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Development plan examination reports are not signed off by ministers, but ministers do have the opportunity to intervene later in the process.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-02188 on 12 September 2011. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/MAQASearch/QAndMSearch.aspx.

No minister was directly involved. The appointment of reporters to examine development plans is delegated to the chief reporter.

Scottish Ministers appoint the person who is to carry out the examination, but they have no powers to intervene in the running of the examination. Section 19(5) of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 states that the form that the examination is to take is to be at the discretion of the appointed person.

Following completion of the examination, the reporter sends their report to the planning authority. Apart from certain limited exceptions, authorities must make any modifications to plans that are recommended in examination reports. Within three months of receiving the report, authorities must send the modifications, the proposed plan they wish to adopt, and the advert of their intention to adopt the plan to Scottish Ministers. There is then a 28-day period during which ministers may delay the adoption of the plan, direct the authority to consider modifying the plan, or direct that the plan should only come into force on being approved by them.

The definition of effective housing land does not change, but the effectiveness of individual sites may change in the light of economic circumstances. The chief planner wrote to planning authorities on 29 October 2010 (http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/212607/0106433.pdf) advising on the continued provision of an effective supply of land for housing in the changed economic climate.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-02188 on 12 September 2011. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

The purpose of such examinations is to examine issues raised in representations on the planning authority’s proposed plan. The proposed plan itself will have been subject to public consultation, and the public will have had the opportunity to make representations for consideration at the examination at this earlier stage.

Some reporters have considered it appropriate to carry out further consultation or notification of neighbours and community councils, particularly where they are considering the suitability of identifying additional land for development which has not previously been the subject of consultation. In these circumstances it is unlikely that notification of every household in a community (as opposed to just neighbours) will be necessary, but it may be possible to gauge wider community opinion through, for instance, asking the community council for their views.

In their consideration of issues raised at the examination, reporters will be informed by Scottish Planning Policy (SPP) and any other material considerations. SPP notes that where it is considered necessary, the proposed release of land previously designated as green belt should be identified as part of the settlement strategy set out in the development plan.

Scottish Planning Policy defines the effective housing land supply as the part of the established housing land supply which is free or expected to be free of development constraints in the period under consideration, and will therefore be available for the construction of housing. Planning Advice Note 2/2010 defines the established housing land supply as the total housing land supply - including both unconstrained and constrained sites. This will include the effective housing land supply, plus the remaining capacity for sites under construction, sites with planning consent, sites in adopted local development plans and where appropriate other buildings and land with agreed potential for housing development.

The green belt boundaries identified in local development plans should reflect the long term settlement strategy. However, there may be circumstances where it is appropriate to redesignate previously green belt land for other uses through the development plan process.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-02202 on 12 September 2011. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/MAQASearch/QAndMSearch.aspx.

It is impossible to anticipate every possible circumstance, but it will rarely be appropriate to consult every household in a community as part of a development plan examination process.