(1)After section 38 of the principal Act insert—
(1)Regulations or a development order may provide that, before determining an application for planning permission for a development of a class prescribed in the regulations or order, a planning authority are to give the applicant and any person so prescribed an opportunity of appearing before and being heard by a committee of the authority.
(2)The procedures in accordance with which any such hearing is arranged and conducted (including, without prejudice to the generality of this subsection, procedures for ensuring relevance and avoiding repetition) and any other procedures consequent upon the hearing are to be such as the authority consider appropriate.
(3)Any right of attendance at the hearing (other than for the purpose of appearing before and being heard by the committee) is to be such as the authority consider appropriate.
(4)In relation to an application other than is provided for in regulations or a development order under subsection (1), a planning authority may elect to give the applicant and any other person an opportunity such as is mentioned in that subsection; and if the authority do so elect, subsections (2) and (3) apply accordingly.”.
(2)In section 56 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 (c. 65) (arrangements for discharge of functions by local authorities), after subsection (6) there is inserted—
“(6A)A local authority’s function of determining an application for planning permission for a development of a class mentioned in section 38A(1) of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 (c. 8) shall be discharged only by the authority.”.