The Scottish Government Planning Guidance: Biodiversity sets out the Scottish Ministers’ expectations for implementing the biodiversity-related policies of National Planning Framework 4. It positions climate change and nature recovery as guiding principles for planning in Scotland and explains key concepts including biodiversity enhancement, nature-based solutions and nature networks. Regional Spatial Strategies and Local Development Plans should support habitat restoration, ecological connectivity and species recovery, while Strategic Environmental Assessment should identify and address significant environmental effects during plan preparation. For development proposals, the guidance requires biodiversity to be considered from the earliest stages of site selection and design. It promotes the mitigation hierarchy of avoiding, minimising, restoring and offsetting impacts, together with the retention of existing habitats and soils, integration of nature-based solutions, strengthening of habitat connectivity and prioritisation of on-site enhancement. Measures should be proportionate to the development and site sensitivity, informed by ecological surveys and stakeholder engagement, additional to actions that would otherwise occur, and supported by long-term management and monitoring arrangements. All development proposals are expected to contribute to biodiversity enhancement and minimise adverse and cumulative impacts. National, major and environmentally assessed developments must demonstrate that biodiversity will be in a better state than without intervention, using an appropriate qualitative or quantitative assessment method. Local developments must incorporate proportionate biodiversity measures. Where requirements cannot be met entirely on-site, nearby off-site habitat creation or enhancement may be accepted and secured through planning conditions, obligations or conservation burdens. Open-water finfish and shellfish developments are excluded from specified requirements and are instead principally governed by relevant national and regional marine plans.
المملكة المتحدة لبريطانيا العظمى وآيرلندا الشمالية · 2025-12-01