The National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) was adopted today by Scottish Ministers and becomes a key factor in determining planning applications and appeals in Edinburgh.
NPF4 is now part of the Council’s development plan and – unless material considerations indicate otherwise – decisions on planning applications will need to be made in accordance with both:
This means that from today, the section of the Planning (Scotland) Act 2019 that sets out what happens when there is ‘any incompatibility’ between parts of a development plan will also come into force.
This means that some Local Development Plan policies will no longer be used to the same extent.
A report to Planning Committee on 18 January 2023 explains this in more detail and provides a list containing:
NPF4 policies
Local Development Plan policies which are compatible with NPF4
Local Development Plan policies which are not compatible with NPF4 and will not be used to the same extent
The National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) was approved by the Scottish Parliament on 11 January 2023. It is expected that it will be adopted on 13 February 2023 at 9am.
Once adopted, NPF4 will become part of the Council’s development plan and – unless material considerations indicate otherwise – decisions on planning applications will need to be made in accordance with both:
When NPF4 is adopted, the section of the Planning (Scotland) Act 2019 that sets out what happens when there is ‘any incompatibility’ between parts of a development plan will also come into force.
This is likely to mean that some Local Development Plan policies will no longer be used to the same extent.
A report to Planning Committee (PDF) on 18 January 2023 explains this in more detail and provides a list containing:
NPF4 policies
Local Development Plan policies which are compatible with NPF4
Local Development Plan policies which are not compatible with NPF4 and will not be used to the same extent
Fees for planning applications set by the Scottish Government change on 1 April 2022 for almost all application types. This means everything submitted to us on or after 1 April 2022 will be affected including:
‘full’ planning permission
planning permission in principle
certificates of lawfulness
advertisement consent
Amongst the changes, the standard ‘householder’ fee increases from £202 to £300, whilst the standard fee for the construction of one new house increases from £401 to £600.
Over the last 7 months, we have spent time putting systems and strategies in place in order to simplify and improve our services so we can continue to provide an excellent service to the city. Along with a lot of the Council, both the Planning & Building Standards services are currently working from home. We have previously blogged about the challenges this has presented and how as we continue to develop, we look at ways to work effectively in this new, remote environment.
This week marks a milestone in these efforts, as we launch a new & easier way to pay online for Planning Applications & Building Warrants.
Planning Applications must still be submitted using eplanning.scot, and you can still pay via this system when you submit. But for those applicants or agents who need to make an additional payment, or for applicants who may wish to pay after their agent has submitted, you can now pay for your planning application online
Similarly, Building Warrants must still be submitted using eBuildingStandards.scot, and you can still pay via this system when you submit. However you can now make a payment post submission where the original fee was either incorrect or if you need to extend the period of validity. Make sure you are paying the correct amount by checking the Building Standards Scale of Fees.
The payment system is safe, secure and easy to use, using gov.pay software that you may already be familiar with. It is available 24/7 from anywhere that has internet, including your smart phone.
A step-by-step guide to using it;
Step 1.
You will need the following;
Your Planning Application number (for example, 20/03230/FUL)
Your Scottish Government reference (for example, 100290191-001)
You will also need to select whether you are the applicant, or the agent. The above information will be on any correspondence from us or your agent should provide it.
Step 2.
You will need to enter the address of your planning application. If your application does not yet have a postal address, enter your Site description (for example, “Land 200m to the North of 123 Edinburgh Street” – this will be on any correspondence you have from us). You must enter at least a Street name & Town.
Step 3.
Enter your contact details, and the amount that you need to pay. The amount you need to pay may be on a letter from us, or if you are an applicant, your agent should advise you. You can always refer to our fees list on our website.
Step 4
You will then be taken to the ‘Enter card details’ page where you can securely enter your card details, much like online shopping or other payment pages. We accept Visa or Maestro, and require the usual card details (Card Number, Expiry Date, Name on card, Card Security Code, Billing Address & Contact Details for your receipt.)
Please note – you can pay for Planning applications, Certificates of Lawfulness & Advertisement Consents. For Building Standards you can pay for Building Warrants, Amendments to Building Warrants & Extensions to Building Warrants. At this point we cannot accept online payment for Planning Pre-application advice.
All done!
We will then pick up your payment and process your application from there.
Follow this blog for further updates as we continue to make service improvements & adapt to challenges and opportunities.
Planning Edinburgh 
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