Planning performance statistics: fourth quarter 2017-2018 and annual

Annual and Quarterly Planning Performance Statistics, 2017/18

This report presents statistics on planning decision-making and timescales across the years 2013/14 to 2017/18. 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: Applications for Local Developments: Number of decisions

Chart 2: Applications for Local Developments: Average decision time (weeks)

Chart 3: Applications for Major Developments: Number of decisions

Chart 4: Applications for Major Developments: Average decision time (weeks)

Key Findings for the year 2017/18 ^[1],[2] :

Reduction in planning applications compared with previous four years.

• The number of Local ^[3] Development decisions in 2017/18 totalled 26,220, a decrease of 3% (766 applications) from the previous year. This drop was largely due to fewer decisions for householder applications (539 fewer) .
• The number of Major ^[4] Development decisions in 2017/18 totalled 238, a decrease of 3% (8 applications) from 2016/17. There were decreases in other developments, business and industry and electricity generation while decided applications for housing, minerals and waste management increased.

The overall average decision time for Local Developments is the quickest annual figure since the start of this data collection in 2012/13.

• Local Development decisions were quicker by an average of just over a day compared with 2016/17 (9.0 weeks compared with 9.2 weeks in 2016/17) and were the quickest since the start of this data collection in 2012/13.
• Improvements were seen in average decision times for housing, electricity generation, other developments and AMSCs. In particular, the average decision time for electricity generation was 13.9 weeks for 2017/18, more than 5 weeks quicker than the previous year (19.2 weeks).
• A total of 19 out of 34 planning authorities have reported improvements in their average decision times for Local Developments in 2017/18 compared to 2016/17.

Decrease in average decision time for major developments compared to previous year.

• Major Development decisions were quicker by an average of almost 3 weeks compared with 2016/17 (33.6 weeks compared with 36.4 weeks in 2016/17).
• Decisions were quicker for applications for business and industry (7.7 weeks quicker), minerals (6.1 weeks quicker), housing (5.2 weeks quicker) and waste management (4.6 weeks quicker).
• A total of 17 out of 26 planning authorities with major application decisions in both 2017/18 and 2016/17 have reported improvements in their average decision times for Major Developments since the previous year.
• Average figures based on a relatively small number of Major Development applications can be skewed by a few lengthy decisions. Just over 66% of Major applications in 2017/18 were decided in a time quicker than the average of 33.6 weeks.

Quarterly Trends (excludes legacy cases and processing agreements)

Chart 5: Applications for Local Developments: Number of decisions

Chart 6: Applications for Local Developments: Average decision time (weeks)

Key Findings for Quarter 4 of 2017/18 ^[5] :

The overall average decision time for Local Developments was slower in quarter 4 of 2017/18 when compared with the previous quarter, but was equal to the equivalent quarter four figure of the previous year.

• For quarter 4 of 2017/18, the average decision time for Local Developments was 9.3 weeks. This is just over a day slower than the previous quarter (9.1 weeks), and equal to the equivalent quarter in 2016/17.
• Local housing applications were decided in an average of 12.0 weeks, 2 days slower than the previous quarter (11.7 weeks), but quicker by almost a week than the equivalent quarter in the previous year (12.9 weeks).

Chart 7: Applications for Major Developments: Number of decisions

Chart 8: Applications for Major Developments: Average decision time (weeks)

The overall average decision time for Major Developments in quarter 4 of 2017/18 was slower than both the previous quarter and quarter 4 in the previous year.

• For quarter 4 of 2017/18, the average decision time for Major Developments was 34.8 weeks, more than seven weeks slower than the previous quarter (27.7 weeks), and just over two weeks slower than the equivalent quarter in 2016/17 (32.6 weeks).

• Major housing applications were decided in an average of 38.1 weeks, more than four weeks slower than in the previous quarter (33.8 weeks), but seven and a half weeks quicker than in the equivalent quarter in the previous year (45.6 weeks).

These figures exclude pre 3rd August 2009 legacy cases; these are covered separately in Section 14. They also exclude applications subject to processing agreements, further details of these can be found in Section 2.