You can read a series of blogs highlighting good practice, lesson learned and future issues facing planning from the NPI team and others.
Creating a journey to better customer care in planning services
Craig McLaren, National Planning Improvement Champion, discusses how the findings of a new customer and stakeholder survey are informing ways forward for planning authorities.
(Improvement Service, April 2025)
Insights on planning for hydrogen
Craig McLaren discusses the challenges and opportunities in planning for hydrogen that have been identified through discussions with planning authorities, hydrogen industry, agencies and regulators.
(Improvement Service, February 2025)
National Planning Improvement have launched a National Customer and Stakeholder survey
Susan Rintoul, Improvement Lead in the National Planning Improvement Team, explains how its Customer and Stakeholder Survey can help improve experiences with planning authorities.
(Improvement Service, November 2024)
How we’re ensuring there’s a place for place in Scotland
Craig McLaren outlines how a variety of national tools and programmes put an emphasis on placemaking in Scottish planning.
(The Planner, October 2024)
A new national Planning Improvement Hub
Craig McLaren discusses the new national planning Improvement Hub, which will help build capacity and resilience in Scotland’s planning system
(Improvement Service, September 2024)
Reflecting on the National Planning Improvement Framework
Susan Rintoul of the National Planning Improvement team reflects on the first cohort of piloting the National Planning Improvement Framework.
(Improvement Service, August 2024)
Are we marking time, or taking time, for collaboration?
Craig McLaren suggests that we need to make the time to take a more collaborative approach to planning
(The Planner, July 2024)
Piloting of the new National Planning Performance Framework has started
Susan Rintoul reflects on the past few months developing the National Planning Improvement Framework and plans for its pilot.
(Improvement Service, April 2024)
Collaboration is key to improving planning
Craig McLaren and Susan Rintoul set out the findings of the National Planning Improvement Champion’s call for ideas and outline how it is shaping the way we measure the success of planning.
(Improvement Service, February 2024)
Championing improvement in Scotland's planning system
Craig McLaren discusses approaches to championing improvement in Scotland’s planning system
(Local Government Improvement Unit, February 2024)
Collaboration is ‘imperative’ to tackle challenges facing planning in Scotland (The Planner)
Although opinions differ over what good planning looks like, collaboration across sectors will be vital to meet the challenges facing the profession in Scotland and the system in which it works.
(The Planner magazine, February 2024)
National Planning Improvement Champion: Collaboration is key to improving planning
Craig McLaren and Susan Rintoul set out the findings of the National Planning Improvement Champion’s call for ideas and outline how it is shaping the way we measure the success of planning.
(Scottish Housing News, February 2024)
National Planning Improvement Champion: Collaboration is key to improving planning
Craig McLaren and Susan Rintoul set out the findings of the National Planning Improvement Champion’s call for ideas and outline how it is shaping the way we measure the success of planning.
(Scottish Construction Now, February 2024)
Industry Insight: Championing Improvement in Scotland's Planning System
(SPF Voice, Scottish Property Federation, January 2024)
The National Planning Improvement Champion – a new way of supporting a high performing planning system
Craig McLaren discusses his plans to support those involved in planning to create a high-performing planning system.
(The Scottish Planner, December 2023)
What are your ambitions for the planning system?
Craig McLaren, Scotland’s new National Planning Improvement Champion, issues his call for ideas on what a high-performing planning system looks like and what impact it has.
(Improvement Service, October 2023)
First National Planning Improvement Champion appointed
Scotland’s first National Planning Improvement Champion has begun work, based within the Improvement Service.
(Improvement Service, September 2023)
Supporting improvement in the planning system
Craig McLaren, Scotland's new National Planning Improvement Champion, sets out how he intends to work with planning authorities and others to create a high performance planning system.
(Improvement Service,September 2023)
Craig McLaren
National Planning Improvement Champion
Susan Rintoul
Improvement Lead
Contact the National Planning Improvement team on NPI@improvementservice.org.uk.