Search

Hierarchy of developments

Planning applications in Scotland are grouped into a hierarchy of three categories: national, major and local developments. This hierarchy helps to make sure applications are handled in a way that reflects their scale and complexity.

The types of development that fall into each category are set out in the Scottish Planning Series Circular 5 2009: Hierarchy of Developments, based on factors such as their size and potential impact.

The following are the distinct development types based on how we process proposals. These still fall within the three categories defined in the legislation: 

  • Householder developments
  • Local developments
  • Major and national developments
  • Large scale energy developments

The development category affects:

  • If pre-application consultation (PAC) is needed
  • The timescale for deciding the application
  • If the application is decided by a planning officer or a council committee
  • If additional requirements apply, usually for larger or more complex proposals

Householder developments

Householder developments are a type of local development and include proposals for alterations and extensions to existing homes, such as fences, sheds and garages.

Householder developments:

  • Don't need a pre-application consultation, it is an optional step
  • Are usually decided by a planning officer
  • Have a statutory decision timescale of 2 months

Find out about:

Local developments

Local developments are smaller-scale proposals. They can include building 1 to 49 houses or flats, converting non-residential buildings, small to medium business and industrial developments or small wind energy proposals (up to 20 megawatts).

Local developments:

  • Don't need a pre-application consultation, it is an optional step
  • Are usually decided by a planning officer
  • Have a statutory decision timescale of 2 months

Find out about:

Major and national developments

Major developments

Major developments are larger scale proposals, examples include:

  • Housing developments of 50 or more homes, or more than 2 hectares in area
  • Larger retail developments
  • Certain waste, water, transport and energy-related developments
  • Electricity generation exceeding 20MW in generating capacity

Major developments:

  • Need a pre-application consultation with the community
  • Are normally decided by a council committee
  • Have a statutory decision timescale of 4 months
  • May be supported by a Planning Processing Agreement (PPA), which sets out an agreed timetable for the application

National developments

National developments are identified in National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4). They include both individual large-scale projects and networks of related infrastructure.

Examples relevant to Aberdeenshire include:

  • Industrial Green Transition Zones including carbon capture, usage and storage (CCUS) and hydrogen proposals at St Fergus and Peterhead
  • Strategic renewable energy generation and transmission infrastructure, required to connect new onshore and offshore electric grid capacity to the rest of Scotland and the UK

National developments:

  • Need a pre-application consultation
  • Are determined by a council committee or, in some cases, Scottish Ministers
  • Have a statutory decision timescale of 4 months
  • May be supported by a Planning Processing Agreement (PPA), which sets out an agreed timetable for the application

Pre-application and how to apply

Find out about:

Large scale energy developments

Large scale energy, transmission and infrastructure developments can fall under major or national developments depending on their scale and complexity.

These usually include large projects for renewable energy generation, energy storage, and the infrastructure needed to connect and transport electricity across the network.

Find out more about: