Planning guidance
We produce publications, including:
Circulars
We produce planning circulars which contain policy on the implementation of legislation or procedures.
Designing Streets
Designing Streets is the first policy statement in Scotland for street design. It marks a change in the emphasis of street design guidance towards place-making and away from a system focused upon the dominance of motor vehicles.
Chief Planner letters
The Chief Planner provides guidance to the planning authorities in the form of correspondence. We've provided a list of Chief Planner letters.
Planning advice
We produce Planning Advice Notes (PANs) and guidance which provide advice on good practice and other relevant information.
We produced our Planning Delivery Advice - Build to Rent in September 2017.
Minerals guidance (archived)
This guidance is no longer current, but may be useful for historical reference:
- Extractive waste guidance (July 2013)
- Inventory of closed mining waste facilities (January 2015)
Research
We commission research on planning-related issues. The most recent reports are:
- Research Project: Review of Prior Notification and Approval Procedures for Agricultural and Forestry Private Ways, published in June 2016
- Research on Permitted Development Rights and Planning Guidance for Electronic Communications Infrastructure, published in June 2016
- Designing Places for an Ageing Population, published in April 2016
We also commissioned research as part of the development of the Planning (Scotland) Act 2019.