NPF4
Supports growing in communities
Earlier in the year GrowGreen Scotland, with input from Social Farms and Gardens Community Land Advisory Service, had a constructive meeting with the Scottish Government Heads of Planning team. Following a positive meeting on how the planning system can actively support communtiy food growing and vice versa the Chief Planner issued the detail outlined below in a letter to all local authority planning teams. The full version can be viewed here https://www.gov.scot/publications/planning-work-programme-update-chief-planner-and-ministerial-letter-september-2024/.
Land for growing produce, community growing, and allotments
We have heard from some stakeholders who have found it challenging to identify how proposals for community growing relate to the planning system.
The Scottish Government is supportive of community growing and allotments. NPF4 policy 20(b) supports growing spaces in principle, and policy 23(a) also encourages developments that will have positive effects on health, noting that this could include proposals with opportunities for exercise, community food growing or allotments. Community growing is also noted as a potential contributor to local living and to the six qualities of successful places. The Central Scotland Green Network national development includes proposals for allotments or community food growing at scale (over 2 hectares). Wider Scottish Government policies and legislation also support community food growing, including its local food strategy ‘Local Food for Everyone’ (January 2024) and part 9 of the Community Empowerment Act.
Section 26(2)(e) of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 sets out that land for the purposes of agriculture or forestry does not constitute development, and the Scottish Government considers that use of land for allotments can be viewed as agriculture. In practice it is for planning authorities to determine whether permission is required.
Where the focus is on using the land for growing and there is no associated development, it is not expected that planning permission will be required. However, associated development such as access roads and sheds on allotments are likely to need permission. Planning fees will be applicable in such circumstances. This varies depending on the area covered by the development. Planning authorities can waive and reduce fees, in line with their published charter setting out the circumstances where this would be the case. Charters must include, but are not limited to, applications which are primarily contributing to a ‘not for profit’ or social enterprise, and applications which the planning authority considers likely to contribute to improving the health of residents.