Changes to Scottish planning law that will give local people a greater say on major developments have come into force.
The measures, part of a raft of reforms designed to “modernise and speed up” the planning system, require developers to hold public consultation meetings with residents before a planning application is submitted.
Developers will also have a new duty to notify residents about planning applications, a responsibility that used to fall on councils.
The new regulations will create local review bodies to hear appeals on small applications, rather than each case being referred to ministers.
The changes also introduce English-style temporary stop notices to the Scottish system, which allow planning authorities to halt development that breaches regulations.
Planning minister Stewart Stevenson said: “The Scottish government is working to ensure Scotland’s planning system is increasingly joined up, providing greater certainty and speed of decision making for developers and communities.
“A key part of our economic recovery programme is ensuring all government activity, including on planning and regulation, supports economic development.
“The changes we are implementing are a further step towards the realisation of a planning system which is fit for 21st-century Scotland, further helping to position Scotland’s economy for recovery.”
