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REVIEW OF GREEN BELT POLICY IN SCOTLAND

APPENDIX 1
ANALYSIS OF PLANNING DECISIONS IN EDINBURGH CASE STUDY

GENERAL AIMS

A1.1 The general aims of this investigation were as follows:

1. Evidence of development pressures which are manifested in and around Green Belt in case study areas
2. Check how far policies are actually being applied in DC decisions.

DATABASE

A1.2 On 27 ^th November 2003 the City of Edinburgh Council provided the research team with an Excel spreadsheet-based database showing planning applications in the Edinburgh Green Belt area dating back to 1995 (date of decision). This spreadsheet contains the raw data which a Council-based querying engine draws on. Of the list of information sought to be recorded for the current research, this database covered only:

• Stages gone through: outline and full planning application stages appear as separate applications. Appeals are also shown.
• Dates for each stage
• Outcome of decision
• Use class of application: a classification is used for returns to the Scottish Executive (see Table 2 below)
• Existing use class of site
• Type of application: a description of each application is provided
• Scale: sometimes number of houses is included in description of application

A1.3 Other information (type of applicant, type of landowner, scale (in terms of area, floorspace, etc), reasons for decision, conformity with development plan, objections received, planning agreement and issues covered, planning conditions, other special consents, EIA) was not recorded on this spreadsheet. However, data on conformity with the development plan was supplied at a later date.

EVIDENCE OF DEVELOPMENT PRESSURE

A1.4 The total number of planning applications lodged on this database was 1364. Once householder applications were taken out, applications restricted to those who showed a decision date within the period 1999-2003, and errors in the data set amended, the number of applications fell to 552.

A1.5 The number of applications decided each year in the Green Belt area has been steadily growing: ¹

Table A1.1. Number of applications decided each year and approval rates, 1999-2003

A1.6 However, as a percentage of total non-householder applications in the City of Edinburgh Council, the proportion in the Green Belt area seems to be fairly steady and small, at around 5.5%. ³ The percentage of applications in the Green Belt area that are approved ranged from 66% in 1999 to 76% in 2001, with the average being 71%. There is no discernible trend towards an increase or decrease in approvals as a percentage.

A1.7 Geographically applications in the Green Belt area are concentrated in West Edinburgh, as is shown in Table A1.2. The percentage of applications approved in this area is the average across Edinburgh, while there is a higher than average rate of approval in East Edinburgh, and lower than average in Central Edinburgh.

Table A1.2. Volume of decisions and approval rates by Development Control Area Team, 1999-2003

A1.8 The majority of applications were for full planning permission, with outline applications accounting for only 5% of the total (see Table A1.3). Other types of application included advertisements, listed building consent and other miscellaneous categories. Approval rates for full planning applications were slightly higher than the overall average, with that for outline applications being well below average.

Table A1.3. Volume of decisions and approval rates by type of application, 1999-2003

A1.9 The type of property that development is proposed on in planning applications ranges widely. In the vast majority of the cases applications are made for development on property that already has a non-agricultural use (see Table A1.4).

Table A1.4. Volume of decisions and approval rates by previous land use, 1999-2003

A1.10 This suggests that although the number of planning applications is high, few of these are for development of greenfield sites, and thus pressure on undeveloped Green Belt land through actual planning applications appears not to be as high as the number of planning applications would initially suggest. The highest approval rate is for applications on land in institutional use (which may suggest that 'wash over' areas have a higher rate of success in planning application approval, as would be expected), but land parcels and agricultural land also show a higher than average rate of approval (though their number is very low).

A1.11 There is a wide range of proposed uses. No applications were recorded relating to minerals and hazardous substances. After householder applications (total 362 in the database), which have not been included in this analysis, the most frequent application in the Edinburgh Green Belt area is for minor developments - i.e. category 5B, which covers a wide range of types of development, from extension of university car parking to the continuation of an open air market. The number of applications within each of the categories, as returned by City of Edinburgh Council to the Scottish Executive, are shown in Table A1.5.

Table A1.5. Volume of decisions and approval rates by new land use, 1999-2003

A1.12 There are higher than average approval rates for minor business, adverts and other minor. At the other end of the scale are major dwellings applications, with an approval rate of only 47% - and minor dwelling applications also have a low approval rate, at 54%. Although major business applications have a higher rate of success than residential applications, these are still below the overall average. However, even only a few major business approvals can have a major impact. Telecoms also display a low level of approval, despite their previous privileged planning status, perhaps reflecting the high value attached to visual amenity in the Edinburgh Green Belt when applying planning policy. In short, there is evidence of development control being more restrictive on housing than on business developments, and of it being particularly favourable to minor business developments.

A1.13 Finally, it is notable that the majority of planning applications were granted or approved (see Table A1.6). Only 13% were either refused or refused and enforced. In addition, the data provided subsequently by City of Edinburgh Council showed that over one third of approvals were for applications that were contrary to the development plan, though this rate of departure was not consistent for all proposed new uses (see below).

Table A1.6. Outcome of decisions on applications decided from 1999 to 2003

A1.14 The only application that was indicated to go to the Scottish Ministers was one lodged by Midlothian Council for the construction of a dual carriageway by the A701. The only application that was called in / decided by Scottish Ministers was the City of Edinburgh Council's proposal to raise the Braid Burn Bridge on the Innocent Railway.

A1.4 MAJOR DWELLINGS APPLICATIONS (OVER 10)

A1.15 These 17 applications range from the erection of 10 new dwelling houses and associated parking on the edge of the Green Belt (in Balerno), to the demolition of existing buildings just outside the Green Belt for the erection of 155 houses (in Cramond). The largest application on land designated as Green Belt (according to the details available on the records) was for the erection of 57 flats and houses in Juniper Green. The majority of these proposals were located on the edges of the Green Belt, often by built up areas such as Colinton, Craiglockhart or Cramond.

A1.16 As with applications in the Green Belt area in general, the number of major dwellings applications decided each year in the Green Belt area is showing a tendency to increase:

Table A1.7. Number of major dwellings applications decided each year

A1.17 Geographically, over half of the major dwellings applications in the Green Belt area were concentrated in West Edinburgh, as is shown in Table A1.8.

Table A1.8. Volume of decisions and approval rates on major dwellings applications by Development Control Area Team, 1999-2003

A1.19 All were full applications, but there were two sites where applications were submitted twice, after an initial refusal. In one case the second application was granted, after the scale of the development had been changed from the "erection of 16 No houses, townhouses and flats" to "residential flatted development". In the other case both initial and subsequent applications were refused, both being described as "erect 12 flats in two blocks". Two of the applications went to appeal, but both were dismissed. Refusals and approvals of major dwelling applications are summarised in Table A1.9. Data provided subsequently by City of Edinburgh Council showed that no major housing applications were approved as departures from policy.

Table A1.9. Outcome of decisions on major dwellings applications decided from 1999 to 2003

A1.20 All applicants but one were housebuilders and developers, and there was no single housebuilder that dominated above the rest in terms of number of applications (Anderson Homes; Applecross Properties Ltd / Alexander Inglis And Son Ltd; Bellway Homes (Scotland); Benson Levade Ltd; Bryant Homes Scotland And AMA Homes Ltd; Cala Homes Scotland Ltd; David Wilson Homes Scotland; Duddingston Development Co Ltd; Dunallan Homes Ltd; Eastbay Homes Ltd; Miller Homes Ltd; Moss Mil Homes; Westpoint Homes Ltd; Wimpey Homes Holdings Limited).

A1.5 MAJOR BUSINESS APPLICATIONS

A1.21 These 21 applications range from altering and extending an existing bar/restaurant to building new headquarter facilities for the Royal Bank of Scotland on the site of the former Gogarburn Hospital. The majority of these proposals were located in the Newbridge area, particularly around Ingliston and the airport.

A1.22 There is no discernible trend in terms of the number of major business applications decided on each year, as is shown in Table A1.10:

Table A1.10. Number of major business applications decided each year

A1.23 Geographically major business applications in the Green Belt area are concentrated in West Edinburgh, as is shown in Table A1.11.

Table A1.11. Volume of decisions on major business applications by Development Control Area Team, 1999-2003

A1.24 Four were outline applications, of which one was granted (the Royal Bank of Scotland headquarters), one refused, and two withdrawn. Five of the full applications that were refused went to appeal, but only one appeal had been decided in the period of study. Refusals and approvals of major business applications are summarised in Table A1.12, which shows that three-fifths of such applications in the Green Belt were approved.. Data provided subsequently by City of Edinburgh Council shows that about a third of these approved major business applications were departures from policy.

Table A1.12. Outcome of decisions on major business applications decided from 1999 to 2003

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