Planning Bill Published By Scottish Government – Some Initial Thoughts

Many of you will have seen that the Scottish Government's much-anticipated Planning Bill was published on Tuesday.

The Bill and related documents can be found here.

As ever, we will be digesting the proposals and considering what they might mean for our clients and the wider planning system. From our initial review of the Bill, we would note:

• It contains no major surprises;
• There's no equal right of appeal (yet);
• The majority of changes are brought about through enabling provisions, with limited detail included at this stage;
• Simplified Development Zones being the notable exception to the above;
• Mandatory training obligations for councillors are included, with a prohibition on exercise of functions for non-compliance;