Section 4 – Plans and programmes
12.This section describes the plans and programmes, and modifications to them, that are potentially subject to environmental assessment. The plan or programme must relate solely to the whole or any part of Scotland. Those that relate to Scotland and any other part of the UK come within the provisions of The Environmental Assessment of Plans and Programmes Regulations 2004 (SI 2004/1633)(“The UK Regulations”)
13.Section 4 (3) details certain absolute exclusions. These are plans or programmes that relate solely to national defence or civil emergency; finance and budgetary plans or programmes and the specified EU co-financed plans and programmes.
14.As mentioned previously, section 4(4) provides that any reference to plans and programmes in the Act includes strategies.