing solutions for older people, testing intergenerational and other co-living arrangements to meet housing needs and reduce loneliness. Link here.

Title: Place Principle, Publication date: April 10 2019, Notable wording: “The principle requests that all those responsible for providing services and looking after assets in a place need to work and plan together, and with local communities, to improve the lives of people, support inclusive and sustainable economic growth and create more successful places.” Link here.

Title: Programme for [Scottish] Government, 2020-21 (First Minister’s statement), Publication date: September 1 2020, Notable wording: “The basic idea [of the 20-minute neighbourhood] is that people in any part of a town or city should be able to find shops, green space, public services, leisure facilities – and ideally work – within 20 minutes’ walk of a good affordable home. We intend to work with local authorities and others to turn that vision into reality through our policies on transport, regeneration, housing and the environment. And to support it, we will invest £275 million in community-led regeneration and town-centre revitalisation.” Link here.

Title: Climate change plan 2018–2032 – update, Publication date: December 16 2020, Notable wording: “This update to Scotland’s 2018-2032 Climate Change Plan sets out the Scottish Government’s pathway to our new and ambitious targets set by the Climate Change Act 2019. It is a key strategic document on our green recovery from COVID-19.” Link here.

Title: Transforming vacant and derelict land, Publication date: December 19 2020, Notable wording: “Thousands of hectares of vacant and derelict land across Scotland will be transformed through a new £50 million programme over the next five years.” Link here.

Title: Capital spending review 2021-2022 to 2025-2026, Publication date: February 4 2021, Notable wording: “A key theme of the Infrastructure investment Plan is building resilient and sustainable places.” Link here.

Title: Housing to 2040, Publication date: March 15 2021, Notable wording: “Housing to 2040 is Scotland’s first-ever long-term national housing strategy with a vision for what we want housing to look like and how it will be provided to the people of Scotland, no matter where they live and what point in their life they are in. We want to ensure housing in 2040 will support people to live in homes they want to live in which are affordable and meet their needs.” Link here.

Title: To implement an effective national system of rent controls, enhance tenants’ rights and deliver 110,000 affordable homes by 2032, Publication date: August 21 2021, Notable wording: Part of an agreement struck between the SNP and the Scottish Greens, to create a majority in the Scottish Parliament (110,000 target is an upgrade on a previous 100,000 one). Link here.

Title: Place Based Investment Programme, Publication date: January 20 2022, Notable wording: “The Place Based Investment Programme aims to bring the Place Principle to life. It is supported by an initial £325 million capital over the next five years to accelerate the delivery of community-led regeneration, community wealth building, town centre revitalisation, and 20-minute neighbourhoods.” Link here.

Title: Local Place Plans, Publication date: January 21 2022, Notable wording: “Local Place Plans are part of the [Scottish] Government’s wider work on planning reform and implementation of the Planning (Scotland) Act 2019 (the 2019 Act), including steps to reduce conflict, improve community engagement and build public trust in planning matters.” Link here.

Title: 20 per cent car km reduction ‘route map’, Publication date: April 6 2022, Notable wording: “In response to the global climate emergency, Scotland’s Climate Change Plan update in 2020 set out a world-leading commitment to reduce car kilometres by 20 per cent by 2030. Transport accounts for a quarter of Scotland’s greenhouse gas emissions, with cars making up almost 40 per cent of transport emissions. Carbon-reduction modelling has concluded that it will not be possible to reach net-zero emissions through technological solutions alone. Reducing car use is essential in order for the transport system to be decarbonised at a pace that meets the statutory emissions targets set by the Scottish Parliament.” Link here.

Title: Regenerating the future of Scotland’s town centres, Publication date: April 13 2022, Notable wording: “This joint response builds on work to support town centres during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the Scottish Government’s Town Centre First approach, developed following the National Review of Town Centres in 2013. This approach aims to ensure the economic, social and environmental health of town centres is at the heart of decision-making.” Link here.

Title: National Planning Framework (fourth edition), Publication date: November 8 2022, Notable wording: The Minister for Public Finance, Planning and Community Wealth, Tom Arthur MSP, tells the Scottish Parliament that a revised draft (here) of the framework has been prepared, awaiting a passage through the parliament. Link here. Update, January 11 2023: MSPs vote 88-for, 30-against and one abstention in favour. Link here.

Title: Promise of legislation (in response to a Private Member’s Bill proposed by MSP, Alex Rowley), to ensure all new-build houses will soon require to be energy-efficient to a level equivalent to ‘passivhaus’, Publication date: December 15 2022, Notable wording: “I am writing to advise that under Rule 9.13.14 of Parliament’s Standing Orders, the Scottish Government will make subordinate legislation within two years, to give effect to your final proposal for a proposed Domestic Building Environmental Standards (Scotland) Bill.” Link here.

Picture credit: Place Design Scotland

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