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Resources for planning

By: Contributor(s): Language: English Publication details: Edinburgh Scottish Executive Development Department 2005Description: 164p. 30cmISBN:
  • 0755928644
Subject(s): LOC classification:
  • 711.1
Online resources:
Incomplete contents:
Introduction -- Consideration of options to improve planning services resources -- Methodology -- The structure of the planning service -- Planning application fee income -- The cost of the planning service -- The profile of applications -- Planning performance -- The demand for planners -- The supply of planners -- Changes to the basis of fee calculations or current fee charging activities -- The balance fees: maximum fees -- Other policy implications -- Summary of findings
Summary: Ove Arup was commissioned by the Scottish Executive to carry out research on the adequacy of staff and financial resources available to local authority planning departments. Findings presented in this report are on nature, scale and causes of resource problems as well as proposed solutions to the problems identified. A summary of the main findings are: between 1996-1997 and 2003-2004 total net revenue expenditure on all services by Scottish local authorities increased by 40.3% but revenue expenditure on planning services reduced from £74.4 million to £70.0 million; Scotland's planning service has not been given the resource priority it needs to operate effectively; if local authorities were to achieve 100% cost recovery of fee-related development control activities this would have resulted in an increase of 34% in fee income in 2004-2005; In 2003, 84 of the 1,673 full-time planning posts were vacant; there is an overall shortage of qualified planning staff across Scotland with specific concerns regarding the future supply of planning graduates and in particular the West of Scotland as the University of Strathclyde has recently closed its planning school.

Introduction -- Consideration of options to improve planning services resources -- Methodology -- The structure of the planning service -- Planning application fee income -- The cost of the planning service -- The profile of applications -- Planning performance -- The demand for planners -- The supply of planners -- Changes to the basis of fee calculations or current fee charging activities -- The balance fees: maximum fees -- Other policy implications -- Summary of findings

Ove Arup was commissioned by the Scottish Executive to carry out research on the adequacy of staff and financial resources available to local authority planning departments. Findings presented in this report are on nature, scale and causes of resource problems as well as proposed solutions to the problems identified. A summary of the main findings are: between 1996-1997 and 2003-2004 total net revenue expenditure on all services by Scottish local authorities increased by 40.3% but revenue expenditure on planning services reduced from £74.4 million to £70.0 million; Scotland's planning service has not been given the resource priority it needs to operate effectively; if local authorities were to achieve 100% cost recovery of fee-related development control activities this would have resulted in an increase of 34% in fee income in 2004-2005; In 2003, 84 of the 1,673 full-time planning posts were vacant; there is an overall shortage of qualified planning staff across Scotland with specific concerns regarding the future supply of planning graduates and in particular the West of Scotland as the University of Strathclyde has recently closed its planning school.