Government’s Programme for Scotland 2017-18
The Scottish Government needs to give a high priority to meeting housing needs, creating places of quality and ensuring homes are wind and water tight.
Commenting on the Programme for Government set out by the First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, the Chair of Built Environment Forum Scotland, Dr. Graeme Purves, said:
“The commitments on empowering communities and good quality, warm and affordable homes are welcome, but further measures are needed to ensure that homes are kept wind and water tight. It is good that the Scottish Government is open to looking at ways of capturing the uplift in land values for public purposes. This can play an important role in delivering the new houses Scotland needs. BEFS welcomes an expert advisory panel looking at cultural and environmental rights although it may not have time to contribute to the forthcoming Planning Bill.
The Scottish Government needs to give a high priority to building more houses and ensuring that new development creates places of quality. The analysis of responses to the Scottish Government’s review of the planning system shows strong support for more effective delivery mechanisms from all sectors but general scepticism as to whether the Government’s proposals will be effective in delivering more homes. Meeting housing needs and creating places of quality are public objectives. The Scottish Government needs to be bolder it its approach, promoting mechanisms for housing delivery which effectively capture the uplift in the value of land arising from development for the provision of public infrastructure and place-making.”
Read the Scottish Government’s Programme for Government here.
BACK