Planning act to prove costly to West Lothian Council
In West Lothian that will mean around an extra £175,000 a year, head of planning, Craig McCorriston told the council’s Development and Transport PDSP.
The new Act has been four years in the making and has had some 300 plus amendments as its has wound its way through Holyrood.
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Hide AdMr McCorriston said: “It was the most amended piece of legislation there has ever been in the UK. The financial appraisal suggests that over a 10 year period that will cost Scottish local authorities £75m.”
He added that breaking that figure down “that would add potentially up to £175,000 cost of running planning system of this council every year.”
Mr McCorriston added: “We haven’t seen anything to mitigate costs. The obvious way would be to lift planning application fees. I hope there will be significant uplift in fees to offset that cost.”
Asked by the council leader Councillor Lawrence Fitzpatrick if the changes meant more staff would be needed, Mr McCorriston said not at present, but added a cautionary note that if more were needed as the implications of the new rules become clearer, the council would need an uplift in fees to pay for additional staffing.
He also suggested a potential shortage of staff, given the closure of Scottish planning schools.