Industry body Homes for Scotland has welcomed latest Scottish Government planning performance statistics which indicate a reduction in the time taken to decide major housing developments for Q2 2015/16 – from 64 to 34.4 weeks since the last quarter.  However, it has warned that this momentum must continue to be built on if Scotland is to see enough homes of all tenures built to house its growing population.

Director of Planning Nicola Barclay (right) said:

“Given that the previous quarter’s figures represented the slowest time yet to decide major housing developments, these latest statistics are certainly a step in the right direction towards the responsive system that we all want to see.

“In particular, the marked improvement in local housing development decisions (under 50 homes) to 13.1 weeks is welcome news for SME developers who were harshly affected by the downturn and remain vital to the future success of our industry.

“With the hope of a more streamlined planning system producing further improvement through the current independent review, this all represents largely positive news for our sector.  However, our optimism is tempered by the cuts in local government budgets detailed in yesterday’s draft Budget.  If we are to address demand and meet the diverse set of housing needs and aspirations of our growing population, it is crucial that local planning authorities are adequately resourced to fulfill their crucial role.”