NPF Team provides answers to APT questions

Here are few Q and A's re the consultation on NPF3

(I received the answers promptly from the NPF Team on 11/10/12 so sorry for the delay in posting them onto the blog)

Q - How would ‘the person in the street’ know of the latest progress towards the preparation of a Third National Planning Framework for Scotland?  

Team - We are at an early stage and so the process of dissemination is gathering pace at the moment. We are working with local authorities in the first instance to get word out about NPF3. This includes information (a resource pack) being sent to planning authorities to use in their discussions with key stakeholders, as well as for community council liaison officers to send out to all community councils.  This information will be available online to download and an e-alert will highlight it.  

We are also keen to use existing networks and if you feel that members of Action for Planning Transparency would be interested in our first round of events, then we would be happy to forward you details.  This will be available later this week.

Update: I have put my name forward to attend the 12-2 session at Eden Court on the 14 November and have been publicising this local event via email and the blog.

Q - When will the details be available for the Inverness seminar, which is planned for 13^th November 2012 (according to the participation statement)?

We are sending this information out this week.  The website will also be updated and an e-alert distributed. Information on the events is also provided in the resource packs.  In the meantime, it may be useful for you to know that this will take place in the Eden Court Theatre, with a ‘drop in’ session running from 3pm-7pm.

Q - How is information being distributed with respect to the holding of the seminars; are all community councils and other identified groups being sent details? I note the reference to an ‘awareness-raising leaflet’; is this available yet?

This is currently being printed.  We are sending this out this week.

Q - Will the ‘awareness-raising’ leaflet contain details of the outcomes of the various stakeholder meetings / briefings? For example details of the local authority planning committee convenors' meeting 4/5 October 2012 or the ‘Heads of Planning’ meeting to take place in November 2012;

Where a note is prepared, we will post a summary online.  Some events will be more suited to this than others and there will be different types of outputs.  We will seek to be as transparent as possible.  

Q - Is the participation statement itself being continually updated?  If this is the case how would interested parties know that there had been updates?

Yes, and we will publish it online at key stages following updates. We will alert people to this using our e-alerts.

Q - Is it possible to sign up to get specific information on NPF3? Or will updated information be provided through other e newsletters such as ‘Planning and Building’ or ‘Consultations’?

We will be using our e-alerts.  We are also planning to send through details of those who contact the NPF directly to ensure they are included on our mailing list.

Q - How are the meetings with stakeholders – re the use of innovative public engagement methods – coming along?

We are continuing to progress this.  Our approach to the consultation has been, and will continue to be informed by discussions with people about the methods we should use.  We would welcome your views on the Participation Statement and techniques we are using.  

Q - How soon could we start to see the sorts of developments being put forward for consideration as ‘National Development’?  I note the following under ‘Jan 13’ …Following the completion of the call for national developments, in order to provide communities with early access to information, links to the proposal form submitted will be placed on the NPF page of the Scottish Government’s website.   Where the proposal is location specific, we will work with the relevant planning authority to ensure that communities potentially impacted by the development are made aware of the proposal.  Is this the earliest time that details will be available?

We are trying to ensure that information about proposed national developments is made available as early as possible in the process.   The final date for submission of proposals for national developments is mid - December. We will seek to publish submitted information online, and will do this as quickly as possible, but we will need to go through an appropriate process to do this (e.g. confirming agreement to publish with proposers), and so time will be required after the close of the call for national developments to achieve this.

Q - Is it possible for individuals or groups to register an interest in providing evidence to the relevant Parliamentary Committee as NPF3 progresses to the Committee Stage?  

It will be for Parliament to decide how it wants to undertake the scrutiny of the NPF.  However, we will pass this idea on.

Note: I asked this last question because when APT asked if we could give evidence to the Local Government and Communities Committee as part of the scrutiny on NPF2 it was too far down the line as all those required to give evidence had already been called.


Has your community council / organisation received any information?  Please feel free to post a comment and share your experience / views with readers.