Advertisement
Environment

Scotland aims to cut car use by creating ’20-minute neighbourhoods’ in net zero push

Scotland is aiming to cut car journeys by 20 per cent by 2030

Scotland has set out a bold new vision for towns and cities that aims to cut private car use by ensuring all services are within a 20-minute walk or cycle from a person’s front door.

The planning reforms, which were approved this week, aim to create “20-minute neighbourhoods” as a way to “prioritise tackling the climate crisis and reaching net zero,” planning minister Tom Arthur said.

This would be achieved through strong opposition to planning applications for out-of-town retail parks, drive-through fast food restaurants, and other spaces that would necessitate the use of a car.

Such plans will only be supported if they do not “negatively impact on the principles of local living or sustainable travel”, ministers say, while applications for renewable energy schemes such as wind farms will be prioritised.

Arthur said the new framework was “one of the most important changes since the modern planning system was introduced in 1948”. He added that it will support the development of communities and the economy “in ways that are both sustainable and fair”.

The reforms will also limit spaces dedicated to car parking in towns, with priority given to new cycle lanes and public transport links, so people can take advantage of local amenities and reduce their reliance on a car.

Advertisement
Advertisement

Your support changes lives. Find out how you can help us help more people by signing up for a subscription

Laura Young, a climate activist from Scotland, welcomed the move.

“Twenty-minute neighbourhoods are a true vision. Planning in sustainability and community centred living is key to enhancing the wellbeing of residents across the country,” she told The Big Issue, pointing out how these areas will create local jobs and free up time usually spent in traffic for other activities, such as time with family and friends, exercise, and hobbies.

Young herself moved from Glasgow to the west end of Dundee a few months ago, and says the area she now lives in mirrors a 20-minute neighbourhood, even if it’s not classified as such. 

She said: “Within a five-minute walk I have a local park, a greengrocer, a bakery, a small supermarket, and multiple cafes, pubs and restaurants. A car journey is never needed for my everyday life. I’ve certainly felt the benefits of it, and I’m able to have more time to walk my dog and appreciate my local area.

“I hope more places in Scotland can develop these models of having pretty much everything you need just a stone’s throw away.”

Twenty-minute neighbourhoods are not a new concept, and have already been developed in both Melbourne and Paris. The idea has grown in recent years as a way to tackle the climate crisis by cutting emissions while allowing people to spend more time locally and less time commuting or driving. 

Get the latest news and insight into how the Big Issue magazine is made by signing up for the Inside Big Issue newsletter

Edinburgh Council is already working in partnership with local communities on “a network of healthier, greener and thriving neighbourhoods,” which would help it achieve its own net-zero carbon target.

The idea aligns closely with the Scottish government’s wider target to cut car journeys by 20 per cent by 2030. Currently, cars contribute the most to Scotland’s greenhouse gas emissions compared to other forms of transport.

Gavin Thomson, transport campaigner at Friends of the Earth (FOE) Scotland, said: “Transport is Scotland’s biggest source of climate emissions. Taking action on climate change has to mean taking action to change the ways we travel. Our planning system has had a ‘car is king’ fixation for far too long, and these new measures from the Scottish government hopefully signal an end to that.”

Thomson also pointed out how out-of-town retail parks can damage local economies, which “makes it harder for people to get what they need locally,” and pushes people to drive. He added: “Ideas that reduce car dominance on our streets have benefits far beyond tackling the climate crisis. The air we breathe will be cleaner, people will find it easier and safer to be active, and our communities will be stronger.”

Transport is a primary source of air pollution across the UK and leads to 2,500 premature deaths in Scotland every year, according to FOE Scotland.

Kate Barnard, director of Enjoy the Air, an organisation that provides data on air quality, said: “Pollution continues to be a significant health and environmental concern. Twenty-minute neighbourhoods have the potential to have a really significant and positive impact on air quality.”

Advertisement

Support the Big Issue

For over 30 years, the Big Issue has been committed to ending poverty in the UK. In 2024, our work is needed more than ever. Find out how you can support the Big Issue today.
Vendor martin Hawes

Recommended for you

Read All
Repair Week 2024: There's a simple way to save over £450 per year – start fixing stuff
man fixing computer motherboard with screwdriver for Repair Week 2022
Repair week

Repair Week 2024: There's a simple way to save over £450 per year – start fixing stuff

'It's not just wonky veg': Meet the women using an ancient practice to help tackle food poverty
Food poverty

'It's not just wonky veg': Meet the women using an ancient practice to help tackle food poverty

Angry about raw sewage being dumped into rivers and the sea? Sign this petition with actual s**t
sewage
Sewage pollution

Angry about raw sewage being dumped into rivers and the sea? Sign this petition with actual s**t

'Illegal vapes are already flooding the market': What impact will disposable vapes ban really have?
disposable vape ban
Disposable vapes

'Illegal vapes are already flooding the market': What impact will disposable vapes ban really have?

Most Popular

Read All
Renters pay their landlords' buy-to-let mortgages, so they should get a share of the profits
Renters: A mortgage lender's window advertising buy-to-let products
1.

Renters pay their landlords' buy-to-let mortgages, so they should get a share of the profits

Exclusive: Disabled people are 'set up to fail' by the DWP in target-driven disability benefits system, whistleblowers reveal
Pound coins on a piece of paper with disability living allowancve
2.

Exclusive: Disabled people are 'set up to fail' by the DWP in target-driven disability benefits system, whistleblowers reveal

Here's when UK households to start receiving last cost of living payments
next dwp cost of living payment 2023
3.

Here's when UK households to start receiving last cost of living payments

Citroën Ami: the tiny electric vehicle driving change with The Big Issue
4.

Citroën Ami: the tiny electric vehicle driving change with The Big Issue