Permitted development rights to support the provision of new homes: consultation - summary of responses

Introduction

The consultation on Permitted development rights to support provision of new homes ran from 3 September 2025 to 27 October 2025.

It sought views on various options for changes to permitted development rights (PDR) to encourage the provision of new homes in rural areas and town and city centres. It also sought views on potential changes to PDR to support the deployment of heat networks and domestic air source heat pumps.

We received 908 responses, which have been categorised into the following respondent categories:

• Individuals
• Public bodies: planning authorities and Heads of Planning Scotland (HOPS)
• Public bodies: other
• Land and property development
• Land and built environment
• Music, events and hospitality
• Energy renewables and utilities
• Other

Annex A includes a list of responding organisations, broken down per category.

Not all respondents answered or provided a view in response to every question.

A large number of responses were the result of an organised campaign related to concerns about potential impacts on live music and other entertainment and hospitality venues, resulting in multiple responses with the same or very similar content.

We are grateful to everyone who took the time to respond to this consultation.

As with any public consultation exercise, it should be noted that those responding generally have a particular interest in the subject area. Therefore, the views they express cannot necessarily be seen as representative of wider public opinion.

This summary report of the responses to the consultation is not a full analysis and does not aim to reflect every view expressed or comment made. It provides a summary of common points or themes raised in response to the questions. Full responses have been published online, where respondents have given permission to do so.

Percentages given in the tables and text below are percentages of the total responses to the specific question, and not percentages of the total number of respondents to the consultation overall. Percentages shown in the tables do not always add up to exactly 100%, due to rounding.