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Planning Performance Statistics Q4 January-March 2012 and annual

28/06/2012

 
Updated statistics on planning performance in Scotland have been released today by Scotland’s Chief Statistician.

The main findings are:

• The proportion of local applications decided within two months was 65.1% in the period January-March 2012, a decrease from 68.3% for the previous quarter but an increase from the comparable quarter 4 in 2010/11 (63.4%). Annual figures for 2011/12 have increased to 68.1% compared to 66.5% for 2010/11.
• In the fourth quarter of 2011/12 the proportion of major applications decided in under four months has decreased to 31.4%, compared with 31.9% for the previous quarter. The equivalent annual figures also show a decrease to 29.9% for 2011/12, compared with 33.6% for 2010/11.
• The number of planning applications decided by Scotland’s planning authorities for the year 2011/12 was 40,364 compared to 42,148  for 2010/11. There was a small drop (0.7%) in the number of applications received during 2011/12 when compared to the previous year.
• The rate of approvals decreased slightly to 91.3% in the period January–March 2012, compared with  91.6% during the previous quarter.  The annual rate of approvals was 92.2% in 2011/12 compared with 92.9% for 2010/11.

Related information

1. The full statistical publication can be accessed at Planning Performance Statistics 2011/12 - Quarter 4
2. From April 2010, the planning performance statistics were collected on a quarterly basis. Prior to this, these statistics were collected annually.
3. As part of modernising planning the main legislative changes to Development Management, including planning application procedures, enforcement, planning appeal procedures and new local review procedures took effect from 3rd August 2009.  The Planning Authority performance data returns were revised to align these returns with the new planning system. The return has a greater emphasis on the hierarchy of developments, and thresholds to distinguish between major and local developments have been revised. As such, performance data prior to 3rd August 2009 is not comparable with that after 3rd August 2009, except at an aggregate level. Comparisons in this publication are therefore made only to planning applications decided in 2009/10 on the 3rd August or later.
4. This is the last quarterly and annual collection and publication of the Planning Authority Performance Data. The new Planning Performance Framework (PPF), developed and published by Heads of Planning Scotland (HOPS), was announced by the Minister for Local Government and Planning in his statement to parliament on 28 March. The statistics on average decision times used in the PPF will replace the current statistical collection from April 2012.
5. The number of applications will have decreased this quarter following the introduction of householder permitted development in February 2012. This removes some householder developments from the planning system.
6. Official statistics are produced by professionally independent statistical staff – more information on the standards of official statistics in Scotland can be accessed at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/About