These are some of the questions posed by the Scottish Government's National Planning Framework 2 (NPF2), the consultation on which has just closed. The document is part of the wider planning reform agenda and one of its key aims is to give statutory backing for big ticket projects, overcoming the considerable implementation delays which have occurred in the past, causing cost overruns and damage to the economy. SCDI has constructively contributed to the planning reform process and it staged a series of workshops to discuss the consultation with its members throughout the country, including one in Inverness.

SCDI welcomes NPF2 and there is much to support in the draft. It usefully sets out the likely economic, social and environmental challenges that will impact on Scotland in future years.

Growth corridors based on zones covering the Central Belt, East Coast, Highlands and Islands, Ayrshire and the South-West and Southern Scotland are outlined. No geographic area should be hindered or constrained by a lack of suitable development, but the focus on Scotland's city regions, including Inverness, is sensible and reflects how economic prosperity will be created.

Overall, however, members felt that the draft does not provide sufficient clarity and ambition.

If the document is to align private sector investment decisions with public sector plans, it needs to provide more of a lead on policy direction and Scotland's development.

NPF2 covers the period to 2030, but it is notable that all nine nationally significant projects are likely to have commenced or been delivered by around 2015.

There is also a lack of transparency about how the nine national projects have been identified and a concern that nearly all are located in the central belt of Scotland. The fear is this will, inevitably, determine the investment priorities of the Scottish Government.

As well as improving links within each of the growth corridors, links between the zones must also be of high quality. SCDI has identified several major transport projects in the Highlands that could be designated national projects, underlining the significant need for investment in internal and global connectivity: the A9 corridor and upgrading the Highland Line, A96 corridor and Inverness Airport Rail Link, and A82 upgrading.

The Nigg Fabrication Yard should also be considered as a nationally significant project.

NPF2 also needs to set a structure that will inform the planning hierarchy from top to bottom, for instance on housing. health and education, major public services and developers of Scotland's skills and research base should have greater prominence, including UHI Millennium Institute.

This region can make a disproportionately large contribution to higher sustainable economic growth in Scotland if backed appropriately.

NPF2 must recognise that Highlands and Islands' priorities are not simply regional, they should be national.

SCDI will be making this point — forcefully — in the Highlands and Islands and nationally.

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