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In reaching their decision, Scottish Ministers will determine applications in accordance with legislative requirements and relevant policy. Our National Planning Framework 4 ensures the potential impacts of energy infrastructure projects on communities, nature, and cultural heritage, including the cumulative effects of developments, are important considerations in the decision-making process.

National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) was published following extensive consultation and engagement, including with rural communities, and was adopted by the Scottish Ministers in February 2023. While Scottish Ministers can decide to amend the NPF or review it in full at any time, having an established and consistent policy framework enables confidence in the planning system and so we expect to exercise this power sparingly. We have no current plans to amend NPF4.

The Scottish planning system is plan-led, with a focus on involving all interests as early and effectively as possible. There are a range of opportunities for individuals and communities to get involved during both the plan-making and planning application stages of the planning and development process.

In reaching their decision, Scottish Ministers will determine applications in accordance with legislative requirements and relevant policy. Our Just Transition Plan is just one of many policy documents which is considered as appropriate in the decision-making process.

No new junctions or connections have been added on the A90 trunk road or within the Aberdeen Western Periphery / Balmedie to Tipperty boundary in the last five years.

Transport Scotland’s Approach to Climate Change and Resilience (ACCAR) was published in August 2023 setting out a strategic framework to secure a well-adapted future for Scotland’s transport system. It includes an ambitious Vision for “A transport system which is well adapted and prepared for current and future impacts of climate change, is safe for all users, reliable for everyday journeys, and resilient to weather related disruption.” It can be found here: Transport Scotland’s Approach to Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience

The ACCAR provides our current approach to adaptation and Strategic Outcomes for Road, Rail, Aviation and Maritime transport networks, to address the key climate risks affecting Scotland’s transport system. A key deliverable of this work is the development of a Trunk Road Adaptation Plan, which is intended to be published in the first quarter of 2025. The Trunk Road Adaptation Plan is based on a climate vulnerability and risk assessment using the latest UK climate projections. This will compliment work of our Vulnerable Locations Group, who have been providing a number of improvements across Scotland’s trunk road network in response to extreme weather-related disruption.

There are 38.25 miles of street lighting over 150.1 miles of the A90 trunk road and the junctions of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route. There are currently no plans to extend this coverage.

The Scottish Government currently has no plans to introduce a centralised fee for multi-agency involvement in environmental authorisations. SEPA is Scotland’s environmental regulator, responsible for granting environmental authorisations, and regularly consults and updates the Environmental Regulations (Scotland) Charging Scheme 2018 for fees and charges.

As SEPA are directly responsible for its day-to-day operations, I have asked Nicole Paterson, Chief Executive of SEPA to respond. Her response is as follows:

During normal working hours the customer hub will handle any queries it receives in relation to SEPA’s role and operation which will be directed as appropriate. This includes any queries received in relation to activities controlled through the Environmental Authorisations (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2025. During out of hours periods, the customer hub service continues to provide an immediate response to emergency calls. Any non-urgent calls not requiring escalation, e.g. not related to an urgent environmental event, are triaged and responded to during standard working hours.

The Land Reform Bill will support community ownership through advance notice of certain sales from large landholdings. Communities may then be able to purchase this land, including through existing community rights to buy powers, where a community body may not have expected that the land would be sold.

On sustainable land use practices, Part 2 of the Bill provides for a new land management tenancy to enable people and communities to undertake a range of land management activities; helping to deliver net zero, biodiversity and sustainable and regenerative agricultural ambitions.

The Bill will place legal responsibilities on owners of large landholdings to set out how they use their land and how that contributes to key public policy priorities, like addressing climate change and protecting and restoring nature.

Also, in addition to my answer to S6W-32938 on 17 January 2025 about the new land management tenancy, tenant farmers and small landholders will have more equality of opportunity to deliver net zero improvements to the land they farm and cultivate. This will enable them to become more sustainable and productive in their farming and be rewarded for their investment of time and resources.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers