To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any potential impact on
communities in Scotland of the (a) UK Critical Mineral Strategy and (b)
findings of the report, Potential for Critical Raw Material Prospectivity in the UK by the British Geographical Survey (BGS) for the UK Critical Minerals Intelligence Centre (CMIC).
Access to Critical Raw Materials and Technologies is a vitally important issue for our economy, energy security and Net Zero ambitions.
Where areas of potential prospectivity are identified, this does not mean that critical minerals are guaranteed to be found and there are a range of factors which will influence whether or not extraction will take place. This includes the requirement that where new development proposals come forward, applications for planning permission must be made to the relevant local planning authority. Policy 33 of National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) sets out that development proposals for the sustainable extraction of minerals will only be supported by that policy where certain criteria are met, this includes demonstrating that there are no significant adverse impacts (including cumulative impact) on any nearby homes and local communities. NPF4 should be read as a whole, alongside local development plans, in applying balanced planning judgement in planning decisions.
The Scottish Government has not undertaken any assessment of impacts on communities from these reports at this stage.