Chamber and committees

I will make a comment about a concern that I have already brought up in the evidence session. I absolutely want to see environmental impact assessments and I agree with the importance of their connection to a masterplan consent area scheme.

However, as things evolve, I want us to be vigilant and really aware that we might need to readdress EIAs where we start to understand that there is that complexity in relation to biodiversity that we were discussing earlier. We might need to revisit that approach if we see that masterplan consent area schemes are allowing us to run away and not give good enough consideration to what is critical for life in Scotland and life on earth.

The question is, that motion S6M-14815, in the name of Ivan McKee, be agreed to.

Motion agreed to,

That the Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee recommends that the Masterplan Consent Area Scheme (Environmental Impact Assessment) (Scotland) Regulations 2024 [draft] be approved.

We turn to the final negative instrument. If members have no comments to make about the building regulations, is the committee agreed that we do not wish to make any recommendations in relation to the instrument?

Members indicated agreement.

Okay, thank you.

We move on to questions on the national planning framework.

That is helpful. We have brought in the national planning framework, which is putting biodiversity right up there. I know that it is early days and it is still bedding in, but I see that we have problems at a local level with attending properly to biodiversity. I am hearing about situations in which councils are continuing with old practices around biodiversity that need to disappear. One of my concerns about the masterplan consent areas is that we would have an overarching EIA—although I hear your point that it gets triggered only if certain projects are to occur within that masterplan consent area—but we are not seeing best practice come through around biodiversity.

We could create a situation where we do that blanket EIA and then, down the line, realise that we missed something within that context. Do you see what I mean? I am talking in the abstract—I do not have a specific example because we are in an abstract situation as we start to understand more about our impacts on biodiversity.

Thank you. It is great to have you back.

Good morning and welcome to the 28th meeting in 2024 of the Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee. I remind all members and witnesses to ensure that their devices and notifications are on silent.

We have received apologies from Mark Griffin.

I welcome Alexander Stewart and Meghan Gallacher to the committee, and I invite Alexander Stewart to declare any relevant interests.

I just wanted to pick up on the issue of the MCAs. My understanding is that, once the regulations are brought in, the detail itself will be left to guidance. I am a bit concerned about that; as you have said, a 30-day period is longer than 21 days, but we could be talking about quite big areas being covered by different pieces of work. It might not just be housing, but could be housing, roads and other pieces of infrastructure. Indeed, in your opening remarks, you mentioned the green freeports as places where MCAs might be used.

I am just a bit concerned about our passing these regulations and then the detail coming through in guidance. We have already seen the challenges that have arisen from NPF4 being introduced and bedding in, with planners feeling a sense of challenge in ensuring that biodiversity is right up there as a key element of the national planning framework that needs to be considered. I just want to understand that a bit more, because, for me, the problem is that guidance can be changed and is therefore more flexible than regulations.

Okay—so there is even more time, and even more preamble, in a way, for people to get involved.

Could you clarify one point? Is that within the 30-day window?

Thank you. I am really glad of your presence on the committee.

I invite Meghan Gallacher to declare any relevant interests.