Current status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 4 June 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what the current average time taken for a decision to be made on planning applications is.
The average time taken to determine planning applications not subject to processing agreements for the first two quarters of 2024-25 in Scotland was as follows:
• for local developments: 11.1 weeks in Q1 and 11.9 weeks in Q2; and
• for major developments: 35.5 weeks in Q1 and 35.2 weeks in Q2.
Statistics for the average length of time to determine planning applications subject to processing agreements are not held centrally. For those applications, statistics are published on the number and percentage of decisions meeting the timescales agreed through processing agreements.
The average time taken to determine planning applications for Q1 and Q2 of
2024-25 for each local authority can be found at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/planning-application-statistics-2024-25-april-2024-september-2024/.
The planning application statistics for Q3 and Q4 of 2024-25 and the annual statistics are not yet published. These will be available on the Scottish Government website at: https://www.gov.scot/collections/planning-statistics/.