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2002 FIFTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE PLANNING AUDIT UNIT

PLANNING AUTHORITY PERFORMANCE

All Applications:

Overall performance has improved in the face of a significant rise in planning applications. The number of applications handled in Scotland annually has reached 47,312, 10% up on last year. Three councils, Moray, North Lanarkshire and East Dunbartonshire, experienced increases of 20% and more.

Previous years have seen a fairly consistent average of 41,000 - 42,000 applications across Scotland. The increased numbers appear to be mainly for householder, minor residential and other minor development, while there has been a decline in advertisement applications.

Despite this increase in the number of applications, 66% were determined within 2 months compared with 61% five years earlier. Performance continues to fluctuate seasonally, with summer highs (67%) and winter lows (64%).

The wide variation in performance between councils reflects local circumstances and practices. Since April 2001, 18 authorities have improved their performance. Clackmannanshire and Fife reached or exceeded the 80% target. Some, like Shetland, are showing a decline. Only two councils have two-month performance levels lower than 55%, Glasgow City and North Lanarkshire. Both are being covered by present or planned audits.

The target of determining 85% of applications in three months has been met or exceeded by Angus, Clackmannanshire, Dundee City, East Dunbartonshire, East Lothian, East Renfrewshire, Fife, Inverclyde, Moray, Orkney, Perth and Kinross, Renfrewshire, Scottish Borders, West Lothian and the Western Isles. The lowest rate was 71% whereas last year's lowest was 66%. This is a significant improvement.

ALL APPLICATIONS
TOTAL NUMBER DECIDED, PERCENT DECIDED IN 2 MONTHS - TARGET: 80%

Householder

An improvement of 3% over the previous year against a target of deciding 90% of householder applications in two months was recorded in 2001/2002. Nine councils met the 90% target: Aberdeenshire, Argyll and Bute, Clackmannanshire, Falkirk, Fife, Inverclyde, Moray, Perth & Kinross and South Lanarkshire.

The target for determining householder applications in three months is 95%. Returns to March 2002 show 16 councils achieving this, three more than the previous year. The Scottish average is now 94%, an improvement on last year's average. No council had a 3 month householder performance of less than 88%.

Minerals

There are relatively few minerals applications. During the period, authorities determined 74 applications relating to mineral extraction. 20% of these were decided within the two months and 34% within three months. There has been no change in this trend in the past two periods. The remaining 66% of the 74 applications determined took longer than 3 months to reach a decision. Many applications for mineral extraction are accompanied by an Environmental Impact Assessment and raise complex issues. Some are locally controversial. For these reasons they tend to take longer to deal with. Within the period, 15 of the 32 authorities did not determine any mineral applications.

Conservation

In this period, there were 3,647 applications for listed building or conservation area consent, about 7.5% of the total caseload. Although improvements have been made in recent years, on average only 37% of applications for listed building and conservation area consent are determined in two months and 66% in three months. Although these figures remain low, they show a gradual improvement over previous years.

Section 75 Agreements

The last two six-monthly returns show that decisions associated with Planning Agreements increased by more than 10% over the year and now run at around 200 a year. There are very big differences between authorities. Aberdeenshire continues to record the highest number of agreements.

Enforcement

Planning authorities have the discretionary powers to take formal enforcement action where it appears there has been a breach of planning control. Powers are fully described and explained in PAN 54: Planning Enforcement, published in 1999.

In the year October 2001 to September 2002, 6,838 cases were investigated and 918 notices issued. Enforcement cases often begin with complaints to planning authorities about alleged unauthorised development, or activities that cause nuisance to neighbours. Notices issued are Planning Contravention Notices, Enforcement Notices, Breach of Condition Notices and Stop Notices.

There is wide variation between authorities in the numbers of cases taken up and notices served. Over Scotland as a whole the rate of notices served to cases taken up is 13.4%. In Dundee City, East Ayrshire, Fife, Glasgow City and West Dunbartonshire the rate is over 30%, while in East Dunbartonshire, Shetland and West Lothian it is less than 5%. East Lothian and Moray councils issued no notices.

Development Plan Departures

Applications advertised as potential departures increased from 1,458 to 1,621 in the reporting year, matching the overall increase in applications for the year. The rate of approved departures has changed little over the years and now stands at 14 in every 1000 applications. As in earlier years there are big variations between authorities. Aberdeenshire, Dundee City, East Ayrshire and South Lanarkshire all recorded over 35 per 1000 applications, though no council had more than 40. Seven councils recorded no approved departures.

Development Plan Coverage

Returns to the Executive show a decline in the coverage of adopted up-to-date plans (adopted in the last five years) from around 40% in September 2001 to around 34% in September 2002. This fall is mainly due to local plans in Aberdeenshire and Angus becoming more than five years old. If the finalised local plans now coming forward across Scotland are included, the position appears more positive, improving from around 62% in September 2001 to 74% in September 2002. All these figures express coverage in population rather than area terms.

Telecommunications

Planning authorities have been asked to submit separate statistics on applications for telecoms developments since the introduction of the new planning controls in July 2001. Research has now been commissioned to evaluate the effect of the new controls.

The figures for 2002 show that the number of telecoms applications received by planning authorities steadily dropped from a high of 310 in the first quarter to just over 200 in the third and fourth quarters. Levels remain highest in the cities where rollout of third generation networks and capacity improvements in second generation networks are focussed.

During the third quarter of 2002 the number of applications determined was higher than the number received. This is a positive change and suggests that the backlog from 2001 is now clearing. Performance against the 2-month target has improved from 33% determined within 2 months during the first quarter of 2002 to over 50% within 2 months in the last 2 quarters of the year. However, there are a number of councils with consistently poor performance where improvement is required. Telecoms application statistics for the period October to December 2002 will be included in the next report.

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