Helping planning authorities to navigate new planning guidance

A group of people standing over a table discussing a map during an Architecture and Design Scotland workshop.
Published: 13/10/2023

Architecture and Design Scotland launches a new resource package

(October) Architecture and Design Scotland – Scotland’s design agency for places - publishes the first part of their new resource package to help planning authorities take a place-based collaborative approach to new-style local development plan preparation.

A new way of gathering evidence for preparing Local Development Plans

In early 2023 The Key Agencies Group invited planning authorities to express interest in receiving support for their new Local Development Plan preparations.

From 22 applications, six authorities were chosen to take part in the pilot work. To support all the other planning teams the new resource package, Place skills for plan-making, will help authorities take on a similar place-based collaborative approach.

The new resource package is designed to help planning authorities apply ambitious new policy and guidance in National Planning Framework 4 and Local Development Planning Guidance, released earlier this year.

Tried and tested approach

The learning provided in this resource has been tried and tested through pilot work with local authorities.

Planning authorities can expect to find basic placemaking principles, practical steps, templates and case studies to help collect evidence for their Local Development Plan preparations—from whole place to local area scale.

Heather Claridge, Director of Design of Architecture and Design Scotland and Chair of the Key Agencies Group said:

‘This new resource package will be a valuable tool for planning authorities in Scotland as they implement the new Local Development Planning Guidance and start to prepare their new style Local Development Plans.

The resource provides clear guidance on how to gather evidence, gain involvement from other Council departments and stakeholders and includes a range of practical resources to support more collaborative working. 

It is our hope that this resource, plays a part in helping Scotland’s planning authorities to design and deliver places that can improve the lives of their residents whilst realising the ambitions set out in National Planning Framework 4 and new guidance including climate action and biodiversity enhancements.’

The resource package, Place skills for plan-making is available here.

The Key Agencies Group

The Key Agencies Group comprises of a group of public sector bodies that support and demonstrate new ways of working together to deliver better planning and place outcomes. You can learn more about the Key Agencies Group here.