The 'go to' organisation for Local Government improvement in Scotland

Upcoming Planning Skills Events and Webinars

Please sign up to the Planning Skills mailing list for direct updates on any future events.

We also encourage all local authority planning staff to join the HOPS Knowledge Hub for discussion and updates on other  training events.

Canopy targets and Local Development Plans

17th September 2026, 2:00pm - 4:00pm, Microsoft Teams

This event will explore the growing importance of urban forests and the role of the planning system in increasing tree cover across towns and cities. The agenda will cover:

• The Scottish Government's urban canopy target
• How urban canopy targets are being reflected within LDPs
• The growing use of canopy cover assessments in planning
• Practical experience of implementing urban canopy targets
• Approaches to increasing tree canopy cover in existing urban areas

Register for this event

Previous Planning Skills Events

Find links to recordings of our previous Planning Skills events below.

Members are fully involved in determining priority development needs and how best to meet those needs through on-going dialogue and support.

Scottish Government aspirations for a more "visionary profession" within planning (Places, People and Planning) looks to culture change and improvements to current practice as key contributors to planning realising its full potential. In response, it is felt that the Planning Skills Series should develop to include:

• the promotion of more collaborative learning with other sectors and agencies, and
• lead practice across Scotland as a key element for more experiential learning.

Members are encouraged to contribute thoughts to these or future topics.