Public Local Inquiry
If the local Planning Authority maintains an objection or if Scottish Ministers wish to excercise their discretionary powers, an application will be submitted to the Directorate for Planning and Environmental Appeals (DPEA) to be considered at Public Local Inquiry (PLI).
A Reporter from DPEA will be appointed by the Scottish Ministers to conduct the inquiry and report back to them. The Reporter will consider all the evidence from the various parties at the inquiry and will compile a report based on these findings. The Reporter will submit his/her report to the Scottish Ministers following the close of an inquiry. Scottish Ministers will take this report into account in reaching their final determinations.