Planning Performance: High Level Group minutes - June 2025

Attendees and apologies

• Ivan McKee MSP (Chair), Minister for Public Finance
• Cllr Gail Macgregor, COSLA Spokesperson for Environment and Economy
• Pamela Clifford, (East Ayrshire Council) Heads of Planning Scotland
• Paul Macari, (Aberdeenshire Council) SOLACE
• Dr Caroline Brown, Royal Town Planning Institute
• Peter Noad, (Scottish Enterprise) Key Agencies Group
• Craig McLaren, National Planning Improvement Champion
• Susan Rintoul, National Planning Improvement Team
• Johanna Boyd, Planning Aid Scotland
• Bruce Walker, (Barratt Homes / Homes for Scotland) Applicant Stakeholder Group
• Calum Lindsay, COSLA
• Fiona Simpson, Chief Planner, Scottish Government
• Barry Stalker, Head of National Planning Hub, Scottish Government
• Chris Sinclair, Scottish Government
• Euan Robertson, Scottish Government

Apologies

• Rob McIntosh, (Aberdeenshire Council) SOLAR

Items and actions

Welcome and opening remarks

The Minister welcomed the group to the meeting and thanked Pamela Clifford for her contribution over the past year as chair of Heads of Planning Scotland (HOPS). The Minister reflected on the Scottish Government’s Programme for Government 2025-26, the recent joint Chief Planner and Ministerial letter issued to stakeholders, and the upcoming evidence session as part of the annual review of NPF4. 

The Minister also highlighted the recent changes to planning fees that came into force on 9 June 2025, which saw a further inflationary increase to planning application fees, and the introduction of fees for appeals to Scottish Ministers and Local Review Bodies.

Minute of previous meeting and action points 

An update was provided on actions from the previous meeting which are either complete or in progress.

Programme for Government 2025-26

The Chief Planner provided an update on the central role that planning will play in the delivery of the Scottish Government’s Programme for Government (PfG) 2025-26, published on 6 May 2025. There are 7 direct commitments for planning in the PfG, focussing on capacity, efficiency and delivery:

• reversing the decline in professional planners working in public authorities, including appointing, developing and training 18 new future planners in the Scottish Government, and providing 30 bursaries for post-graduate planning by end of September this year
• undertaking rapid audits of planning teams in each of the key agencies and working with them to reduce complexity, cost, and speed up processes
• providing local authorities, through the Planning Hub, with additional capacity and expertise, prioritising action where evidence shows they are having challenges with meeting timescales or where there are delays in producing local plans
• supporting the delivery of three ‘Masterplan Consent Areas’ including for development associated with the Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport, helping to de-risk investment by putting in place up-front development consents 
• removing all dated national planning advice to declutter the system
• consulting on mechanisms to accelerate house building, including land assembly, build out rates and fiscal measures that stimulate access to land with planning permission where building has not started
• removing barriers on stalled housing sites to deliver up to 20,000 new homes. (‘Safe, warm homes’ section)

Planning Hub update

Barry Stalker provided an update on the National Planning Hub (NPH).

In April, the NPH evolved to deliver wider services through tailored sector specific support, including energy and housing. The remit of the NPH was expanded to include the housing, hydrogen, on-shore wind and Local Development Plans (LDPs). The NPH has been working in partnership with the Improvement Service and National Planning Improvement Champion and working closely with key stakeholders including Heads of Planning Scotland.

In May, the Chief Planner wrote to stakeholders to provide more information on the support available from the NPH, and invited authorities to feedback how the NPH can help the individual pressures and needs of their authority. This builds on current, on-going engagement and support with planning authorities.

By the end of June, it is expected that requests from local authorities will have been analysed and assessed, with delivery taking place from July onwards. The feedback has highlighted a number of areas that the NPH could help address, including: capacity and staff resource; particular professional expertise; delivery of new Local Development Plans; and viability skills. 

The NPH priorities going forward will focus on addressing stalled sites, providing surge capacity, expanding professional capacity, identifying efficiencies and improving practice. 

The Key Agencies Group’s role in sharing knowledge and experience was also noted as being of value to the NPH’s work.

Councillor Macgregor also indicated that COSLA are keen to encourage authorities to utilise the support offered by the Hub.

The group supported the central role the NPH can have in facilitating the recruitment of planning authorities where there have been issues filling planning posts. Resourcing issues across Scotland were highlighted and the group were invited to think about how authorities can have a coordinated, holistic approach to recruiting planning posts, so that pressures are resolved, rather than moved to different authorities.

• Key Agencies Group to engage with National Planning Hub team on the sharing of professional expertise.

Update from National Planning Improvement Champion (NPIC)

The NPIC provided an update on the work of the National Planning Improvement (NPI) team.

Almost all authorities have completed their NPIF Reports (29 performance assessment reports have been completed and have been endorsed), with 4 authorities’ peer review workshops to be undertaken. One authority has indicated that they will not be able to complete the process due to resourcing pressures. Analysis of Improvement Action Plans has been undertaken, and a survey has been sent to authorities for feedback on the process.

The monitoring of improvement actions will begin in July and is expected to be completed by the end of September, at which point the NPI team will have 1-2-1 meetings with individual authorities.

The importance of customer care was acknowledged by the group, which is reflected in the NPIF Improvement Action Plans, and effort should be made to boost customer care and the public’s access to planning services. It was also highlighted that the team at IS were evaluating the NPIF pilot with Planning Authorities and were looking for feedback to support learning and improvement on this process. 

Fiona Simpson flagged that the remaining provisions of the 2019 Planning Act relating to statutory reporting by planning authorities have not yet been commenced, and that the NPIC role and team at IS are a pre-cursor to this. SG should be involved in the review of NPIF pilot, as this will need to be taken into account by SG in commencing the remaining statutory provisions and subsequent approach to performance and improvement. 

• NPIC to provide update on Customer Care actions at the next meeting in September.
• NPIC to involve SG in the approach for the review of the NPIF. 

Applicant Stakeholder Group priority issue – timescales for adoption of new Local Development Plans

Bruce Walker attended the High Level Group on behalf of the Applicant Stakeholder Group to discuss concerns regarding slippage in timescales for adopting new LDPs. Homes for Scotland has undertaken analysis that shows one quarter of authorities have reported they will not meet the deadline of May 2028 for adoption of new LDPs.

The group discussed how authorities can be supported to improve timescales, including support the NPI team and NPH can provide, as well as how the Housing Land Audit guidance can support authorities.

The Minister asked the group if more guidance would prove helpful for authorities, and if identifying the most at risk authorities to prioritise progress would be valuable, for which the group showed support.

Concerns were raised around DPEA’s capacity to process applications, however a recent recruitment campaign has been undertaken to bolster DPEA’s staff resource.

It was also noted that delays to LDPs will not just impact the delivery of new homes but also investment in energy infrastructure.

• Action: Chief Planner to raise importance of progressing LDPs and preventing further slippage with Chief Planning Officers at HOPS Annual Conference on 19 June.

Date of next meeting

The next meeting will take place on 17 September 2025, 10:00-11:30.