Scottish Government sets up group to improve planning performance

The announcement came with the publication of the Scottish Government's the 'Key Actions on Planning Reform' (6-page / 71KB PDF) document which was published yesterday.

The Scottish Government said in the document that it would establish a "high level political group" to monitor and improve planning performance. The group will be made up of heads of planning from local authorities along with other key stakeholders and it will also look at maintaining a link between performance with wider resourcing of the planning system.

Other 'key actions' set out in the document include an approximate 20% increase of planning fees in April and Government funding to a variety of projects. The Scottish Government said it would publish in early 2013 a Scotland-wide performance report, drawing on recent reports of the planning authorities and agencies, under the Planning Performance Framework. It said it would also give individual feedback to planning authorities.

"COSLA and I are determined that we should deliver the high performing planning system Scotland deserves," said Mackay. "We are working together with planning authorities and other key stakeholders to deliver this improvement and ensure that pace towards positive change is maintained."

"I know resourcing is a real issue for local authorities, and last month I announced a 20 per cent increase in planning fees. At the same time I have made clear that any increase in fees must be linked to improved performance," Mackay said.

"While it is obviously welcome that improvements on application handling are being sought, these may be of little value unless the economic growth priority, which, on paper, everyone accepts, is given more real emphasis in decision making," said Craig Connal, a litigation expert at Pinsent Masons, the law firm behind Out-law.com.

"A faster answer 'no' is not going to suit developers. In some areas, such as renewable, there has been more success in establishing a key priority which takes the lead. Can we do the same with economic growth?," Connal said.