Chamber and committees

We turn to agenda item 2, which is evidence taking on the national planning framework 4. We will hear from three separate panels of witnesses. First, we are joined by Robbie Calvert, who is policy, practice and research officer at the Royal Town Planning Institute, and Jim Miller, who is the chair of Heads of Planning Scotland. I warmly welcome you both.

I will begin the questioning, and my colleagues have a number of questions. As there are two of you and we have a nice bit of time, we can relax a little, although I will, of course, be keeping us to time.

We will begin by taking a broad overview. Will you briefly outline your views on the key changes that have been made in the “National Planning Framework 4: Revised Draft”?

Thank you very much. Jim Miller, what are your thoughts?

We have gone over time, but it is important that we have the space to get all these views out. Our final committee member to ask questions is Miles Briggs.

I am impressed that, since the document has been published, you have been busy in bringing together planners for discussions in order to question how things will work in the sector. You said that at the beginning and mentioned it again just there. That is fantastic.

You also made the poignant point that planning and decisions about our built environment can affect somebody’s decision to choose to live. That is tremendous, and it would be great to see planners in general resourced properly.

Thank you, Morag.

I will say a bit more about the process, because we have some folks online and some in the room. I will ask all of you to respond to my first question because we want to get foundational views, but we will try to direct other questions. Please indicate when you want to comment. If you are joining us online, please put the letter R in the chat box.

We have a specific question about that, which we will come to later. If there is time at the end, I will bring folks in to comment on anything that we have not raised.

People will be left in the dark around decisions that will probably arise quite quickly.

Thank you for that. We move to a question from Mark Griffin, who joins us online.

Annie Wells is joining us online.

I am glad that I asked whether you had anything more to say because those are very important points. On Ireland’s national marine planning framework, it is interesting that the Irish Cabinet ministers had to say in—I assume—the chamber how their framework was going to affect their particular areas of work.

We have heard loud and clear the requirements for resourcing and skills development.

We appreciate your coming in this morning. I see from Jim Miller’s copy of the national planning framework, with all the post-it notes, that you have been drilling down deeply. [Interruption.] Yes.

Those are the policies that will shape Scotland over the next 10 years; it is such important work. Thank you so much for sharing your organisations’ views with the committee.