Comprehensive Planning Reform Passed

17/11/06

Edinburgh West MSP Margaret Smith has welcomed the passing of the Planning Bill which is the most comprehensive reform of the planning system for sixty years.

Margaret said, "I'm particularly pleased that the Bill means a greater involvement for local communities in the planning process. It's really important that communities and community organisations get involved at the beginning of an application and that developers take this new process seriously. I'm also delighted that the Bill sets out new measures to deal effectively with breaches of planning conditions. Communities want to see enforcement action being taken when it's necessary It's also important that secondary legislation will be brought forward so that in applications where there is a Council interest or where there is a serious breach of the Development plan and there is a large number of objections the Scottish Executive Ministers will be able to call the application in for scrutiny and decision."

Key features of the Bill:

• it will introduce a hierarchy into the planning system, where planning applications will be dealt with differently, depending on whether they are developments of national, major, local or minor significance

• it will ensure that the next National Planning Framework can better deliver developments of national importance

• it introduces new measures for the quick and reliable processing of major developments

• decision making and appeals will be devolved to a local level in certain cases

• it will introduce a statutory duty for development plans to be updated every five years

• it introduces a range of measures to promote opportunities for communities to participate in development planning and on individual planning applications, and to ensure that their views are taken into account

• it sets out new measures to ensure that planning authorities can deal effectively with breaches of planning control (enforcement).