THE Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) Scotland has been announced as an early delivery partner for the Scottish Government’s Digital Planning transformation programme.
The launch of the five-year programme follows the publication in November of Transforming Places Together: Scotland’s digital strategy for planning.
As part of its work on the programme, RTPI Scotland revealed it will explore the ‘digital readiness’ of planners working in the Scottish Government, planning authorities, planning consultancies and other organisations.
The organisation will also assess the current level of skills and knowledge on digital planning, identifying the needs, challenges and opportunities to upskill planners, and test what an effective skills development programme could look like.
The RTPI will deliver this programme, in association with relevant partners, between March 2021 and March 2025.
RTPI Scotland director Craig McLaren said, “RTPI Scotland is delighted to be at the heart of the digital planning transformation programme. Our own research has shown the value that digitising the planning service can have to the economy, to users and to those who manage the system and we believe that this partnership with the Scottish Government can be a real catalyst in making the system more accessible, transparent and collaborative. This is especially important as we move towards a post-Covid green recovery. We are very pleased that the Scottish Government has recognised the importance of investing in the profession so that planners are digital ready and primed to take this forward.”
