The SNP Government has overruled local councils on 46% of all planning decision appeals since the 2017 local elections, the Scottish Conservatives have discovered.
A freedom of information request from the party has revealed that 379 local authority planning decisions have been overturned by the Scottish Government, out of 816 that were appealed in the last five years.
In 2021-22 so far, 90 planning decisions have already been reversed, out of 161 concluded appeals – a rate of 56%.
Scottish Conservative Local Government spokesman, Miles Briggs, said that the figures reflected “how little the SNP really think of local concerns”.
Scottish Conservative Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Housing and Local Government, Miles Briggs said: “This SNP Government has grown so arrogant that it thinks it knows what’s best for your local community.
“Not content with stripping powers away from local councils, the SNP are now overruling councils on the things they still control.
“Planning decisions can have a huge impact on local communities and residents, and that is why they must be decided locally. The fact that so many are being overturned by this SNP Government just shows how little the SNP really thinks of local concerns.
“The Scottish Conservatives believe that local councils know what’s best for their communities. Only we are ready to take on the SNP, empower local councils and deliver on your real priorities.
“While, the SNP – who are obsessed with bureaucracy, centralisation and the constitution – will continue to ignore local concerns.
“If people want to see decisions on local issues taken by those who understand and live in those communities, they have to vote out the SNP in May’s council elections. Only the Scottish Conservatives, Scotland’s second biggest party, are strong enough to beat the SNP and deliver on voters’ local priorities.”
Notes:
The SNP Government overturned 379 local authority planning decisions since the last local elections. Four national park authority planning decisions were also overturned, out of eight concluded appeals. In total, 75 decisions were overturned in 2017-18, 81 were overturned in 2018-19, 70 were overturned in 2019-20, 67 were overturned in 2020-21 and 90 have been overturned so far in 2021-22. This totals 383 planning decisions overturned in total since April 2017. This is out of 824 appeals which have been decided on. (Scottish Government, Freedom of information response 202200286373, 15 March 2022, Available on request).
So far this year, the Scottish Government have overturned more planning decisions than in any other year since 2017. In 2021-22 so far, 90 local authority planning decisions have been overturned by the Scottish Government despite just 161 appeals being decided on. One national park authority planning appeal was also decided on, but not overturned. This means the Scottish Government now overturns more than half the planning decisions it decides on, for the first time in the last five years. (Scottish Government, Freedom of information response 202200286373, 15 March 2022, Available on request).