The Directorate for Planning and Environmental Appeals
REVIEW OF THE YEAR 2008-2009
We set ourselves a clear target 12 months ago; to make the planning system an aid not a barrier to sustainable economic growth. This, the thirteenth annual review covering the work of the Directorate for Planning and Environmental Appeals, demonstrates the progress we have made towards that objective.
The commitment shown by DPEA staff has seen the average time taken to decide cases by written submission cut by almost a third. Over half of such cases were decided within 12 weeks in the first three months of 2009, and this has been achieved whilst maintaining the highest standards.
I wish to put on record here my gratitude towards all those within the Directorate who have made a significant contribution to delivering that improvement. I expect the Directorate, along with all others involved in planning, to continue to look for all opportunities to speed up decision making throughout the planning system. If this pace is maintained across 12 months more than 80 years of dead time per calendar year will be removed from the appeals system.
In the current economic climate it is vital that we do all within our powers to support the confidence of our businesses and our communities. A successful combination of faster decision making within the planning system and greater certainty is helping to reduce the burdens on business whilst affording communities protection from inappropriate development and the blight it might cause. By reducing dead planning time we are ensuring that sustainable developments go ahead, giving the construction industry a much needed boost and our wider economy the stimulus it needs at this time of global economic downturn.
This improvement reflects the sort of substantial efficiencies the Scottish Government is demanding for our planning system, and for the work of wider government. I welcome the move to a web based approach to the appeals system. This is a major step forward, providing everyone with easy access to the documents considered by the decision maker and greater transparency about the decision making process. This initiative is also a further contribution to the development of electronic planning.
Reform of the planning system has taken a significant step forward over the last year and the necessary secondary legislation is now in place. In the coming year we will see a major change in the planning appeals process, and indeed to the manner in which planning decisions can be challenged. Planning authorities will establish Local Review Bodies to review, upon request by the applicant, local developments which have been refused planning permission by officers under an approved scheme of delegation. And appeal processes will become more proportionate and efficiently managed by the appointed reporters. I appreciate all of this will bring some substantial changes and challenges to authorities and users of the planning system. But with a positive attitude in all sectors I am confident that we have got what it takes to make the Scottish planning system fit for the 21st century.
Stewart Stevenson
Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change