The Scottish Government

Planning permission is almost always required for 'development' on any significant scale. This term is defined in law and covers a wide range of building and engineering work as well as changes in the way land and buildings are used. Planning law also covers changes to listed buildings and control of advertisements.

The main planning law in Scotland is The Town and Country Planning Act (Scotland) 1997 Chapter 8 (this is a link to the OPSI website). The Planning etc. (Scotland) Act 2006 amends the 1997 Act, although the vast majority of the 2006 Act is not yet in force.

Relevant links:

[Please note that pre-1999 legislation is available through the Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI). The legislation links to OPSI below may not be the currenct version of the legislation incorporating subsequent amendments.]

• National Parks (Scotland) Act 2000
• The Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997 Ch 9 (this is a link ot the OPSI website)
• The Town and Country (General Permitted Development) (Scotland) Order 1992 (this is a link ot the OPSI website and does not incorporate the GPDO amendment orders made since 1992)
• Planning (Hazardous Substances) (Scotland) Act 1997