Planning performance statistics: fourth quarter 2017-2018 and annual

3. Annual average decision times by Development Type

3.1 Local Developments

Local developments include applications for changes to individual houses and smaller developments for new housing as well as applications covering areas of development such as minerals, business & industry, waste management, electricity generation, freshwater fish farming, marine finfish farming, marine shellfish farming, telecommunications, Approval of Matters Specified in Conditions ( AMSCs) and other developments.

This section presents annual information on application numbers and average timescales across all local developments, along with separate figures for individual categories.

Chart 13: Post 3rd August 2009 Applications: Local Developments, 2017/18: Number of decisions

Chart 14: Post 3rd August 2009 Applications: Local Developments, 2017/18: Average decision time (weeks)

The average decision time for the 26,220 (post 3rd August 2009) local applications in 2017/18 was 9.0 weeks, quicker by an average of just over a day per application compared with 2016/17 (9.2 weeks) and the quickest annual average since the start of this data collection in 2012/13.

Chart 14 shows that average decision times vary between types of development. The largest share of local developments is for householder developments (almost 50%) and these have the shortest decision time of on average 7.3 weeks. Minerals applications (0.1% of all local decisions) have the longest average decision time equal to 27.1 weeks.

During the year 2017/18 there was a total of 1,139 local development decisions where the clock had been stopped at some point within the application process (4.3% of all local development decisions). On average almost 19 weeks has been removed for these applications, and this will have had an effect on overall average decision times. For the previous year, there were 944 local development decisions where the clock had been stopped at some point (3.5% of all local application decisions). See Annex 15.1 for further details.

Some local developments are subject to Environmental Impact Assessments ( EIAs). Results for these developments are not included here and instead are reported separately in the detailed tables ( Annual, 2017/18: Tables 23 & 28).

In addition, there were 1,671 local developments decided in 2017/18 that had processing agreements in place, with almost 80% of these meeting agreed timescales. Developments with processing agreements are not included in average time calculations.

The overall decision time for local developments in 2017/18 was the quickest over the last five years (Table 1). In 2017/18 the average decision times for householder (7.3 weeks), other developments (9.9 weeks), housing (12.2 weeks) and electricity generation (13.3 weeks) were all the quickest since the start of this data collection in 2012/13.

Between 2016/17 and 2017/18 electricity generation developments had the biggest improvement in average decision time from 19.2 weeks to 13.3 weeks. For business and industry, telecommunications, fish farming, waste management and minerals developments there were increases in average decision times compared to 2016/17. The increase in the average decision time for waste management can partly be explained by two applications with decision times of almost one year. The increase for mineral decisions was strongly influenced by a single application that took over three years for a decision.

Table 2 shows the figures for all applications including legacy applications up to 2016/17.

Table 1: Post 3rd August 2009 Applications: Local Developments: Annual average decision times by Development Type

Post - 3rd August Local Developments	2017/18		2016/17		2015/16		2014/15		2013/14		2012/13
	Number of decisions	Average decision time (weeks)	Number of decisions	Average decision time (weeks)	Number of decisions	Average decision time (weeks)	Number of decisions	Average decision time (weeks)	Number of decisions	Average decision time (weeks)	Number of decisions	Average decision time (weeks)
Householder	12,861	7.3	13,400	7.3	13,641	7.4	14,115	7.5	13,904	7.7	13,446	8.0
Other Developments	5,981	9.9	5,919	10.0	6,126	10.3	6,099	10.4	6,258	10.5	5,822	11.3
Housing	4,768	12.2	4,899	12.7	5,590	13.7	5,807	14.5	5,762	15.2	5,563	17.2
Business & Industry	1,609	9.5	1,738	9.3	1,941	10.4	2,257	10.7	2,370	11.1	2,531	11.8
Telecommunications	504	8.7	457	8.1	441	7.9	416	7.6	404	8.5	301	8.5
AMSCs	284	13.9	294	14.5	319	13.0	318	14.8	302	17.4	255	16.3
Electricity Generation	123	13.3	178	19.2	561	17.4	626	22.4	861	23.1	1,247	21.2
Fish Farming	56	9.3	44	8.5	84	9.4	53	13.3	63	12.5	43	10.6
Minerals	17	27.1	28	19.9	39	35.0	25	17.7	47	15.8	35	26.9
Waste Management	17	16.6	29	11.6	22	10.8	23	17.8	55	19.4	89	16.3
TOTAL	26,220	9.0	26,986	9.2	28,764	9.7	29,739	10.1	30,026	10.6	29,332	11.4

Table 2: All Applications: Local Developments: Annual average decision times by Development Type

All Applications Local Developments	2017/18		2016/17		2015/16		2014/15		2013/14		2012/13
	Number of decisions	Average decision time (weeks)	Number of decisions	Average decision time (weeks)	Number of decisions	Average decision time (weeks)	Number of decisions	Average decision time (weeks)	Number of decisions	Average decision time (weeks)	Number of decisions	Average decision time (weeks)
Householder			13,400	7.3	13,644	7.5	14,116	7.5	13,904	7.7	13,450	8.1
Other Developments			5,920	10.0	6,131	10.5	6,102	10.5	6,264	10.8	5,833	11.7
Housing			4,901	12.8	5,616	14.4	5,836	15.3	5,831	17.5	5,671	20.9
Business & Industry			1,738	9.3	1,944	11.2	2,259	10.9	2,385	12.9	2,548	13.0
Telecommunications			457	8.1	441	7.9	416	7.6	404	8.5	301	8.5
AMSCs			294	14.5	319	13.0	319	15.1	303	18.0	255	16.3
Electricity Generation			178	19.2	561	17.4	626	22.4	863	23.5	1,251	21.7
Fish Farming			44	8.5	84	9.4	53	13.3	63	12.5	43	10.6
Minerals			28	19.9	40	35.1	25	17.7	49	22.3	36	31.6
Waste Management			30	15.5	22	10.8	23	17.8	57	26.8	95	28.7
TOTAL			26,990	9.2	28,802	10.0	29,775	10.3	30,123	11.3	29,483	12.4

3.2 Major Developments

Major developments include applications for developments of 50 or more homes, as well as other applications covering areas of development such as minerals, housing, business & industry, waste management, electricity generation, freshwater fish farming, marine finfish farming, marine shellfish farming and other developments. Classification between local and major developments depends on the particular development type. For example, housing developments are classed as major when the application is for 50 or more dwellings or for a site that exceeds two hectares, whereas electricity generation is classed as major when the capacity of the generating station is or exceeds 20 megawatts.

Details for the classification of all development types can be found here: http://www.gov.scot/Resource/Doc/278390/0083657.pdf .

This section presents annual information on application numbers and average timescales across all major developments, along with separate figures for individual categories.

Chart 15: Post 3rd August 2009 Applications: Major Developments, 2017/18: Number of decisions

Chart 16: Post 3rd August 2009 Applications: Major Developments, 2017/18: Average decision time (weeks)

The average decision time for the 238 (post 3rd August 2009) major applications in 2017/18 was 33.6 weeks, quicker by almost three weeks per application compared with 2016/17 (36.4 weeks).

Charts 15 and 16 show that a large share (almost 49%) of major developments are for housing developments that have an average decision time of 38.2 weeks.

During the year 2017/18 69 applications, 29% of all major development decisions had involved a clock stop at some point within the application process. The average time stopped was 46.2 weeks for these applications. This will have had an effect on overall average decision times. See Annex 15.1 for further details.

In addition there were a further 93 major development applications concluded in 2017/18 that were subject to separate processing agreements. Over 73% of these applications met agreed timescales that had been set between developers and local authorities. Applications subject to processing agreements are not included in average time calculations.

Tables 3 and 4 give figures over five years. Due to the small number of applications for some types of major developments, average decision times may be volatile between types and years and can be skewed by a few lengthy decisions. See Annex 15.2 for further details.

In 2017/18 the average decision times for major housing and waste management applications were the quickest annual average since the start of this data collection in 2012/13. The average decision times for minerals and business and industry developments improved in 2017/18 compared to the previous year while electricity generation and other developments showed increases in average decision times since the previous year.

In 2017/18 there were 42 major applications that took longer than a year for a decision. Nine of these took more than two years; seven taking between two and three years, one just over three years and the longest application taking over seven years. The lengthiest decision was for planning permission in principle for development of a Community Growth Area, comprising housing, neighbourhood centre, community facilities, access roads, open space and landscaping. The application was approved.

Table 3: Post 3rd August 2009 Applications: Major Developments: Annual average decision times by Development Type

Post - 3rd August Major Developments	2017/18		2016/17		2015/16		2014/15		2013/14		2012/13
	Number of decisions	Average decision time (weeks)	Number of decisions	Average decision time (weeks)	Number of decisions	Average decision time (weeks)	Number of decisions	Average decision time (weeks)	Number of decisions	Average decision time (weeks)	Number of decisions	Average decision time (weeks)
Housing	116	38.2	108	43.4	95	40.6	113	41.3	117	41.9	76	40.1
Other Developments	83	30.6	94	30.4	108	25.1	101	28.7	105	25.9	66	34.3
Business & Industry	17	25.5	26	33.2	23	19.9	39	33.1	41	26.6	45	22.8
Electricity Generation	9	36.5	10	32.6	16	31.7	19	53.6	27	58.4	24	50.7
Minerals	8	23.9	5	30.0	16	33.6	16	52.1	13	20.6	21	46.6
Waste Management	5	14.0	3	18.6	9	22.4	9	18.4	7	23.7	5	22.3
Fish Farming	0	-	0	-	1	18.0	1	31.6	0	-	1	4.4
TOTAL	238	33.6	246	36.4	268	31.0	298	36.6	310	34.6	238	36.3

Table 4: All Applications: Major Developments: Annual average decision times by Development Type

All Applications Major Developments	2017/18		2016/17		2015/16		2014/15		2013/14		2012/13
	Number of decisions	Average decision time (weeks)	Number of decisions	Average decision time (weeks)	Number of decisions	Average decision time (weeks)	Number of decisions	Average decision time (weeks)	Number of decisions	Average decision time (weeks)	Number of decisions	Average decision time (weeks)
Housing			108	43.4	105	52.1	125	54.1	147	69.9	104	74.8
Other Developments			96	30.3	111	26.3	103	32.9	115	38.7	73	46.2
Business & Industry			26	33.2	23	19.9	41	41.3	45	39.8	51	56.2
Electricity Generation			10	32.6	17	53.7	21	69.1	27	58.4	28	64.4
Minerals			6	39.0	18	41.8	17	70.0	15	59.0	23	47.4
Waste Management			3	18.6	9	22.4	10	24.8	7	23.7	7	87.4
Fish Farming			0	-	1	18.0	1	31.6	0	-	1	4.4
TOTAL			249	36.4	284	37.8	318	46.4	356	53.8	287	61.1