SEPA Planning
What we do
SEPA have various statutory responsibilities for land use planning in Scotland and cross-border. Through these responsibilities, we deliver against SEPA’s five strategic priorities - net zero, climate resilience, water environment, resource efficiency and business environmental performance. In our planning role, we aim to help:
• Protect Scotland’s environment and communities from harm.
• Improve Scotland’s environment for future generations.
• Provide information and advice to help Scotland to adapt to the impacts of our changing climate.
• Avoid environmental harm and increased future risks from flooding.
As a result, our work responds to the climate, nature and housing emergencies, and seeks positive outcomes for the environment and communities.
How we do it
We work in two main ways:
1. We provide independent and evidence-based advice directly to planning authorities and Scottish Ministers to inform their planning and development decisions. Planning decisions are made in accordance with the development plan, unless material considerations indicate otherwise. It is for the decision maker, not SEPA, to determine what weight to attach to policies on a case by case basis. Wider consenting decisions, such as energy infrastructure applications administered by the Scottish Government Energy Consents Unit, are made in accordance with established regulatory frameworks.
2. We work collaboratively across the public sector, including with Key Agencies, to deliver SEPA’s priorities and Scottish Government’s priorities for the planning system. By doing so, we can achieve far more together than we can by ourselves.
Our main focus is to work with other specialists in SEPA to:
· Provide input and advice to inform and help deliver Scottish Government planning legislation, frameworks, policy and guidance, (e.g. National Planning Framework 4).
· Provide public information and advice on various matters which relate to SEPA’s remit (e.g. flood risk).
· Engage early with planning authorities on their Local Development Plans (LDPs) and provide bespoke advice to planning authorities on certain types of development proposals – please view section below on ‘How and when to engage with/consult us’.
· Publish best practice guidance for planning authorities and developers.
· Collaborate with the Scottish Government, Key Agencies and wider public sector to help improve the quality, consistency and pace of consenting processes.
· Rally around new opportunities which help us deliver for SEPA and for Scotland’s planning system alongside government, Key Agencies, planning authorities and others.
Our planning teams
We have two regional planning teams, SEPA planning north and SEPA planning south, and a national planning team . Our regional teams lead primarily on planning casework, while our national team leads on national frameworks, policy, guidance and partnerships.
How and when to engage with/consult us
LDPs – our series of LDP guidance and advice supports new style development plans. It helps planning authorities self-serve as far as possible and limits the need to consult us. In addition, the Key Agencies Group have produced shared learning to help planning authorities take a collaborative, place based approach to their LDPs.
Development management – planning authorities and other consenting bodies should consult us where development proposals meet consultation thresholds in our triage framework . We’ll normally respond within 21 days, but where necessary, we may ask for additional information before we can respond. Please provide all requested information in one go to avoid unnecessary delays.
For all other development proposals submitted to a planning authority, we provide standing advice and do not need to be consulted.
For pre-application advice on proposals that meet our consultation thresholds, or other meeting requests which relate to casework, please contact the planning authority direct and they’ll coordinate. There may be a charge for pre-application advice.
If you have information that you believe is relevant to a particular planning or planning-related application, please submit it direct to the relevant authority so this can feed into consultation and decision-making processes.
Access to information
View access to information to find out more about SEPA’s legal duty to provide access to any of the information we hold to anyone who requests it.
Our service and performance
SEPA’s Performance Framework measures progress against our Corporate Plan and Annual Operating Plan.
Should you wish to make a complaint about our service and/or performance, please view SEPA’s Complaint Handling Procedure. We’ll use all valid complaints to help improve our service.
Please note that any complaints which relate to a planning decision, or how a case has been handled, should be made to the relevant planning authority in the first instance, or to the Scottish Ministers as appropriate.