RICS Scotland Planning & Development and Environment Professional Group Board

Planning & Development
The RICS Scotland Planning & Development and Environment Professional Group Board exists to promote, influence and advise on issues affecting chartered surveyors in Scotland.

RICS Scotland Planning & Development and Environment Professional Group Board members have been busy working on particular areas of current interest for the profession and the current market needs of the membership. Below is a summary of some of these issues.

Technical Information: The Board are reviewing a paper which will look at a local authority’s general duty when disposing of land and property to achieve the "best consideration". They are pressing for this to be a formal RICS Guidance Note as this carries with it certain formal requirements and obligations for RICS members.

Guidance Notes: RICS UK are working on 3 detailed briefs which an RICS Scotland working party will also review and provide specific input for Scotland. The projects are:

• Updating the RICS PSAM Guidelines
• Collaboration
• Private sector involvement in public sector solutions 

Scottish Government Workshop on Planning Fees: These workshops will be attended by a Board representative where reviewing of planning fees and structures will be discussed. The Board are keeping a watching brief on how these Scottish Government proposals are being developed.

Networking: The Board will hold a series of networking lunches. They have identified the following:

• Scottish Government Planning Team. The board meet regularly with the Chief Planner and his team. They are proposing to meet him and three representatives from his team again for a networking lunch with September 2011.
• City Regions (Two). The Scottish Government propose to set up four new Strategic Development Planning Authorities in Scotland’s city regions. Members of the Board had met with the Edinburgh City Region Heads of Planning to discuss further and are proposing to meet with Glasgow City Region Heads of Planning and the Aberdeen and NE City Region Heads of Planning.
  

Planning & Development and Environment Professional Group Board