This conference will be an opportunity for stakeholders and policymakers to discuss the National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) at a key stage in its development following the publication of the draft Framework, which is subject to consultation until March 31st 2022.

We are pleased to be able to include keynote sessions with Tom Arthur MSP, Minister for Public Finance, Planning and Community Wealth; and Hamish Trench, Chief Executive, Scottish Land Commission.

It comes with The Scottish Government consulting on the Framework, which sets out spatial priorities and potential changes to national policies, including:

• broadening the mix of uses in town centres and creating ‘liveable places’
• requiring investment to contribute to social and environmental value
• taking a longer-term approach to the supply of effective housing land

We expect discussion to focus on the scope and ambition of NPF4, alongside how it can be harnessed to support Scotland’s infrastructure plans and its likely impact on rural planning policy.

Delegates will consider the issues in the context of developments such as the Bute House Agreement and Transforming Places Together: Scotland’s Digital Strategy for Planning, which set out The Scottish Government’s long-term vision for the digital transformation of the planning system and how this can be achieved.

Overall, sessions in the agenda will bring out latest thinking on:

• next steps for planning policy and land use in Scotland
• planning policy following the pandemic
• meeting the needs of communities
• the Digital Strategy for Planning and the goal of digital transformation
• the role of planning in net-zero ambitions
• policy priorities for implementing the new National Planning Framework