Here, you can make your voice heard on climate policies and decisions. We provide direct links to open consultations, track the responses we gave, and offer resources to help you craft informed submissions.
Together, we can influence the future of climate action by engaging in consultations, and drive meaningful change. Your voice matters.
Stay informed about current opportunities to share your views and influence climate policies both in West Lothian and across Scotland. Note deadlines for those closing soon.
Two committees of the Scottish Parliament are seeking views on the impact of hyperscale data centres. The Climate Action Committee wants to understand the environmental impacts of potential construction and operation. The Economy, Tourism and Energy Committee is intera ested in understanding the potential economic and energy implications of centre development. Parliament is inviting responses through a short survey for people who wish to share their views, and a call for detailed evidence from professional and academic groups. Closes 15 November 2026. Find them both here.
West Lothian Council is in the process of replacing the current West Lothian Local Development Plan (LDP1) which was adopted in September 2018.
The proposed timetable for producing a new LDP was agreed by the council on 3 March 2026. The Development Plan Scheme explains what a Development Plan is, outlines how the council intends to prepare and consult on LDP 2, and includes a Participation Statement – a guide on how the public can get involved. Read more on the DPS and Statement.
Stay on top of the progress of LDP2 here.
SEPA’s main consultation hub is here.
West Lothian Council’s open consultations including links to the Development Plan Scheme can be found here.
See live NatureScot consultations and the list of previous surveys here.
Transport Scotland’s consultations hub is here.
The Scottish Government maintains a full directory of open and recent consultations:
Stay informed about proposed developments and share your views on their environmental impact.
Find all West Lothian planning applications using this link. You can search all the latest planning applications by area for this week or this month’s applications.
Across West Lothian groups meet regularly to discuss high-level local area plans and town management. Community Development Trusts and the Joint Forum of Community Councils work to ensure people in relevant areas are consulted about what’s happening locally. Plans include health and social care, biodiversity, local development and active travel.
An overview of the plans and contact details for all the CDTs and community councils can be found here.
Explore our contributions to key consultations.
WLCAN responded to the Scotland’s peatland standard consultation on 26th August, with our main point being the need for clearer rules rather than discretionary guidelines. This is the second consultation we have responded to since March 2026 with a common theme emerging of too little mandatory change and too much left to the discretion of the landowner.
The Scottish Government Draft Climate Change Plan closed 29 January: WLCAN has drafted a response to the plan along with presentation slides for discussion. Read WLCAN’s response.
We’ve also summarised the consultation as presentation slides.
The government’s plans are available in various levels of readership. Read the main background. There’s also an easy read version and a young people and children’s version.
Public consultations have taken place to protect West Lothian’s 6km stretch of coast. The most recent, on January 29, followed an earlier event which WLCAN attended, see summary here. We’ll bring updates about the latest developments.
CRSES has published its first climate risk and opportunity assessment for the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region. Read the summary of climate impacts on West Lothian.
WLCAN has established a number of forums with other organisations in West Lothian. These cover: Active Travel, Growers, Biodiversity, Circular Economy, Aquatic.
The forums meet regularly to take forward work actively being done in each theme. They are open to members and non-members to join.
Active Travel Forum – set up in 2025 by WLCAN in partnership with West Lothian Bike Library and Linlithgow CDT. Meets every two months. Now has multiple partners from voluntary, public, community and transport sectors. Key achievements.
Growers’ Forum – a pre-existing forum for community gardeners, which WLCAN has been supporting as almost all of its members are WLCAN members. They meet about every three months in person, and gardens take turns to host.
Biodiversity – WLCAN has partnered with West Lothian Council to build a network of groups working in biodiversity. These are linked under the Local Biodiversity Action Plan and have a number of sub-groups. They meet roughly quarterly with in-person and hybrid meetings.
Circular economy forum – set up at the start of 2026 to feed into the Scottish Government’s circular economy consultation and bring together relevant network members. Quarterly meetings at different venues specialising in waste reduction, food sharing, pre-owned clothes and textiles reuse, repair skills and crafting, tools and equipment sharing.
Contact WLCAN for meeting schedules,
Engage with local and national politicians to push for change and to move climate change up the agenda.
This can be daunting or you may not know how to start, or what remits politicians have at council, Scottish Government or UK Government level.
WLCAN has put together a Guide to Engaging with Politicians to help you contact the right person and raise issues in a productive way.
West Lothian Council has a page signposting to organisations where you can volunteer to help nature. This arose out of the LBAP Volunteering for Nature working group. Webpage.
