Requesting a screening or scoping opinion

If you would like to request a Screening Opinion or Scoping Opinion for your project please:

Requests for Screening and Scoping Opinions must include a plan identifying the land and a description of the nature and purpose of the proposal and its possible effects on the environment, and may include any other relevant information.

For scoping opinions, an indication of the proposed methodology is particularly useful. Please note that when you submit a request for a screening or scoping opinion, the information will appear alongside the planning register and on this website. Online, personal information including signatures will be redacted.

Before submitting a request for a Screening or Scoping Opinion, please view the Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) (Scotland) Regulations 2017  for information on the submission requirements. 

Requests for screening directions

If a developer or a third party disagrees with the planning authority's screening opinion, a request can be made to Scottish Ministers for a ‘screening direction’, which will override the council's screening opinion. A developer may also ask for a screening direction where the planning authority has not issued a screening opinion within 3 weeks.

If you would like to request a screening direction, please contact Scottish Ministers:

The Planning Decisions Manager, The Scottish Government, Directorate for the Built Environment, Planning Decisions South, Area 2-H, Victoria Quay, Edinburgh, EH6 6QQ