The Scottish Government has announced a £35 million investment in a central platform for data on planning.
It said the development work will begin early next year and could continue for up to five years, aimed at providing a single place to access services and information about planning,
The plan is aimed at simplifying and speeding up the application and assessment processes, and giving planners the tools and data they need to collaborate and improve decision making.
The announcement predicted benefits of up to 1,6000 jobs in construction and development over the next 10 years and as much as £200 million in economic benefits for the system’s users.
It has come in advance of the launch of Scotland’s Digital Strategy for Planning.
Housing Minister Kevin Stewart (pictured) said: “There is immense potential for digital to provide new ways to get people involved in the planning of great places.
“Our digital planning team has been hearing about the experiences of people who work within planning, and also of those who participate in various ways. We’ve learned about what works well, what could work better, and how digital transformation can help deliver positive impacts and outcomes at both the local and national levels.
“We’re now preparing to put our findings into action, and over the next five years we will be building a world leading digital planning system, helping connect people with their places, influence positive change, strengthen decision making and focus on delivery of high quality planned development.”
Image from gov.scot, Open Government Licence v3.0
