Time limits on existing planning permissions – General Rule 3 years

Section 58(1) of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997, as amended 1st October 2022, provides that grant of planning permission must be subject to a condition on its duration. The condition must provide that the development to which the permission relates must have begun not later than the expiration of either:

• three years from the date of grant of permission or
• such other period as the planning decision-maker may specify when granting permission.
  If no condition on duration is expressly attached to a grant of planning permission, then the permission is deemed to be subject to a condition limiting the duration of the permission to three years. Planning permission lapses if the development is not commenced as required by the condition.