Party Manifestos - Planning

The planning systems in both Scotland and England have seen real change in the last eighteen months, with a new National Planning Framework in Scotland and planning reforms underway in England with the updated National Planning Policy Framework and the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023.

With the election on 4 July, further changes to the planning system are proposed by different parties. Here is a glance at the key planning proposals in the main parties' manifestos either side of the border:

Labour

Scotland	England
Reform of NPF4 to align it with their long-term strategic objectives on growth, housing, and net zero.	Update the NPPF to restore mandatory housing targets.
Creation of a national planning agency with specialist planning teams to supplement local authority planning resources.	Take tough action to ensure that planning authorities have up-to-date Local Plans and reform and strengthen the presumption in favour of sustainable development.
Explore options to streamline the process for strategically important projects.	Fund additional planning officers for planning authorities through increased stamp duty for non-UK residents.
Prioritise the development of brownfield sites and unlock disused grey belt land for housing and development.	Adopt a brownfield first approach, fast-tracking approval for urban brownfield sites.
Explore options for greater use of regional planning and enterprise zones to identify key areas for development.	Prioritise the release of lower quality "grey belt" land and introduce "golden rules" to ensure development benefits both communities and nature.
Consider fee options to increase flexibility for small businesses and allow councils to fully recover fees when deadlines are met.	Adopt a strategic approach to greenbelt designation and release.
Create a new National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority from existing bodies, to set strategic infrastructure priorities and to oversee the design, scope, and delivery of infrastructure projects	Propose a series of new towns, alongside urban extensions and regeneration projects for new large-scale communities across England.
	Introduce new mechanisms for cross-boundary strategic planning.
	Strengthen planning obligations to ensure new developments provide more affordable housing and support councils in their affordable housing supply.
	Seek to unlock building homes affected by nutrient neutrality without weakening environmental protections.

Conservatives

Scotland	England
Ensure that councils have the final say on planning decisions by ending appeals to the Scottish Government.	Propose a fast track planning route through for new homes on brownfield land in the 20 largest cities.
Propose an application round for a new freeport in Scotland.	Amend judicial review laws to reduce frivolous legal challenges that are without merit.
A suspension of the short term lets licensing scheme and undertake a full review to develop a new approach to balance local housing needs	Abolish the EU nutrient neutrality rules, instead requiring developers to pay a one-off mitigation fee so there is no net additional pollution.
	Retaining their commitment to protect the green belt from uncontrolled development.
	Reduce average consenting times for major infrastructure projects from four years to one.
	Continue reforms of the environmental impact regime alongside introducing reforms to better protect nature while enabling the building of more new schemes.
	Reduce the cost of infrastructure by allowing quicker changes to consented projects.

Liberal Democrats

Scotland	England
No proposals relating to planning in Scotland	Ensuring new developments result in significant net gain for biodiversity, with up to a 100% net gain for large developments.
	Empowering Local Nature Recovery Strategies to identify a new "Wild Belt" for nature’s recovery
	Expanding Neighbourhood Planning
	Reforming compulsory purchase legislation to allow councils to buy land for housing based on current use value rather than hope value.
	Allowing Councils to set their own planning fees.
	Offer financial incentives for brownfield development, and ensuring affordable and social housing is included in such projects.
	Introduce "use it or lose it" planning permissions for developers refusing to build.
	Allow councils to create a new planning use class for short term lets.