Learn how development proposals are discussed or consulted on before an application is submitted.
Last updated: 2 July 2025
Pre-application consultation with local communities and pre-application discussions with planning authorities are strongly encouraged by the Scottish Government, although for most applications this is not compulsory. Pre-application engagement can improve the quality of a development by identifying potential issues at an early stage. It can also provide the applicant with an opportunity to amend their proposal following views of the local community, planning authority and relevant consultees, in advance of making an application.
However, it is the applicant’s choice whether to undertake any pre-application engagement. There is no formal process for local communities to get involved in pre-application discussions unless the proposal is classed as major or national development.
Non-statutory pre-application discussions are a separate activity from the statutory pre-application engagement requirements for major and national developments, which are outlined below.
Applicants must engage in pre-application consultation with the local community before submitting a planning application for major or national developments. This statutory requirement ensures that communities are better informed about such proposals and provides an opportunity for them to contribute to the design process at an early stage.
Comments are made to the applicant directly before they submit their planning application, and not to the planning authority. There is no requirement for the applicant to amend their proposal in light of the community’s comments, but they do need to set them out in a report submitted with any subsequent planning application.
As part of the PAC process, applicants must submit a proposal of application notice to the planning authority at least 12 weeks before they apply for planning permission. The proposal of application notice must provide details on how the applicant intends to consult with the local community and community councils about their development proposal. There is a requirement for the applicant to hold at least two public events and provide feedback to the community on the views obtained through the PAC process.
For more detail on pre-application engagement and the PAC process, take a look at Section 2 of planning circular 3/2022. Planning Democracy has also produced a guide on responding to a planning application, which includes some helpful advice for the public on the PAC process (pages 12-14).
Getting involved in the PAC process is an excellent opportunity to try to influence a major or national development that is proposed in your local area.
You can make your views known to the applicant before the planning application is submitted to the planning authority; this increases the chances of positively influencing the development. This could be to reflect local wildlife interests, eg enhancement and mitigation measures could be designed into the scheme.