Online services to the rescue
The online eDevelopment.scot – homepage of the Scotland-wide system for making applications online has come into its own during the present Covid crisis. It links to your local council and has downloadable user guides plus a technical support desk.
New builds and larger projects need permission granted via local councils and they have risen to the challenge.
North Ayrshire Council reminds people on Arran that Cunninghame House, home to its planning and building standards services, remains closed to the public and staff are working from home. ‘Please do not visit Cunninghame House as you will not be given access,’ said a spokesperson. Posting a letter, document or paper planning application to Cunninghame House will result in delay, the council advises. The preferred way to make a planning application is via its online portal or by emailing eplanning@north-ayrshire.gov.uk Officers are now able to undertake site visits to most outdoor locations, subject to social distancing measures being practical and safe. If an officer is unable to visit, you will be asked to provide photographs.
Back in March the Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning, Kevin Stewart MSP, wrote to local councils at the start of the Covid outbreak, giving additional guidance on the duration of building warrants, extending the validity and determination of application – refusal and deemed refusals.
Local authorities are responsible for granting permission for work to be done with building warrants and for a completed building to be occupied by issuing a completion certificate.
His guidance was to ensure that where work was paused as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic that applicants would not be disadvantaged through the expiry of their building warrant.
‘I appreciate that granting an extension to a building warrant requires further work and as a result a fee is normally charged,’ he said. ‘However, at this time it is important that the fee does not prevent contractors getting back to work in a safe and responsible manner in order to complete works for applicants.’
He called for councils to use their discretion, particularly for small works that were halted by the pandemic.
This guidance specifically addresses small works including those to existing homes and business premises and where delays to the completion of works have been caused by the pause in construction due to the pandemic.
This timescale allows for any work that was paused due to the pandemic to have restarted and any necessary extension warrant to have been applied for; the original extension was until the end of this month (October), but expect to see further extensions and always check with council departments before proceeding.