Planning - 2026 update: Ministerial and Chief Planner letter - March 2026

19 March 2026

Dear colleagues

We wanted to take this opportunity to reflect on a busy and productive year. 

Last year our Programme for Government recognised that planning is at the heart of economic growth and committed to a series of actions to boost planning capacity and reduce barriers to delivery. We are pleased to report that we have delivered those priority commitments and want to update you on progress with individual projects and some of our other workstreams.   

Increasing resourcing and capacity  

We recognise the importance of ensuring the planning system is properly resourced and have taken action to support authorities to fulfil their statutory functions and to boost capacity in both the short term and the long term.

National Planning Hub 

Over the first full year of its operation, the National Planning Hub has offered significant resources to planning authorities to support their performance and capacity – with 50 projects across 20 planning authorities, along with the wrap-around programme of support delivered by the Improvement Service. A flexible approach has been taken which responds to the needs of authorities.

Examples of support provided range from meeting the costs of additional staff support to enabling authorities to commission technical studies to help accelerate the production of local development plans. 

We are confident that this is making a difference on the ground, and we are grateful to all stakeholders for their collaboration on shaping the role and focus of the Hub to maximise its impact. We envisage further support from the Hub over the coming year and have recently published a blog which sets out more information about the progress we have made.

Planning fees

In 2022 planning fees increased in most cases by between 25% to 50%. Since then, we have applied inflation linked increases in 2024 and 2025 with the next annual increase due to take effect on 1 April. We have also introduced fees for appealing planning decisions to Scottish Ministers and Local Review Bodies as well as extending the range of services which authorities can introduce charges for.

We understand that authorities have used this fee income in a variety of ways. We have been clear that we expect to see increases being reinvested back into planning services to strengthen capacity, boost skills and improve customer service and decision making timescales.   

Future Planners Programme 

Recognising current and expected future workforce capacity concerns for the planning profession, we welcomed 17 Student Planners into Government in the autumn on our Future Planners Programme. By Autumn 2027, the students will have undertaken a post graduate degree in Planning at University of Dundee, Heriot-Watt University or the University of Glasgow and will have completed work placements in 3 areas of Government – Planning, Architecture and Regeneration Directorate, Energy Consents Unit and the Planning and Environmental Appeals Division. The students are also undertaking a learning and development programme and will be taking opportunities to shadow other sectors in the summer to broaden their experience and knowledge.  

The Programme has already exceeded our expectations and we have been impressed with how quickly our cohort of Future Planners has adapted to working within a planning environment. This is already bolstering our consenting capacity, and providing valuable new insights and perspectives on our work. We are grateful to all organisations who have supported the programme, for example by inviting the students to participate in events.   

Planning bursaries 

This year we trebled the funding available for planning bursaries allowing support to 30 students to contribute to their tuition fees or living expenses whilst undertaking a post graduate planning degree.  

We are pleased to commit that investment again in 2026/27 providing £150,000 towards planning bursaries. We intend to make some changes to the way we administer bursaries this year providing direct funding to each university and allowing them flexibility to determine how to best support their students, ensuring that affordability is not a barrier to studying planning.

Supporting housing delivery  

The National Housing Emergency has generated significant action in the planning system over the last year.

Stalled sites 

In 2025 we convened a Short Life Working Group (SLWG) comprising industry and planning authorities to remove barriers from stalled housing sites. Brokerage on a number of sites brought parties together to clarify issues, consider options and solutions and support progress to sites being development ready. The SLWG also agreed to take forward a number of actions that would benefit multiple sites facing similar issues. Best practice has also been shared to support handling of complex cases, and funding resource was provided through the National Planning Hub for particular projects. Further details are available in our recent blog.

This valuable work has allowed us to better understand the challenges faced in delivering new homes, to inform future action, potentially including the new More Homes Scotland agency. The collaborative approach helped us to identify and work through issues at pace and we are grateful to all involved.  

Permitted Development Rights  

We consulted on Permitted Development Rights (PDR) to support the provision of new homes and have published our summary of consultation responses. The consultation sought views on a number of options including extending PDR to cover town centre living and introducing new PDR for new build in certain circumstances in rural areas.  

There was little support for these options, with concerns covering a variety of issues including the potential quality of homes delivered and the lack of opportunity to positively improve the amenity of new homes. In response to those views, we have decided not to extend permitted development rights at this time.   

Accelerating Home Building Consultation 

Our consultation on Accelerating Home Building in Scotland is currently live. It sets out high level options to encourage faster build-out and increase the volume of delivery on sites allocated for, or with planning permission for, housing. Options include fiscal measures to encourage timely build-out; stronger monitoring of progress; simplifying processes for smaller sites to reduce costs and delays for SME housebuilders; and diversifying delivery on larger sites.  

The consultation is a starting point for discussion about the options to achieve change in a challenging environment. The consultation runs until 30 April and we encourage all stakeholders to contribute.  

Development plans 

We remain committed to a plan-led approach from the national to local level.

National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) 

In January we published the fourth iteration of the National Planning Framework 4 Delivery Programme. The Delivery Programme sets out the wide-ranging, collaborative action to continue to deliver NPF4 and the policies it contains. It also provides an update on the 17 National Developments, which can now be seen in a new digital map which will be supplemented as data comes forward and sites are progressed.   

In January we set out in a series of blogs a suite of information for stakeholders on each NPF policy theme, providing easy access to relevant information from Government and wider organisations. We will supplement the blog series as and when new advice is available.   

We have previously stressed the importance that NPF4, and the wider development plan, must be read and applied as a whole when making decisions under our planning system. We would remind everyone involved in the system that NPF4 is not designed to require a single policy or issue to tie the hands of decision makers. The planning balance remains at the centre of our plan-led, discretionary planning system, including the statutory development plan and all relevant material considerations. Whilst individual consultees or other interests may express views from a particular angle or viewpoint, the professional judgement and advice of planners, considering all relevant issues in the round, continues to play a critical role in informing high-quality planning decisions.

Local development plans: action plan and advice

We have continued to support the roll-out of new local development plans which are critical for creating confidence and supporting economic growth.

We recognise and share people’s concerns about the pace of local development plan progress across Scotland to meet the expected timescales of having all plans in place by May 2028, 5 years after the coming into force of the regulations.  

In December we convened a summit with representatives of planning authorities, Planning and Environmental Appeals Division and the National Planning Improvement Champion to identify actions to speed up the process. The Summit has led to the publication of an LDP Action Plan and Advice to help speed up plan progress. This strongly encourages a proportionate approach to the essential housing and infrastructure information to be included within the Evidence Report, whilst maintaining a robust approach to help minimise the issues that might need to be re-opened at the plan examination. 

We will continue to work collaboratively in looking to the Proposed Plan and examination stages, with agreed actions forming a strong basis for further activity.

Recognising the plan-led approach and the importance of avoiding impacts from extended plan preparation timescales, it is expected that in decision-making significant weight should be given to Proposed Plans, including site allocations, when they are published. Proposed Plans provide a strong indication of the Council’s view of where new development should take place and where it should not, based on comprehensive evidence. Earlier decision making will support delivery of development sooner.    

We are also continuing work to bring together information on the pipeline of deliverable housing land, supported by the Improvement Service and informed by input from planning authorities.

This will continue to be a priority over the coming year.

Masterplan Consent Areas 

Following introduction of Masterplan Consent Areas (MCA) we have been supporting early adopters in Highland, Glasgow and East Renfrewshire to prepare and deliver Scotland’s first MCA schemes. The three authorities’ schemes focus on key economic priorities: Highland’s MCAs will support housing delivery around the Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport; East Renfrewshire is progressing an MCA for Barrhead town centre; and Glasgow is developing an MCA for a vacant and derelict site within the Clyde Mission National Development, part of the Clyde Waterfront Innovation Campus.

MCAs can provide multiple benefits for authorities and investors, including increased council tax and business rate revenues, site marketability, potential uplift in the value of publicly owned land, opportunities to coordinate developer contributions up front. MCAs are also designed to benefit local communities by providing opportunities to meaningfully engage and influence the design process at an early stage. 

We look forward to seeing the first of the MCA schemes come into force and to the wider delivery of MCAs as an important new place-making tool, incentivising investment in development across Scotland. 

Streamlining

Compulsory Purchase Reform

As part of our ongoing compulsory purchase reform programme, we consulted on a comprehensive package of proposals for change between September and December 2025. In February we published a post-consultation update, which provides a snapshot of the feedback we received and sets out timings and next steps ahead of the pre-election period. As the blog highlights, there is widespread support for much of what we consulted on and despite the broad spectrum of stakeholder interest in the work, there appears to be a high degree of consensus around many of the proposals. 

De-cluttering planning advice 

To provide greater clarity on current advice to be considered in the planning system we have undertaken a two-part refresh of advice. In December we withdrew outdated planning advice notes and other guidance to avoid confusion and complexity following the adoption of NPF4. A full list of the documents withdrawn is available in our blog. The advice on NPF4 policies set out above now provides an up-to-date reference point.

Consultation on increasing the threshold for applications under the Electricity Act

The volume of electricity generation and storage applications made to Ministers has more than quadrupled over the last 20 years. Building on the outcomes from our 'Investing in Planning' consultation, we are now consulting on increasing the current threshold of 50MW for onshore electricity generating stations. This would transfer responsibility for deciding more applications to planning authorities.  

We encourage you to participate in this important consultation which runs until 27 March.   

Key Agency Planning Audits 

In January we published the independent Key Agency Rapid Planning Audit report by Paul Cackette. Paul was asked to work with planning teams in agencies to reduce complexity, cost and speed up processes. The report focused on those five Key Agencies which have the most input into the planning system, Historic Environment Scotland; NatureScot; Scottish Environment Protection Agency; Scottish Water; and Transport Scotland. We are now considering with the 5 agencies how best to implement the recommendations whilst also seeking input from the Key Agency Group.   

Planning Obligations and Good Neighbour Agreements

In December we published Circular 4/2025 on Planning Obligations and Good Neighbour Agreements which revokes and replaces Circular 3/2012. The new Circular sets out how policies on planning obligations and developer contributions should be included within new-style development plans and delivery programmes. It reviews the guidance on the policy tests and clarifies how to provide clear justification for contributions addressing cumulative impacts. The guidance emphasises the importance of development viability in considering planning obligations. It also provides some advice around the development management process and the content of legal agreements.

Elected Member training

We are working with Planning Aid Scotland and the Improvement Service to develop a mandatory training package ahead of the 2027 Local Government elections. The training package will be hosted on the Improvement Service Councillor Academy portal. Further details are available in our blog.   

Planning guidance: battery energy storage systems

The planning system has an important role in facilitating the delivery of appropriately sited battery energy storage systems (BESS) and we have today published planning guidance which will assist applicants, decision makers, and other participants in the planning system to effectively plan for BESS across Scotland. The guidance has been prepared by independent consultants, Ironside Farrar, on behalf of Scottish Government with input from industry, planning authorities, NatureScot, Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS).

It aims to help us understand the technical, environmental and wider issues associated with planning for BESS. The guidance sets out how the planning process can ensure development is properly sited, well designed and responsive to its context.   

Keeping in touch

Please sign up to our e-alerts or follow us on X @ScotGovPlanning or Linked-in to receive progress updates on all our workstreams.

Thank you for your continued support and collaboration.

Yours faithfully     

Ivan McKee MSP   
inister for Public Finance       

Dr Fiona Simpson, FRTPI
Chief Planner and Director