
Local planning pack - Scotland
We've put together useful information on Scottish planning to help better guide you through the maze of the local planning system.
Useful planning information
To help you make the most of your voice, we've produced a set of leaflets to give you the power to influence local decisions and protect the wildlife which is important to you.
Please see downloadable documents for more help and information.
What to do now
When dealing with a live planning application, you will need to be objective and decide if there is a genuine case. Wasting time on a weak element of your campaign may undermine other legitimate planning concerns.
Find out the key questions you need to ask in order to build a case for protecting wildlife through the planning system.
What to do before a case
Use your local knowledge to influence development at an early stage.
By understanding the planning system and how to respond to planning applications, you may be able to prevent a harmful development, or even enhance a proposal's value to wildlife.
How to gain local support
The more people who know what you are trying to achieve, the more support you will likely get for your campaign. Find out how to get your local media and local politicians involved.
Downloads
Word doc, 117Kb
The planning systemWord doc, 129Kb
Protecting birds from developmentWord doc, 143Kb
Protecting woodland and trees in ScotlandWord doc, 116Kb
Protecting other wildlife from development proposalsWord doc, 172Kb
Helping you to assess the value of a wildlife siteWord doc, 306Kb
Getting involved in planning applicationsWord doc, 122Kb
How to get involved with development plansWord doc, 784Kb
Addressing climate change through planningWord doc, 105Kb
Marine planning sheetWord doc, 319Kb
Getting your message across to local politiciansPDF, 347Kb
Getting your message across with local mediaUseful contacts
Get more information on specific species, as well as more detailed planning advice from our list of useful contacts.
- Amateur Entomologists' Society
- Association for the Protection of Rural Scotland
- Barn Owl Trust
- The Bat Conservation Trust
- Botanical Society of Scotland
- Botanical Society of Britain & Ireland
- British Association for Shooting and Conservation
- British Dragonfly Society
- British Hedgehog Preservation Society
- The British Mycological Society
- BTCV
- British Trust for Ornithology
- British Waterways
- Buglife
- Bumblebee Conservation Trust
- Butterfly Conservation
- Conservation Foundation
- Environmental Law Foundation
- Forestry Commission Scotland
- Friends of the Earth Scotland
- Froglife
- Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust
- Hawk and Owl Trust
- The Mammals Society
- National Trust for Scotland
- Planning aid for Scotland
- Planning Democracy
- Plantlife Scotland
- Freshwater Habitats
- Royal Town Planning Institute Scotland
- Scottish Environment LINK
- Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA)
- Scottish Natural Heritage
- Scottish Ornithologists' Club
- SSPCA
- Scottish Wildlife Trust
- Small Woods Association
- Town and Country Planning Association
- Tree Council
- Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society
- Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust
- Woodland Trust
- WWF
Environmental Impact Assessment FAQs

Find answers to frequently asked questions around Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) in Scotland, including what they are and what they're used for.