A parliamentary committee reviewing the draft Climate Change Plan has heard that planning could be central to delivering the Scottish climate change strategy.

Given evidence to the committee, Craig McLaren, RTPI Scotland director, welcomed the climate change plan but expressed disappointment that it didn’t contain more about the role of the planning system.

He said: “Planners and planning have environmental sustainability and climate change at their heart…they have the tools to do it.”

McLaren went on to describe some of the existing mechanisms in the system that currently protect the environment such as local development plans protecting green space.

In his wide ranging evidence, he said:

He said the current planning review was an opportunity to improve how the system could help deliver, including on climate change. He went on to caution, that the planning system needed to be adequately resourced highlighting that only 0.6% of council funding goes directly to planning services.

The Local Government and Communities Committee is reviewing the Scottish Government’s draft Climate Change Plan.

McLaren appeared alongside other witnesses Chris Wood-Gee from Dumfries and Galloway Council and Dr Philip Revell from Climate Futures.

The committee is due to report in early March.