Council blames resources and budget cuts for planning application delays

Nearly 100 planning applications across Argyll and Bute have been waiting at least a year for the local authority to make a decision.

A search of Argyll and Bute Council's planning portal for applications awaiting decision - having been validated between 1 January 2000 and 13 January 2025 - showed 94 applications.

Argyll and Bute Council said the amount of time taken for a decision was down to a number of factors, including limited resources and budget cuts.

Among the proposals still awaiting a decision are a planned development for 200 houses at a farm site outside Cardross and a new whisky distillery at Bowmore on Islay - an application validated back in November 2024.

Chivas Brothers Ltd and Islay Estates Ltd applied for permission for the facility on land at Gartbreck Farm.

The council also requested extensions to the statutory determination period for that application due to "ongoing discussions to resolve matters" with statutory consultees.

The most recent letter was sent to the applicants in December, with the council requesting the consultation period be further extended until 30 January this year.

Taylor Wimpey's proposal for planning permission in principle for the 200 home development at Geilston Farm was validated by the council on 5 January last year.

Documents show the council then wrote to Taylor Wimpey in October asking for an extension to the determination period, due to a consultee being unable to respond. It asked to set 24 January this year as the new date for a decision.

Plans for a residential development for distillery employees on land east of Port Ellen Primary School, on Islay, also remain undecided by the council.

The proposal by Elixir Distillers was validated in July 2023, but no documents have been published with the application since April 2024. It remains shown as awaiting decision on the council website.

A proposal to demolish a former primary school and schoolhouse on Oakfield Road in Ardrishaig, validated in March 2023, also remains unruled on.

However, some have been published with a handling report among the documents, and a date when a decision was made.

An Argyll and Bute Council spokesperson said: "There are many factors that can influence the time it takes to process a planning application.

"Like other local authorities across the UK, we're working hard to balance increasing legal requirements with limited resources, including a national shortage of qualified planners and reduced council budgets.

"Delays can sometimes occur if we need additional information from the applicant or third parties, or when we're engaging in detailed discussions to address policy or community concerns."

The spokesperson added that the local authority was trying to resolve issues in a thorough fashion, rather than rushing decisions.

Story by Local Democracy reporter Andrew Galloway.