BLOG - 50 years ago at midnight tonight, the last of Scotland's local democracy was eradicated. So little do we care about this that I suspect this may be the only publication marking the occasion. andywightman.scot/2025/05/50-y...

If you live in the West of Scotland & want a better bus network like Edinburgh, Manchester or London... that's what SPT's Regional Bus Strategy could give us. Check it out & respond to the consultation. Closing date 29 May! www.spt.co.uk/srbs-draft/

Excellent result - great to see GURCA anchoring this asset transfer - www.inverness-courier.co.uk/news/communi...

A blueprint for Glasgow’s rail future: inspiring and exciting proposals from @garethdennis.bsky.social thanks to the excellent @glasgowbell.bsky.social - published a few months old now but relevant for years to come! www.glasgowbell.co.uk/a-blueprint-...

I have sent a briefing to MSPs in advance of the Stage One debate on the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill on Wednesday. Read it here. andywightman.scot/wp-content/u...

A fuller perspective on LinkedIn on the Community Wealth Building Bill published today www.gov.scot/news/boostin...

Are you interested in supporting a planner in their career development? Join us for this webinar on our new mentoring programme, understand the support available and gain insight into the many advantages of mentoring. 📅 Wednesday 26 March, 2pm-3pm Sign up today 👇 www.rtpi.org.uk/events/2025/...

Enjoyed our recent pieces or found value in them? Consider joining us as a paying member, as our journalism costs time and money. We want to prove there's a future for independent media in the UK. Help us!

My colleague @susanrintoul.bsky.social has written a very interesting think piece paper reflecting on the peer collaborative review aspects of the National Planning Improvement Framework looking at approach taken, feedback received and impact made www.improvementservice.org.uk/products-and...

Ukraine has supplied the U.S. with extensive intelligence and vast amounts of data on Russian technology, captured equipment, battlefield operational guides, weapon performance, and countermeasures against US provided systems. A shame no one seems to remembers or appreciates it

Many congratulations to @drcarolinebrown.bsky.social RTPI's Director of Scotland, Ireland and English Regions for making the The Planner RTPI Women of Influence list 👏 - what a way to celebrate #InternationalWomensDay www.theplanner.co.uk/2025/03/07/p... #IWD25

My comment on sale of Inverbroom Estate. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

This will be a key workshop for those thinking of taking on their church building - www.spab.org.uk/whats-on/cou...

The Feb 2025 update to Who Owns Scotland is now published. It adds 100 new landholdings bringing total to 3800 landholdings covering 74.7% of rural Scotland. The project is financed solely by subscription income. Please subscribe at whoownsscotland.org.uk

We have published, through the national planning hub, an insights report on the challenges involved in planning for hydrogen. A blog summarising this is at www.improvementservice.org.uk/insights/202... The full report can be read at www.improvementservice.org.uk/__data/asset...

Scottish Government’s Planning and Regeneration Directorate has published guidance for candidates looking to apply for its Future Planners Programme 2025. There are 18 places available on the programme. www.gov.scot/publications...

Scottish Government’s Minister for Public Finance, Ivan McKee, outlines approaches to public service reform and efficiences in @heraldscotland.bsky.social www.heraldscotland.com/politics/hol...

If a developer chooses to challenge a planning decision, they are free to do so. If a community wishes to do so, they will incur cripplingly expensive legal costs. Who thinks that is fair and reasonable? This Dundee community could use your support. www.crowdjustice.com/case/save-ri...

Despite all of the challenges - legal and meteorological - we did it! After 40 years of damaging deregulation, Greater Manchester has this morning successfully retaken control of the whole its bus network. 🙌🏻

Excellent piece about Sauchiehall St by @glasgowbell.bsky.social … with a link to a fascinating historical storymap by Glasgow Uni

Land acquisition by public bodies has a stronger role to play to address Scotland’s rural housing crisis, according to a new report issued by the @scottishlandcom.bsky.social www.landcommission.gov.scot/news-events/...

Bookings are now open for the Scottish Young Planners' Conference 2025 which will explore "The Purpose of Planning" on 1 May. Speakers to include RTPI President Helen Fadipe, RTPI Scotland Convenor Laura Robertson and Minister for Public Finance Ivan McKee MSP www.rtpi.org.uk/events/2025/...

A letter has been published by the Minister for Public Finance and Chief Planner setting out Scottish Government priorities for planning in 2025 www.gov.scot/publications...

Hello Bluesky! We are Planning Aid Scotland, here to help you navigate the planning system. We offer free and impartial advice, and support local communities, organisations and planning authorities to achieve better placemaking. Follow us for updates, resources and ways to get involved!

Check out this newly published series of short videos about Local Place Plans. Great working with you on this @nwplanning.bsky.social and Paul Nelis (Scottish Community Development Center)! www.scdc.org.uk/local-place-...

What a journey!! My reflections on more than THREE years of learning and creating tools to support anyone looking to implement a place based approach. So many thanks to ALL who have contributed to this legacy of support that can now be applied for years to come! lnkd.in/eb-U_NdS

An interesting piece of research of relevance to planners addressing how demographic change is affecting different places differently...

Could community ownership be the solution for your local area? 🤔 On Tue 14 January, Plunkett adviser Misty Bower will share practical advice to help you turn your project into a success. ➡️ https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/your-community-owned-business-from-idea-to-reality-tickets-1091115749579

Stob Ban from Meall Dearg from a winter way back. Remember lying diagonal on my back, heels dug deep in a steep snow bank to get this. The intermittent snow storms didn't help either.. #Scotland #Highlands #Mamores damianshields.com

You can now read the regular column I write for The Planner magazine. It is called 'Planning Positive' and it sets out my thoughts on Scottish planning to highlight what has worked, and what hasn’t, and to share experience and practice across the UK. www.theplanner.co.uk/planning-pos...

WaPo cartoonist resigns after Post rejects her cartoon of billionaires paying tribute to Donald Trump, one of whom happens to be her boss, Jeff Bezos. Satire has literally died. anntelnaes.substack.com/p/why-im-qui...

Hello and welcome to our new BlueSky page! Here @foi.scot we promote and enforce Freedom of Information (FOI) laws in Scotland. #FOI gives everyone a right to access information from Scotland's public bodies. Give us a follow to keep up to date with our work! www.foi.scot/your-rights

Every now and then, someone sticks something in front of me, and I think: "Ooh - why have I never seen that before?" Behold 'Alterations, Corner of Hope Street and Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow' by Thomas Hunt (1854–1929), painted in 1913.

The absurdity of surrendering so much public space to cars is often only clear in hindsight. Grand Place Brussels 🇧🇪

Amazon uses our ambulances, uses our roads, benefits from our education system… yet pays f**k all tax. This is wrong. Why isn’t HMRC insisting Amazon pays its fair share of tax?

www.scotsman.com/news/opinion... Excellent piece from @joycemcm.bsky.social Making the case for the restoration of genuine local democracy

There’s a lot of planning about just now, and here’s a bit more to add in to the mix: the latest issue of the Scottish Planner is out now. Focussed on the Annual Conference in October, it’s themed around place-making and the legacy of Patrick Geddes.

Delighted that my latest Planning Positive column has been published by The Planner magazine. It asks if there a lesson for England from Scotland’s planning reform process 👇🏼 www.theplanner.co.uk/2024/12/17/t...

Range of great projects in the latest round of SLF announcements - we're delighted for all www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... @dtascotland.bsky.social

The Nov 2024 update to Who Owns Scotland is now published. No new properties this month but all 3600 landholdings covering 73.97% of rural Scotland updated. The project is financed solely by subscription income. Please subscribe at whoownsscotland.org.uk

The UK parliament has joined Bluesky, with proper verified domains and everything: • @houseofcommons.parliament.uk • @houseoflords.parliament.uk • @ukparliament.parliament.uk • @commonsspeaker.parliament.uk

It's #SURFawards time again! Excellent celebration last night of brilliant community regeneration around Scotland - congratulations to the award winners & all those shortlisted: surf.scot/2024-surf-aw... Be inspired by latest best practice in the awards publication: surf.scot/wp-content/u...

I belong to Glasgow. But do I really? My piece for @glasgowbell.bsky.social about the guilt of living just over the East Renfrewshire boundary, and paying nothing towards the city's upkeep, something I've been musing on for a long time. www.glasgowbell.co.uk/should-glasg...

A dear friend of NGS spotted the reopening of the restaurant at Hutcheson's Hall. It is one of the #listedbuildings we keep an eye on. It's now rebranded as Saints of lngram, and the windows offer more see-through than before. Good luck to the team 🙌🏽 📍 158 Ingram Street

Have you engaged with Scottish planning authorities recently? We are undertaking a national customer and stakeholder survey which is your opportunity to say what is working and where improvements can be made. ⬇️ www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/IS_Nationa...

A brilliant blog by Kate from Cumbernauld & Carbrain Community Hub looking back on our joint planning workshop with Planning Democracy. Thank you for the kind words 💚 More on @corrafoundation.bsky.social website 👇 🔍Our Winter Webinar series has another session next week 👉 aprs.scot/event/joint-...

🌍 Our Chief Executive, @hamishtrench.bsky.social , reflected on 50 years of land economy teaching at the University of Aberdeen and Scotland’s land reform journey. From community ownership to natural capital, progress continues, but challenges remain. www.landcommission.gov.scot/news-events/...

You wanted starter packs to be searchable. Our engineers are busy keeping us online, so in the meantime, an independent developer built a new searchable library of starter packs. This is the beauty of building in the open 🦋