Scotland’s planning system is trailing behind planners in the rest of the UK, according to a new report.
The Blueprint for the Future of Planning, a report by GL Hearn and the Scottish Property Federation, reveals that the Scottish planning system is delivering only half as many major application decisions per resident in Edinburgh and Glasgow as planning departments in greater London and the Northern Powerhouse.
In both Scottish cities decision times were not within targets, with major decisions taking an average of 47 weeks, more than twice the four-month target.
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A total of 49 major applications were determined by the two cities in 2015-16.
The report also recorded a disparity in approval rates in the two cities, with Glasgow approving 100% of major applications and Edinburgh approving 72%, against the UK average of 87%.
The report combined data on major planning application decisions from 74 Scottish local planning authorities and survey data from 385 developers and local authority planning officers across Scotland.
David Melhuish, director of the Scottish Property Federation, said: “While speed is not everything we must be aware of the need for an efficient and effective decision making system if we are to attract and retain global capital to support local jobs and investment.
“To encourage this ‘can do’ culture, planning authorities must be resourced adequately and show strong leadership to aid investment. This survey takes stock of our planning system in Scotland and provides a hugely influential benchmark with which to understand how government and industry can work collaboratively to make development happen.”
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