Learn what these terms mean to help you to effectively respond to planning applications.
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Last updated: 2 July 2025
‘Material considerations’ is an important principle in planning. A material consideration is an issue that is relevant to a planning application, which should be taken into account when a decision is made. There is no legal definition of what a material consideration is. Generally speaking, any issue that relates to the use and development of land in the public interest is capable of being a material consideration. This could include site specific issues, such as the loss of trees, impact on wildlife or traffic problems, or more general matters such as planning policies or previous planning decisions (including appeal decisions). The decision-maker, usually the planning authority, must take all relevant material considerations into account when they decide to approve or refuse a planning application.
Not all issues are material considerations. To be considered material, the issue must have a planning purpose and be related to the proposed development. As planning is intended to protect the public interest, private matters are not material considerations. For example, a neighbour’s concerns about a development having an impact on the value of their property, the loss of a private view, or boundary disputes between neighbours are not material considerations. Neither can the applicant’s potential motives or personal conduct be taken into account.
When responding to a planning application, try to ensure that you focus your comments on matters that are likely to be ‘material’, as these will have the greatest weight in the decision-making process. Annex A of Scottish Government Planning Circular 3/2022 provides more detail on how material considerations are defined.
The decision-maker, usually the planning authority, must compare all material considerations associated with a development proposal and weigh up all the impacts to arrive at a decision. The more important an impact is, the more weight it will be given in the overall planning balance.
National planning policies and policies within a planning authority’s local development plan hold the most weight, as planning applications must be determined in accordance with such policies. If a site is allocated for housing or another use in a local development plan, the principle of it being developed has already been decided so you won’t be able to argue against the assumption in favour of the development.
However, just because a site is allocated in a plan doesn’t mean that any future planning applications will automatically be granted planning permission. Applications can still be refused if they don’t comply with other policies or legislation. Even if you are against the principle of the site being developed, you can still positively influence how it is designed or delivered by submitting comments on a future planning application to make sure that the planning authority considers nature and other interests, including biodiversity requirements.
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Greater weight will also be placed on impacts to sites and species that are legally protected. For example, designated sites such as Sites of Special Scientific Interest and Special Protection Areas, and certain species that have increased protection under UK wildlife protection laws or because they are recognised as species of conservation concern. For more information, see our How to assess the importance of a site under threat from development guide.
Generally, greater weight is attached to those issues which are supported by evidence, for example wildlife records that show the presence of a particular bird population or protected species within the development site. Published scientific evidence of the effects of potential impacts on the species present will also have greater weight in the decision-making process. Therefore, to give your case more weight it is vital that you include any records and other evidence you have gathered or obtained when you submit your comments on a planning application to the planning authority. Take a look at our How to record wildlife guide for advice about collecting your own wildlife data.
Planning Officers should demonstrate how they have considered each relevant issue and determined its weight in their written reports, which are available to view via the planning authority’s online planning register after a decision has been made. If an application is decided by a planning committee, the report will be published before the committee meeting takes place.