Scotland’s builders are finding it harder than ever to make a start on new sites and get much needed homes out of the ground, a claim trade body Homes for Scotland (HFS) says is substantiated by statistics published today which reveal that, at 48.5 weeks, the time taken on planning decision times for major housing applications remains more than three times the statutory period of 16 weeks.

In fact, for the period July to September in 2016/17, the time has actually slowed by a day from the previous quarter.

The news follows yesterday’s housing report that annual completion levels have effectively flatlined at an average of around 15,000 since 2010 – still some 40% below pre-recession levels – with a worrying drop in the total number of homes being started.

HFS Director of Planning Tammy Adams (right) said: “With today’s figures showing no improvement, slow planning decisions, together with complications relating to conditions and developer contributions, continue to be one of the main blockers to the delivery of housing.

“We know Ministers are not happy with current performance and that Scottish Government officials are looking at the root causes of the delays. Whilst we hope that the planning review will refocus the system and prioritise the delivery of enough new, high-quality homes to meet housing need, the truth is that we just can't wait for that.

“There is an urgent need to get decisions out in good time, both on planning applications and appeals. If this doesn’t happen, the all-tenure housing crisis will only get bigger and this will be to the detriment of communities across Scotland.

“The Scottish Government is now consulting on increasing planning fees for major developments. Planning services clearly need to be properly resourced, but a fee hike will not be palatable unless there is a guarantee that performance will improve.”