Government 'must focus on planning'

Mar 11 2010

Business chiefs urged the Scottish Government to "get a grip" of the planning system after a slowdown in major commercial applications.

Less than half of big commercial applications are being dealt with inside four months, official figures showed. There was also a 15% fall in the number of overall planning applications in 2008/09.

CBI Scotland assistant director David Lonsdale said: "Despite all the efforts on planning reform over recent years, it is disappointing that, overall, fewer than half of all major commercial applications are dealt with within the target four-month period, even fewer than two years previously. Government and planning authorities need to get a firm grip on the situation if performance is to be enhanced across the board."