Mr. Craig McLaren:

The Senator is looking for examples from elsewhere. I will hark back to Scotland. The 2019 planning Act in Scotland made provision for what were called chief planning officers. That has now been enacted. There is now a provision for every planning authority in Scotland to appoint a chief planning officer. We have found it has not moved to new people being appointed. People in an existing post have taken up that role. What has not yet been enacted in Scotland is the guidance as to what the experience of the chief planning officer should be and the role the person should have. We in the RTPI argue that its role should be one where there is a statutory obligation on the corporate management team to, at least, seek advice from the planning officer on key issues such as policy, finance and the local authority's estate, which means that the planning perspective that brings in sustainable development, climate change and place-based approaches has a voice at the top table. It does not necessarily have to sit at the top table all the time but, at least, it has its voice heard and the planning perspective is listened to as part of that.