2013 is going to be an important year for the land use planning system in Scotland and a real test of the Government’s concern for the natural environment. Amongst various important changes, the third National Planning Framework (NPF) for Scotland is in preparation. The NPF provides a national spatial overview of the country and indicates what type of development the Government believes should happen, and where.
Menie Estate SSSI May 2006 (prior to Donald Trump's development)
To be honest the Scottish Government have a lot to prove to show that the planning system isn’t all about how unpopular, environmentally damaging projects can be bulldozed through against the wishes of local people and those of us who care about Scotland’s wildlife. Although they made a promising start to their first term in Government by refusing consent for the Lewis wind farm in 2008, that was quickly countered when they went out of their way to call in, and overturn, the local authority’s decision and approve Donald Trump’s SSSI wrecking golf course in Aberdeenshire. They also put forward a number of environmentally damaging proposals in the last NPF, NPF2. Not least of these was a coal fired power station at Hunterston in Ayrshire, which would have concreted over a large part of an important intertidal sand flat for wintering water birds as well as emitting masses of additional greenhouse gas emissions. The power station was vigorously opposed by RSPB Scotland, a coalition of other environmental and faith organisations and received well over 20,000 objections (making it the most unpopular application ever in Scotland) before it was eventually abandoned by the developers last year.
The proposed Hunterston development would have damaged important habitat for wintering water birds like redshank (photo: Andy Hay)
NPF2 isn’t all bad though. It includes some promising wording on the value and importance of Scotland’s natural environment. It also identifies a “Central Scotland Green Network” (CSGN) as a national development, which aims to improve the quality of the natural environment across central Scotland, as well as providing new opportunities for sustainable transport and recreation. RSPB Scotland are making real progress towards helping deliver the CSGN through our Inner Forth Futurescape and our role as part of the Inner Forth Landscape Partnership.
We believe the next NPF needs to improve on this. As well as providing further support for the CSGN, it should identify the value of existing important areas for wildlife across Scotland and seek to improve their quality and add to them by identifying a “National Ecological Network” as a national development. This would enhance our existing network of protected wildlife sites and make them more resilient to the effects of continued pressure from development, other land use change and the effects of climate change. RSPB Scotland and the Scottish Wildlife Trust have jointly submitted a proposal for a National Ecological Network to the Scottish Government and we hope they will take it forward.
Protecting and enhancing our natural environment and creating new “green” infrastructure for wildlife will be every bit as important to creating a country where people want to live, work and invest as developing the built infrastructure so beloved of those convinced that “concrete pouring” is all that the economy needs . This is the year of natural Scotland, what better legacy than a commitment to enhance and invest in wildlife and green space? Or will we see more power stations and golf courses on protected wildlife sites in NPF3?