Latest planning performance statistics released by the Scottish Government show that decisions on major housing applications are taking an average of nearly 77 weeks – over a year longer than the 16 week statutory timescale.

Homes for Scotland Director of Planning Allan Lundmark said: “Scotland is in the midst of its worst housing crisis since the Second World War with a total of only 15,000 new homes built in 2011 despite 160,000 people being on housing waiting lists.

“Thousands of new, warm, sustainable homes are desperately needed across all tenures the length and breadth of the country.

“Scotland’s home builders stand ready to provide them but, facing the worst market conditions in living memory, these figures support our own internal research and confirm that the planning system is strangling rather than facilitating what little investment is available.

“It is simply not good enough for the Scottish Government to publish these figures without explaining how they are going to rectify this sorry situation.

“These statistics also call into serious question the Scottish Government’s ambition in introducing higher fees for a system that is clearly not performing and shows no sign of improving.”