Infrastructure Strategy 2027-2037: consultation

Chapter 8 - Consultation Questions and Next Steps

Role of the Infrastructure Strategy

1. Do you agree with the scope and role of the Infrastructure Strategy?

2. Do you think the proposed framework, linking the 30-year Needs Assessment, 10‑year Infrastructure Strategy, Spending Reviews and annual Budgets will support improved strategic planning and delivery? Are there any further improvements you want to suggest?

Infrastructure Governance Principles

3. Do any elements of the infrastructure lifecycle need to be strengthened to promote more effective infrastructure planning and delivery?

4. In what areas could changes to governance or planning processes across the public sector improve the impact of the investment hierarchy?

Infrastructure Themes and Enablers

5. Do you agree that enabling net zero and environmental sustainability, driving economic growth, and building resilient places continue to be the right outcomes to guide infrastructure investment over the next decade?

6. Are the three proposed enablers, public assets, place-making and private investment, sufficient to deliver the Strategy’s outcomes? Are there other enablers we should consider instead/additionally?

7. What mechanisms or approaches should the Infrastructure Strategy adopt to ensure that critical cross-cutting priorities, such as housing delivery, regional economic development, and natural infrastructure are systematically embedded in investment planning and decision making?

8. Are there any findings from the SFT Needs Assessment (perhaps from drivers of change, cross-cutting themes or enablers) that we should more fully integrate into this 10-year Infrastructure Strategy?

Place-Based Approach

9. Do you support the proposal that infrastructure investment is more directly driven by the priorities of places across Scotland?

10. Are the proposed principles, national spatial priorities and place partnerships, the right ones to guide a place-based approach? Are there other principles we should consider?

11. Do you agree with the Scottish Government’s proposal to empower communities to play a more active role in infrastructure decision making? What mechanisms would best support meaningful community involvement and help to maximise local social benefits?

12. Do you believe the current landscape of local and regional partnerships (e.g. Community Planning Partnerships, Regional Economic Partnerships, HubCos, Regional Adaptation Partnerships) provides an effective framework for delivering place-based infrastructure investment? Please explain your answer, including any suggestions for improvement of existing structures.

Enabling Private Infrastructure

13. Are there additional sectors or opportunities that should be considered for strategic investment to support economic growth and maximise opportunities for longer-term growth?

14. To make the most of the strategic opportunities in renewables, housing, and natural capital, what will the economy need from our infrastructure to grow and thrive up to 2037?

Next Steps

Thank you for taking the time to engage with this consultation. Your views are essential to shaping Scotland’s Infrastructure Strategy for 2027-2037. All responses will be carefully considered and will inform the development of the final strategy, which we intend to publish later in 2026.

Following the close of the consultation, the Scottish Government will:

Analyse all responses in line with our standard consultation process, ensuring transparency and accountability.

Publish a full analysis report summarising the feedback received and setting out how it has influenced the final strategy. This report will be made available on the Scottish Government website.

Engage further with stakeholders including businesses, academic institutions, local authorities, and delivery partners, where necessary, to refine proposals and address key issues raised during consultation.

Prepare and publish the final Infrastructure Strategy in 2026, providing a clear framework for future spending reviews and investment decisions.

Your contributions will help ensure that Scotland’s infrastructure is resilient, sustainable, and aligned with the needs of our people and places for the next decade and beyond.