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Measure to speed up planning
01/04/2009
Fewer planning applications will require consideration by the Scottish Government, resulting in 'faster decisions and less bureaucracy' to support economic recovery, it was announced today.
Infrastructure Minister Stewart Stevenson was speaking after the Scottish Government published new guidance which will enable planning authorities to issue decisions without unnecessary delay.
This change is being introduced because, historically, a large volume of planning applications, many of them for small-scale developments, have been routinely notified by planning authorities to Ministers for consideration. Around 90 per cent of these applications, however, have not required decisions to be taken at national level.
Ministers have also today launched a consultation on an easier to understand national planning policy, which will see 17 existing Scottish Planning Policies (SPPs) and National Planning Policy Guidelines (NPPGs) replaced with one single document.
Mr Stevenson said:
"We are intensifying reforms to simplify the planning system, making it more effective and efficient, providing applicants and the development industry with greater certainty and speed of decision making.
"Even before the downturn such action was a clear priority for this government. With the full effect of the recession now being felt, it is even more crucial, which is why our economic recovery programme ensures all government activity, including planning and regulation, supports economic development.
"Today's new guidance and the launch of our consultation on a consolidated Scottish planning policy builds on our commitment made last October, in partnership with local government, agencies and the development industry, to have the right partnerships in place to provide applicants with quicker decisions."
In future, applications should be notified to Ministers for consideration when:
- Planning authorities propose to grant planning permission against the advice of agencies
- The local authority has an interest in the development and the proposal would involve a significant departure from the development plan
- The development consists of works connected with the extraction of opencast coal and related minerals where the site boundary falls within 500 metres from the edge of an existing community or sensitive establishment