Planning performance statistics: annual report 2018-2019
Annual statistics on planning decision-making and timescales for 2012-2013 to 2018-2019, based on quarterly data collected by the Scottish Government from Local and Planning Authorities as part of the Planning Performance Framework (introduced in 2012).
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12. Stopping the Clock
Stopping the clock is used where there has been a lengthy delay caused by the applicant or external consultees, outwith the planning authority’s control. This helps produce more accurate and relevant performance statistics that would otherwise have been skewed by extreme cases of delay outwith the planning authority’s control.
For 2018/19 there were 1,921 applications where the clock was stopped for an average of 13.7 weeks. This compares to 1,394 applications stopped for an average of 19.8 weeks in the previous year.
Table 11: Clock stops by planning authority, 2018/191,2
| Planning Authority | Total applications decided in 2018/19 | Number of applications with clock stopped | Percentage of applications with clock stopped | Average length of time clock stopped (weeks) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen City | 858 | 30 | 3.5% | 34.2 |
| Aberdeenshire | 1,979 | 25 | 1.3% | 4.7 |
| Angus | 602 | 0 | - | - |
| Argyll and Bute | 1,276 | 95 | 7.4% | 16.5 |
| Cairngorms National Park | 2 | 0 | - | - |
| Clackmannanshire | 245 | 23 | 9.4% | 5.1 |
| Dumfries and Galloway | 1,257 | 56 | 4.5% | 23.5 |
| Dundee City | 640 | 31 | 4.8% | 21.7 |
| East Ayrshire2 | 525 | 76 | 14.5% | 8.6 |
| East Dunbartonshire | 709 | 159 | 22.4% | 4.4 |
| East Lothian2 | 1,091 | 84 | 7.7% | 13.3 |
| East Renfrewshire | 701 | 8 | 1.1% | 16.1 |
| City of Edinburgh | 3,322 | 9 | 0.3% | 120.0 |
| Falkirk2 | 602 | 21 | 3.5% | 12.5 |
| Fife | 1,860 | 28 | 1.5% | 7.3 |
| Glasgow City | 2,345 | 312 | 13.3% | 11.6 |
| Highland | 2,987 | 169 | 5.7% | 20.2 |
| Inverclyde | 344 | 37 | 10.8% | 10.0 |
| Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park | 278 | 62 | 22.3% | 15.2 |
| Midlothian2 | 557 | 49 | 8.8% | 14.8 |
| Moray | 635 | 177 | 27.9% | 8.8 |
| Na h-Eileanan Siar | 400 | 2 | 0.5% | 26.8 |
| North Ayrshire | 601 | 26 | 4.3% | 6.5 |
| North Lanarkshire | 799 | 12 | 1.5% | 54.1 |
| Orkney Islands | 417 | 75 | 18.0% | 9.4 |
| Perth and Kinross | 1,620 | 91 | 5.6% | 14.9 |
| Renfrewshire | 732 | 97 | 13.3% | 9.4 |
| Scottish Borders | 826 | 4 | 0.5% | 21.1 |
| Shetland Islands | 257 | 26 | 10.1% | 4.3 |
| South Ayrshire | 806 | 2 | 0.2% | 3.8 |
| South Lanarkshire | 1,600 | 21 | 1.3% | 19.1 |
| Stirling | 730 | 1 | 0.1% | 23.4 |
| West Dunbartonshire | 221 | 65 | 29.4% | 9.4 |
| West Lothian2 | 861 | 48 | 5.6% | 33.1 |
| SCOTLAND1,2 | 32,685 | 1,921 | 5.9% | 13.7 |
| 1. Applications with Processing Agreements are not included in this analysis. | ||||
| 2. Includes Legacy Cases. |
Table 12: Clock stops by development type, 2018/19
| Development Type | Total applications decided in 2018/19 | Number of applications with clock stopped | Percentage of applications with clock stopped | Average length of time clock stopped (weeks) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Local developments | ||||
| Householder | 12,482 | 392 | 3.1% | 4.9 |
| Other developments | 5,859 | 378 | 6.5% | 13.6 |
| Housing | 4,648 | 587 | 12.6% | 17.1 |
| Business and industry | 1,477 | 154 | 10.4% | 11.8 |
| AMSCs (under 2 months) | 289 | 53 | 18.3% | 25.9 |
| Telecommunications | 230 | 14 | 6.1% | 7.5 |
| Electricity generation | 180 | 33 | 18.3% | 14.5 |
| Minerals | 26 | 7 | 26.9% | 38.1 |
| Waste management | 20 | 4 | 20.0% | 7.4 |
| Marine finfish farming | 20 | 7 | 35.0% | 16.7 |
| Marine shellfish farming | 11 | - | 0.0% | - |
| Freshwater fish farming | 2 | 1 | 50.0% | 27.3 |
| Total | 25,244 | 1,630 | 6.5% | 13.1 |
| Major developments | ||||
| Housing | 98 | 26 | 26.5% | 34.0 |
| Other developments | 64 | 11 | 17.2% | 29.1 |
| Business and industry | 22 | 9 | 40.9% | 20.3 |
| Minerals | 10 | 3 | 30.0% | 70.6 |
| Electricity generation | 9 | 3 | 33.3% | 147.2 |
| Waste management | 3 | - | 0.0% | - |
| Freshwater fish farming | 1 | - | 0.0% | - |
| Total | 207 | 52 | 25.1% | 39.3 |
| Other Consents | ||||
| Listed building and conservation area consent | 3,328 | 159 | 4.8% | 12.8 |
| Advertisements | 1,766 | 55 | 3.1% | 7.7 |
| Hazardous substances | 16 | 6 | 37.5% | 34.8 |
| Other consents and certificates | 2,092 | 12 | 0.6% | 8.4 |
| Total | 7,202 | 232 | 3.2% | 11.9 |
| Applications with EIA | ||||
| Local applications with EIA | 26 | 6 | 23.1% | 18.9 |
| AMSCs (under 4 months) | 1 | 1 | 100.0% | 47.3 |
| Total | 27 | 7 | 25.9% | 22.9 |
1. Applications with processing Agreements are not included in this analysis.
2. Includes Legacy Cases.
For 2018/19, local housing developments have the most applications where the clock has been stopped, with 17.1 weeks on average removed from decision times. This represents 12.6% of all applications for local housing developments.
There are a variety of reasons why the clock is stopped but stops are often due to delays in concluding legal agreements and waiting for the applicant to sign a planning obligation. Other reasons include site surveys required in relation to European protected species that must await a particular season, external consultants delay or awaiting advert fees to be paid.
Stop the clock advice has been issued to planning authorities to help with decisions for stopping the clock and is available at http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Planning/DataSupplierArea.
Contact
Email: planstats@gov.scot
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