Planning Services

Welcome to Planning Services

The South Ayrshire Planning Service is here to help you. If you wish further information about the contents of the online planning pages or advice on a specific part of the planning service please contact us.

ePlanning Services

• ePlanning Scotland - Submit your Planning Application Online
  • The ePlanning Scotland website provides easy to use forms to submit planning applications and appeals online to South Ayrshire Council. It also assists the user in submitting the relevant form, documentation and correct fee. Guidance is available throughout the site to provide assistance.
• View Planning Applications Online
  • South Ayrshire Council has introduced some new features which will improve your online access to current planning information. You can now view, track and comment on planning applications online and, for applications submitted since May 2009, view documents related to an application. Accessing Planning Applications Online gives help on using this new system. Please be aware that there may be a few days delay from our receiving an application or information and it being made available online.
  • Any comments on a planning application will be published on our website - refer to our privacy policy specific to the electronic handling of planning applications for advice and guidance on this and how we will handle your personal information.
  • Please note that, once the period for a challenge to a decision has passed and the application has been finally disposed of, the application will no longer be published on these web pages. This is to meet the requirements of the Data Protection Act.
• Index Map of all Planning Applications since 1987
  • An index map displaying the historic record of applications back to 1987 providing general, non-personal information about planning applications.

To continue with improvements to our practices and procedures, we intend to issue decision notices only from 1st January 2010. Copies of drawings to which the decision relates will therefore no longer accompany a decision notice. The drawings to which these decisions relate are specified within the decision notice and will be published via the Council’s web-site until such time as the right of appeal has expired.

Changes affecting the Planning Service (Planning Reforms)

Planning legislation in Scotland affecting the processing of planning applications and the right of appeal is changing on 3rd August 2009. View how the Government’s changes will affect the planning application process in South Ayrshire.

• Changes affecting the Planning Service (Planning Reforms)
• A Guide to the Planning System in Scotland

Planning Service

The Planning Service is undergoing a period of transformation and change. Part of that change is a drive for continuous improvement of the quality of the service we deliver, and a comprehensive assessment and managing of the levels of performance that we achieve. Documents relating to this can be found on the Service Improvement and Performance web page.

Planning Jargon Buster: Guide to Terms and Words Used in the Planning System

The Planning Service has produced a list of planning terms and their meanings. This list is updated as often as possible to include comments from members of the public and new terms from changes to legislation and new planning policy documents. This guide is intended to provide a simple and quick explanation of terms and phrases used within the planning system.

Glossary of Planning Terms

Planning Development

The main functions of Planning Development are:

• Planning Applications;
• Listed Building Applications;
• Conservation Areas;
• Advertisement Consent Application;
• All Appeals/Local Reviews related to Planning matters;
• Providing Screening Opinions for Environmental Assessments;
• Investigation of potential breaches of planning control;
• Hazardous Substance Consents;
• Mineral Consents;
• Non Material Variations;
• Provision of Property Information;
• Development Monitoring;
• Development Data Collection;
• Farm and Forestry Notifications;
• Providing pre-application planning advice; and
• Telecommunication Industry Notifications.

Local Planning Services

The main functions of Local Planning are:

• Production and review of statutory development plans (South Ayrshire Local Development Plan)
• Production and review of statutory and non-statutory Supplementary Planning Guidance;
• Advising service customers and Development Management on implementation of Council planning policies (pre-application discussions and planning consultations on development proposals);
• Producing policy and advising on implementation of delivery of affordable housing through the planning system;
• Preparation of master plans and development briefs;
• Advising on development proposals requiring environmental assessments
• Collection, analysis and presentation of demographic and other land use information (including information on population and households, much of it related to the Census 2001; as well as housing land supply, industrial land supply, vacant and derelict land, town centres).