This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Modernising Scotland's planning system
04/07/2003
A consultation to modernise the planning appeals process
by making it less daunting and more user friendly, starts
today and will run until the end of November.
It seeks views from the public and interested parties on
the operation of the public local inquiry system. These
inquiries gather the information needed to decide whether
planning appeals should be allowed and permission
granted.
Inquiries are held throughout Scotland and deal with
major development proposals of national importance, where
the decision is taken by the Scottish Ministers, and also
proposals of more local significance.
The consultation will seek views on a number of matters,
such as how to:
- speed up the process so that inquiries start sooner
- by making the deadlines tighter
- make the process more informal - inquiries often
involve lawyers and other professionals and some
communities can find this intimidating
- make more use of informal hearings to provide
better opportunities to engage the public
- introduce greater certainty for all by ensuring
that all of those who wish to take part have registered
their concerns and their intention to speak
beforehand.
Communities Minister, Margaret Curran said: "Planning
affects us all on a daily basis. We are reforming the
existing system so that it is easier to understand and
become more accessible to the public.
"We know that people want to get involved in the process
but some find the formalities of the local inquiry process
daunting. We want to change that and this consultation
gives people the chance to have their say. We will analyse
responses and make changes to the system in due
course."
The Inquiry Reporters Unit Review of the Year 2001-2002
indicated that 130 local inquiries and hearings were held
in Scotland during that year.
This release was published on 28/07/2003