By Henry McLeish

THOSE of us with an interest in planning are acutely aware of the issues the system faces. It is complex, often lost in departmental structures, human-resource intensive, often disjointed and can create endless conflict between developers and communities with the planning profession stuck in the middle as arbiters and mediators. It often lacks identity in the new world of local government and is too often at the mercy of political direction and the “market”.

However important the structures, systems and resourcing of the planning system are, which we should attempt to put right in the forthcoming Planning Bill, this is not the primary problem we face. Our problem is more fundamental and existential: namely, people and communities often do not see the relevance of the planning system to their everyday lives.

In many communities, planning is viewed as an imposition; something done to us by big developers in partnership with local government. It’s about our neighbour’s extension and stopping the development we don’t like rather than about working together to plan the positive developments we want to see: parks, schools, hospitals, housing.

We must reach out to communities and build a compelling narrative as to why their positive participation in the decisions about the places in which they live and work is vital for our mental, physical and social wellbeing. The question is: how?

I was invited to chair a new multi-organisational body, the Scottish Alliance for People and Places, which launched yesterday and which will aim to provide the answers. The alliance, comprising many organisations across the planning sector, has been established in recognition of the need for those of us eager to see change in the planning system to come together and present a united, ambitious and compelling vision for change. The planning process must acknowledge the positive force that quality economic development can play in creating a more equal society, which is consensus and collaboration.

Given that so much of the planning system is geared towards the provision of housing, it must collaborate in delivering sufficient affordable, mixed-tenure housing. Homelessness is unacceptable. Alongside education and health, housing is a basic human right.

Our economy thrives on investment and innovation. We need quality economic development. We must encourage it in the right places at the right times by engaging with business, underpinned by a consensus in the community about what is required.

In achieving the level of innovation Scotland requires to compete on the global stage, we must deliver high quality and sustainable digital infrastructure and accept that digital capability, in the 21st century, is a fundamental utility, like others such as gas, electricity and roads.

It is the role of the alliance to come together and present innovative and constructive policy solutions, underpinned by an overarching ambitious vision that accepts there is much more work to do.

This means building consensus around developing a planning system that empowers communities to realise a positive and ambitious future, one that recognises that the places in which we live, work and play are fundamental to solving the inequality in our society.

A meaningful and transformational cultural shift is required. However, in order to realise it we must really understand the challenges we face, the scale of the opportunity ahead and present a positive and compelling vision for change.

Henry McLeish is chairman, the Scottish Alliance for People and Places.