Minutes: 29 October 2024

1. Declaration of interests:

Alexander Stewart MSP declared that he had previously served as a councillor on Perth and Kinross Council from 1999 to 2017.

Meghan Gallagher MSP declared that she had previously served as a councillor on North Lanarkshire Council from 2017 to 2021.

2. Decision on taking business in private:

The Committee agreed to take items 7-12 in private.

3. Subordinate legislation:

The Committee took evidence on the following instruments:

• Town and Country Planning (Amendment of National Planning Framework) (Scotland) Regulations 2024;
  

• Masterplan Consent Area Scheme (Environmental Impact Assessment) (Scotland) Regulations 2024;

• Town and Country Planning (Amendment of Local Development Plan) (Scotland) Regulations 2024; and

• Town and Country Planning (Masterplan Consent Areas) (Scotland) Regulations 2024 

from—

Ivan McKee, Minister for Public Finance, Ruairidh Anderson, Senior Policy Manager, Kristen Anderson, Head of Development Planning and William Carlin, Senior Policy Manager, Scottish Government. 

4. Subordinate legislation:

Minister for Public Finance moved —S6M-14644— That the Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee recommends that the Town and Country Planning (Amendment of National Planning Framework) (Scotland) Regulations 2024 [draft] be approved.

The motion was agreed to.

5. Subordinate legislation:

Minister for Public Finance moved —S6M-14815— That the Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee recommends that the Masterplan Consent Area Scheme (Environmental Impact Assessment) (Scotland) Regulations 2024 [draft] be approved.

The motion was agreed to.

6. Subordinate legislation:

The Committee agreed to defer consideration of the Town and Country Planning (Masterplan Consent Areas) (Scotland) Regulations 2024 and the Town and Country Planning (Amendment of Local Development Plan) (Scotland) Regulations 2024 to its next meeting and agreed to make no recommendations in relation to the Building (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2024.

7. Consideration of evidence (In private):

The Committee agreed to defer consideration of the evidence heard to its next meeting.

8. Pre-Budget Scrutiny (In private):

The Committee agreed to defer the consideration of a draft letter to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government to its next meeting.

9. Tracker report 2023-24 (In private):

The Committee agreed to defer consideration of the draft report to its next meeting.

10. Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committees inquiry into Framework legislation and Henry VIII powers (In private):

The Committee agreed a response to the Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee.

11. Scrutiny of Ombudsman, Regulators, Commissions and Commissioner accountable to the Committee (In private):

The Committee considered its approach to the inquiry and agreed to a programme of oral evidence.

12. Short-term Lets (In private):

The Committee further considered its approach to the implementation update and agreed to invite the Minister for Housing to give evidence on the update at a future meeting.

13. Housing (Scotland) Bill (In private):

The Committee further considered a draft Stage 1 report and agreed to consider it further at its next meeting.