Local living and 20 minute neighbourhoods - draft guidance consultation: impact assessment report update

Fairer Scotland Duty Assessment (FSDA)

Assessment not required declaration

Title Draft Guidance on Local Living and 20 Minute Neighbourhoods

Lead official Sandy Robinson

Directorate Local Government and Housing Directorate

Division Planning, Architecture and Regeneration Division

Team Architecture, Place & Design Innovation

Assessment not required - Rationale for decision

The Fairer Scotland Duty applies to 'decisions of a strategic nature' – these are the key, high-level decisions that the public sector takes, such as deciding priorities and setting objectives.

We have considered the Fairer Scotland Duty Guidance for Public Bodies, and its advice on defining 'strategic decisions'. In general, these will be decisions that affect how the public body fulfils its intended purpose, often over a significant period of time. They may also be coordinated with other strategic decisions as part of an overarching plan. These would normally include strategy documents, decisions about setting priorities, allocating resources, delivery or implementation and commissioning services – all decisions agreed at Board level (or equivalent). The Duty also applies to any changes to, or reviews of, these decisions, not just the development of new strategic documents.

Strategic decisions will have a major impact on the way in which other tactical and day-to-day operational decisions are taken; but they are not in themselves tactical or operational.

This proposal relates to the preparation of draft guidance on local living and 20 minute neighbourhoods to support the implementation of the fourth National Planning Framework (NPF4), adopted by Scottish Ministers on 13 February 2023.

The draft guidance provides explanatory details on the policy content within NPF4 and supports an existing policy framework that has been subject to extensive consultation and scrutiny.

We therefore do not consider the preparation of this guidance to constitute a strategic decision under the definition in the Fairer Scotland Duty Guidance for Public Bodies, and therefore an assessment is not required.

I confirm that the decision to not carry out a Fairer Scotland assessment has been authorised by:

Name and job title; Dr Fiona Simpson, Chief Planner

Date authorisation given; 17 March 2023