Planning performance statistics 2019/2020: annual
Summary statistics on planning decision-making and timescales for April 2019 to March 2020 with historic data going back to 2012/13. It is based on data collected by the Scottish Government from Local and Planning Authorities as part of the Planning Performance Framework (introduced in 2012).
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12. Stopping the Clock
Stopping the clock is used where there has been a lengthy delay caused by the applicant or external consultees, outwith the planning authority's control. This helps produce more accurate performance statistics that would otherwise have been skewed by extreme cases of delay outwith the planning authority's control.
For 2019/20 there were 2,256 applications where the clock was stopped for an average of 12.6 weeks. This compares to 1,921 applications stopped for an average of 13.7 weeks in the previous year.
| Planning Authority | Total applications decided in 2019/20 | Number of applications with clock stopped | Percentage of applications with clock stopped | Average time clock stopped (weeks) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen City | 818 | 25 | 3.1% | 14.9 |
| Aberdeenshire | 1,773 | 26 | 1.5% | 4.2 |
| Angus | 617 | 0 | 0% | - |
| Argyll and Bute | 1,387 | 148 | 10.7% | 14.7 |
| Cairngorms National Park | 9 | 0 | 0% | - |
| Clackmannanshire | 268 | 20 | 7.5% | 32.1 |
| Dumfries and Galloway | 1,009 | 27 | 2.7% | 4.0 |
| Dundee City | 619 | 9 | 1.5% | 10.7 |
| East Ayrshire | 490 | 32 | 6.5% | 16.4 |
| East Dunbartonshire | 699 | 40 | 5.7% | 13.3 |
| East Lothian | 981 | 225 | 22.9% | 5.8 |
| East Renfrewshire | 708 | 130 | 18.4% | 12.1 |
| City of Edinburgh | 3,654 | 8 | 0.2% | 17.6 |
| Falkirk | 574 | 20 | 3.5% | 21.8 |
| Fife | 1,669 | 7 | 0.4% | 14.7 |
| Glasgow City | 2,361 | 526 | 22.3% | 12.7 |
| Highland | 2,796 | 118 | 4.2% | 21.7 |
| Inverclyde | 363 | 58 | 16.0% | 12.0 |
| Loch Lomond and The Trossachs NP | 235 | 71 | 30.2% | 14.6 |
| Midlothian | 555 | 50 | 9.0% | 15.6 |
| Moray | 670 | 183 | 27.3% | 7.9 |
| Na h-Eileanan Siar | 463 | 15 | 3.2% | 15.9 |
| North Ayrshire | 556 | 30 | 5.4% | 8.0 |
| North Lanarkshire | 793 | 31 | 3.9% | 9.3 |
| Orkney Islands | 318 | 89 | 28.0% | 8.5 |
| Perth and Kinross | 1,507 | 80 | 5.3% | 15.8 |
| Renfrewshire | 671 | 103 | 15.4% | 15.2 |
| Scottish Borders | 750 | 0 | 0 | - |
| Shetland Islands | 352 | 37 | 10.5% | 8.5 |
| South Ayrshire | 802 | 6 | 0.7% | 6.7 |
| South Lanarkshire2 | 1,519 | 24 | 1.6% | 23.7 |
| Stirling | 702 | 1 | 0.1% | 6.7 |
| West Dunbartonshire | 214 | 87 | 40.7% | 12.7 |
| West Lothian | 849 | 30 | 3.5% | 26.2 |
| Scotland1,2 | 31,751 | 2,256 | 7.1% | 12.6 |
| Development Type | Total applications decided in 2019/20 | Number of applications with clock stops | Percentage of applications with clock stops | Average length of time clock stopped (weeks) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Local developments | ||||
| Householder | 12,436 | 581 | 4.7% | 5.0 |
| Other developments | 6,016 | 503 | 8.4% | 12.8 |
| Housing | 4,123 | 540 | 13.1% | 19.7 |
| Business and industry | 1,275 | 170 | 13.3% | 11.0 |
| AMSCs (under 2 months) | 310 | 39 | 12.6% | 14.0 |
| Telecommunications | 261 | 20 | 7.7% | 7.8 |
| Electricity generation | 94 | 16 | 17.0% | 17.8 |
| Minerals | 36 | 7 | 19.4% | 13.4 |
| Marine finfish farming | 20 | 8 | 40.0% | 16.1 |
| Marine shellfish farming | 17 | 3 | 17.6% | 12.0 |
| Waste management | 16 | 3 | 18.8% | 9.0 |
| Total | 24,604 | 1,890 | 7.7% | 12.2 |
| Major developments | ||||
| Housing | 116 | 45 | 38.8% | 37.3 |
| Other developments | 53 | 18 | 34.0% | 21.6 |
| Business and industry | 13 | 3 | 23.1% | 18.6 |
| Electricity generation | 12 | 1 | 8.3% | 11.0 |
| Minerals | 8 | 1 | 12.5% | 71.6 |
| Waste management | 1 | 0 | 0% | - |
| Marine shellfish farming | 1 | 0 | 0% | - |
| Total | 204 | 68 | 33.3% | 32.4 |
| Other Consents | ||||
| Listed building and conservation area consent | 3,307 | 198 | 6.0% | 10.3 |
| Advertisements | 1,844 | 77 | 4.2% | 8.9 |
| Other consents and certificates | 1,760 | 11 | 0.6% | 7.5 |
| Hazardous substances | 8 | 2 | 25.0% | 7.4 |
| Total | 6,919 | 288 | 4.2% | 9.8 |
| Applications with EIA | ||||
| Local applications with EIA | 12 | 4 | 33.3% | 18.3 |
| AMSCs (under 4 months) | 7 | 6 | 85.7% | 49.1 |
| Total | 19 | 10 | 52.6% | 36.8 |
For 2019/20, householder applications had the most clock stops (581), with 5.0 weeks on average removed from decision times.
There are a variety of reasons why the clock is stopped but stops are often due to delays in concluding legal agreements and waiting for the applicant to sign a planning obligation. Other reasons include site surveys required in relation to European protected species that must await a particular season, external consultants delay or awaiting advert fees to be paid.
Contact
Email: planstats@gov.scot
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