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National Planning Improvement Framework

The new National Planning Improvement Framework was developed with stakeholders from a range of perspectives and interests in planning. The process has been supported and guided by the High Level Group on Planning Performance and it builds upon the learning gathered from the last 12 years of Planning Performance Frameworks (PPFs).

Cohort 1

The National Planning Improvement Framework will be tested incrementally in three separate cohorts throughout the 2024/5 financial year. All planning authorities are expected to be involved at some stage in the pilots. The initial version is being piloted by 10 planning authorities who volunteered for the first cohort, they are:

  • Aberdeenshire Council
  • East Ayrshire Council
  • East Lothian Council
  • City of Edinburgh Council
  • Fife Council
  • Glasgow City Council
  • North Lanarkshire Council
  • Renfrewshire Council
  • Scottish Borders Council
  • Stirling Council

Guidance for cohort 1

This guidance has been sent to the 10 planning authorities in cohort 1. The pilot aims to test this new framework and it is an opportunity to explore what works and what doesn’t. We are gathering feedback from the planning authorities on:

  • ease of use for planning authorities, including the time and resources required.
  • ease of management by the NPI team.
  • ease of use for other stakeholders with a stake in planning performance and improvement.
  • relevance, usability and effectiveness of the identified contributory factors and data sources
  • effectiveness in providing evidence on planning authority performance.

We have also provided the planning authorities with:

Contact us

Craig McLaren, National Planning Improvement Champion

Craig McLaren

National Planning Improvement Champion
craig.mclaren@improvementservice.org.uk
X/Twitter: @CraigMMcLaren

Susan Rintoul, Project Lead in Dalkeith

Susan Rintoul

National Planning Improvement Project Officer
susan.rintoul@improvementservice.org.uk