Executive announces £12 million for e-planning

New system should make planning process less bureaucratic says Minister

News, 25 August 2006

The Scottish Executive is planning to invest £12 million into the planning system, allowing people to access development plans for their area and submit planning applications online.

The investment will be made over the next two years to deliver efficiency savings in the planning process. The Executive is also promising clear and simple guides around the whole planning process.

The bulk of the funding is provided through £9.1 million approved by Finance Minister Tom McCabe as part of the Executive's efficient government fund. The additional £3 million is coming from local authorities and other organisations involved in planning.

Deputy Communities Minister Johann Lamont said the investment marked "the most radical overhaul of the planning system in 60 years", and would make the process less bureaucratic.

She said: "Some local authorities in Scotland are already pioneering this approach. In most cases planning has attracted far more hits than other services on their sites. It is clearly popular with the public, developers and professional planners.

"It will enable communities to get involved from the outset in the plans that shape their areas. They can also contribute to and track individual applications affecting them."

Edinburgh City Council came top in a recent survey of online planning information provided by Scottish local authorities. Each month more than 23,000 people visit the council's planning website.