THE Scottish Government’s ongoing consultation on the future of planning in Scotland presents a ‘golden opportunity’ for the private and public sectors to work in partnership to tackle the shortage of new homes, a housebuilding conference hosted by law firm Brodies heard.

A new era of collaboration is required to tackle delays in decision-making and bring clarity on the provision of infrastructure to support new developments, delegates were told.

The housebuilding conference in Edinburgh, which was attended by 180 delegates, coincided with the publication of a survey of leading figures in the sector which showed that delays to planning consent and infrastructure costs are regarded as the biggest barriers to building new homes.