The Directorate, part of Scottish Government, determines appeals against decisions made by planning authorities and other bodies in Scotland. The Directorate deals with around 500 appeals every year.
A person appointed by Scottish Ministers (a reporter) decides most planning permission appeals. These are called 'delegated' appeals. In a small number of cases the reporter does not decide the appeal but submits a report with a recommendation to the Scottish Ministers. These are called 'non-delegated' or 'recalled' appeals.
We also deal with a wide range of appeals from decisions of planning or local authorities on matters such as listed buildings, consent to display advertisements, and storage of hazardous substances. The Directorate also deals with appeals from decisions made by the Scottish Enviornment Protection Agency in connection with the prevention and control of pollution, air and water quality and waste management.
Other key areas of our work include the examination of strategic and local development plans, public local inquiries held in connection with applications for consent under the Electricity Act 1989, compulsory purchase and other orders, and core path plans promoted by access authorities under the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003.