Scottish ministers publish planning advice for short-term lets

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Scottish ministers publish planning advice for shortterm let control areas Data migration issues delay roll-out of planning IT scheme

A consultation on the details of a licensing scheme for Airbnb-type shortterm lets in Scotland has been published alongside a planning circular setting out how so-called ‘control areas’ should be established by local authorities.

The circular also spells out how planning applications in control areas should be determined, their duration and how the planning regime should link with the licensing scheme. It stresses: “Planning authorities should consider whether there are systemic material planning considerations across one or more areas in the planning authority area as part of deciding whether to designate one or more control areas.

“Systemic here might mean the same consideration repeated many times or that there is a cumulative impact from the use of dwelling houses as short-term lets.”

The circular suggests several indicators when considering establishing control areas, including: changes to the look and feel of a neighbourhood; lack of affordable and appropriate housing for local residents; and detrimental impact on local amenity. The consultation is set to close on 13 August. It can be found at the following link on the Scottish Government website:

Read the full story: bit.ly/planner0821-short-term

Irish regulator warns of ‘seriously overstretched’ planning departments

Many local authority planning departments are “seriously overstretched”, says Ireland’s independent planning watchdog.

That assessment by Niall Cussen is highlighted in the regulator’s latest annual report. He says an overall headcount of technical and administrative working in planning authorities “is not yet readily available. As a result, it is difficult to determine the staffing resources dedicated to implementing the government’s planning policy and prevents making a comparison between planning authorities”.

But anecdotal evidence is that many authorities are overstretched.

The Office of the Planning Regulator (OPR) report also points out that planning application fees, last revised in 2001, represent less than 30 per cent of the cost of running a council’s planning functions. It adds that during the OPR’s first year there were significant increases in the scale of the regulator’s activities and “their impact in enhancing planning”.

Read the full story: bit.ly/planner0821-OPRreport Data migration issues look certain to delay the introduction of Northern Ireland’s new IT planning system, originally expected to be phased in from late 2021 to early 2022. Roll-out will be some months later.

In a recent letter to chief executives of the 10 local authorities involved in the project and seen by The Planner, Julie Thompson, a deputy secretary in the Department for Infrastructure states: “There are still some significant challenges in delivering the new planning IT system.”

She explains: “One of these key challenges is data migration and in particular the extraction and transfer of data from the NI Planning Portal to the new IT system, given the significant bespoke nature of the NIPP and the legacy nature of the data.

“Despite best endeavours, unfortunately this work has not progressed as quickly as planned and will have an impact on the overall timetable for the new IT system.”

She adds that TerraQuest, the company contracted to deliver the new IT system, estimated that these delays would “push out” the time for full implementation of the new IT system until spring 2022.

She also stresses that no decisions had yet been taken over which councils would be in the first and second phases of the roll-out.

One NI council, Mid Ulster, decided not to participate in the joint initiative.

The contract was awarded to TerraQuest in June 2020.