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issued jointly by TRANSform Scotland &
Living Streets Scotland NEWS RELEASE Monday 19th April 2004 New Scottish transport planning policy ignores public health and the environment TRANSform Scotland and Living Streets Scotland today
set out their criticisms of the Scottish Executive proposals to change
Scotland's transport planning policies. [1] The groups have accuse the
Scottish Executive of ignoring vital public health, social inclusion and
environmental policies in framing the new guidelines for planners. [2] John Russell, Secretary of Living Streets Scotland,
said: "The new guidelines are a biased, oversimplified,
and grossly inferior discussion of planning principles for transport.
A coherent, credible and helpful policy context section set out in the
previous document has been replaced by one that is none of these. There
is no obvious reason for this unless it is a deliberate attempt to weaken
it. "The policy almost entirely ignores public health and social inclusion. These are astounding omissions given current Scottish Executive health policy concerns over increasing obesity, and the contribution that active travel modes such as walking and cycling can make to reducing obesity and improving the health of the population generally. So much for joined-up government!" Colin Howden, TRANSform Scotland Campaign Manager,
said: "The removal of environmental planning constraints
for airport developments is particularly worrying. While one end of the
Scottish Executive tells us that climate change is a major challenge,
the planning agenda appears to have been captured by the demands for more
and larger airports. "Given air transport’s position as the
least energy efficient and most polluting form of transport, and in particular
air transport’s excessive and unsustainable contribution to climate
change emissions, we consider this to be an unacceptable weakening of
the planning framework and a major threat to the environment." ENDS Notes to Editors: [1] The joint submission is in response to the Scottish
Executive consultation on the 'Scottish Planning Policy (SPP17) Planning
for Transport' draft guidelines. SPP17, once finalised, will be the key
document that developers and planners will have to take account of when
designing and making decisions upon all new developments that have implications
for transport. This includes all new roads, railways, cycleways, airports
and ports. SPP17 is the proposed replacement for NPPG17 (National Planning Policy Guideline 17) on Transport and Planning, issued in 1998.
END OF NEWS RELEASE
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