There is an atavistic and understandable resistance to change. But when change becomes inevitable and necessary, it is incumbent on responsible professional people to embrace it and to help ease it on its way.
That is the position we have now reached in the complex and, some might say, creaking Scottish planning system, which currently is under review and open to recommendations until the end of this month (February 29).
For all the many, many stakeholders in the system - academics, house builders, economists, politicians, environmentalists, planners, architects, lawyers, surveyors and, of course, those potentially impacted by housing developments - this is an opportunity which should not be allowed to pass by.
There is little doubt that the planning system has to change. There was a general nod of agreement when the First Minister announced a "root and branch review with a particular emphasis on increasing the delivery of high quality housing developments".
The review's remit of "identifying the scope for further reform with a focus on delivering a quicker, more accessible and efficient planning process" was, many felt, long overdue.
But there are paradoxes inherent even in these good intentions. The very bodies which are being encouraged to provide greater efficiency and better results - the planning authorities of the 32 local councils - have never been under such fiscal pressure. And the cuts are falling on planning departments as sharply as everywhere else.
Developers, too, are under pressure. Though many people view the idea with distaste, they have to make a profit in order to continue in business and provide the homes for which society is crying out.
But in many cases they face intractable infrastructure issues which are major constraints on the timeous delivery of housing, such as schools capacity, water supply, roads and drainage capacity that can led to significant delays in delivery.
Planning authorities now as a matter of routine require a "developer contribution" as a prerequisite for planning permission - which can amount to hundreds of thousands of pounds, and effectively loads the cost new schools, improved roads and improved public space on to the developers.
Another issue is the "plan-led system" which, in theory, should create openness, accountability and transparency through the Local Development Plan, which stipulates which land is allocated for housing.
However, the views of local authorities and local politicians can differ dramatically from house builders on what land is suitable. Often it will be allocated in areas which are particularly challenging for the companies expected to build on it.
There also appears to be a reluctance on the part of planning authorities to allocate sufficient land, despite Government intervention in the process to require them to make more suitable land available.
A further exasperation for developers is when they spend considerable time and effort prepare a well-considered and detailed planning application compliant with the Development Plan - which is then put out to public consultation and refused.
This can lead to "planning by appeal", which can also lead to communities feeling let down by the system and, consequently, resentful.
When you add into this mix the delays and interruptions caused by the vagaries of Scotland's winter weather - this year's storms and flooding have been a case in point - delays inevitably begin to build up.
The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors has highlighted what many who work in the development sector have known for some time - that lack of supply of new homes is one of the factors driving up house prices, and also pricing young people out of the market.
To address the lack of supply, it is fundamentally necessary to modernise and streamline the planning process, as the current review seeks to do, and make it fit to meet housing needs in the 21st century.
All those with a professional interest in creating a fair, transparent and sustainable planning system should be making their views known as a matter of some considerable urgency.
James Reilly, MRTPI, is head of planning & development at Baird Lumsden – DM Hall’s specialist rural department.
