Planning performance statistics: annual and quarterly reports, 2012-2016

Annual and Quarterly Planning Performance Statistics, 2015/16

This report presents statistics on planning decision-making and timescales across the years 2012/13 to 2015/16. It is based on quarterly data collected by the Scottish Government from Local and Planning Authorities as part of the Planning Performance Framework (introduced in 2012). Longer term trends are also presented where data for earlier years is available in a comparable format.

Annual Trends (excludes legacy cases and processing agreements)

Chart 1: Local Development Planning Applications: Number of decisions

Chart 2: Local Development Planning Applications: Average decision time (weeks)

Chart 3: Major Development Planning Applications: Number of decisions

Chart 4: Major Development Planning Applications: Average decision time (weeks)

Key Findings for the year 2015/16 ^[1] :

Reduction in planning applications decided in 2015/16 compared with 2014/15.

• The number of Local Development ^[2] decisions in 2015/16 totalled 28,765, a decrease of 3% (974 applications) from the previous year. This drop has been largely due to fewer householder, housing, business and industry and electricity generation applications.
• The number of Major Development ^[3] decisions in 2015/16 totalled 267, a drop of 10% (31 applications) from 2014/15. This decrease has been mostly due to fewer housing, business and industry and electricity generation applications.

The overall average decision time for Local Developments has improved compared to 2014/15.

• Local development decisions have been quicker by an average of almost 3 days per application compared with 2014/15 (9.8 weeks in 2015/16 compared with 10.1 weeks in 2014/15).
• Improvements have been seen in average decision times for all categories of local developments apart from telecommunications and minerals. In particular, the average decision time for local housing developments was 13.7 weeks for 2015/16, more than five days quicker than the previous year (14.5 weeks).
• A total of 19 out of 34 planning authorities have reported year-on-year improvements in their Local Development average decision times.

The overall average decision time for Major Developments has improved compared to 2014/15.

• Major development decisions have been quicker by an average of over 6 weeks per application compared with 2014/15 (30.5 weeks in 2015/16 compared with 36.6 weeks in 2014/15).
• Improvements have been seen in average decision times for all categories of major developments apart from waste management. In particular, the average decision time for major housing developments was 40.0 weeks for 2015/16, almost nine days quicker than the previous year (41.3 weeks).
• Average figures based on a relatively small number of Major Development applications can be skewed by a few lengthy decisions. More than 70% of Major applications in 2015/16 were decided in a time quicker than the average of 30.5 weeks.

Quarterly Trends (excludes legacy cases and processing agreements)

Chart 5: Local Development Planning Applications: Number of decisions

Chart 6: Local Development Planning Applications: Average decision time (weeks)

Chart 7: Major Development Planning Applications: Number of decisions

Chart 8: Major Development Planning Applications: Average decision time (weeks)

Key Findings for Quarter 4 of 2015/16 ^[4] :

The overall average decision time for Local Developments was slower in quarter 4 of 2015/16 when compared with the previous quarter, but was similar to the equivalent quarter in the previous year.

• For quarter 4 of 2015/16, the average decision time for Local Developments was 10.3 weeks. This is four days slower than the previous quarter (9.7 weeks), but similar to the equivalent quarter in 2014/15 (10.2 weeks).
• Local housing applications were decided in an average of 14.7 weeks, over one week slower than in the previous quarter (13.6 weeks), but similar to the equivalent quarter in the previous year (14.5 weeks).

The overall average decision time for Major Developments in quarter 4 of 2015/16 is the quickest quarterly figure since 2012/13.

• For quarter 4 of 2015/16, the average decision time for Major Developments was 26.3 weeks, the quickest quarterly figure since the start of this data collection in quarter 1 of 2012/13, over 6 weeks quicker than the previous quarter (32.7 weeks), and over 14 weeks quicker than the equivalent quarter in 2014/15 (40.7 weeks).

• Major housing applications were decided in an average of 30.5 weeks, almost five weeks quicker than in the previous quarter (35.3 weeks), and over 13 weeks faster than in the equivalent quarter in the previous year (43.8 weeks).

These figures exclude pre 3rd August 2009 legacy cases; please see sections 3 to 7 for data on applications that include legacy cases. They also exclude applications subject to processing agreements; please see section 2 for further information on these.