NPF4 sets out ministers’ policies and proposals for the development and use of land. It includes the National Spatial Strategy for Scotland 2045, incorporating national developments and regional spatial priorities, and national planning policy to guide decision making on planning applications.

NPF4 and any relevant local development plan (LDP) form the statutory development plan for any given area of Scotland. The planning system in Scotland is plan-led, and decisions on planning applications must be made in accordance with the development plan, unless material considerations indicate otherwise.

The delivery programme sets out the wide-ranging, collaborative action to continue to deliver NPF4 and the policies it contains, since publication of the previous delivery programme. It also provides an update on the 17 National Developments, and a newly-launched digital map to show these.