The Scottish Government issued its updated Planning Guidance: Biodiversity on 17 December 2025, setting out how planning authorities and developers should interpret and apply National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) in relation to biodiversity.
A summary of the key elements of the guidance, following its original publication in November 2023, is covered in our earlier blog.
The refreshed document continues to reinforce the central role of the planning system in tackling the twin climate and nature crises – a recurrent theme throughout NPF4 – and introduces a range of clarifications designed to support consistent implementation across Scotland.
Most of the changes announced in December 2025 are technical in nature, including the addition of new text on the interaction between biodiversity, woodland and forestry policy; and the removal of outdated text, along with updates to references and sources.
In line with post NPF4 case law and appeal decisions, specific reference is added regarding the need for NPF4 to be read and applied as a whole, requiring decision makers to weigh up all relevant policies, as well as relevant material considerations, in applying balanced planning judgement.
Crucially, though, there is limited detail regarding the progress by or timescales for NatureScot producing an adapted biodiversity metric suitable for use in supporting delivery of NPF4 policy 3b, other than to reference NatureScot’s ongoing work on the project.
Comment
While it is helpful to have the updated guidance as an indicator of the extent to which interpretation of biodiversity policy has developed, there is still a lack of information on implementation and the practicalities more generally within the guidance document. As the guidance itself acknowledges, though, it is written and designed to be a ‘living document’ that will likely be updated further as practice continues to bed in across planning authorities.
Further input from NatureScot on a Scottish-specific metric will no doubt be welcomed by all stakeholders when it is published in due course.
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