118.Under paragraph 14(2), the Scottish Ministers may give a call-in direction to a planning authority at any time before a proposed scheme or alteration is made. Having received a call-in direction, the planning authority may not make their proposed scheme or alteration and must not begin or proceed with any hearings in relation to the proposals. This overrides the requirement for hearings under paragraph 13(1).
119.Paragraph 15 sets out details of Ministers’ powers after calling in. It provides that, having given a call-in direction, the Scottish Ministers may themselves make the proposed scheme or alteration, may make a scheme or alteration that is different from what the planning authority proposed, or may decline to make any scheme or alteration. In deciding which of these options to take, the Scottish Ministers may take matters into account that were not taken into account by the planning authority in drawing up their proposals, and may arrange for a local inquiry or other hearing to be held. If the Scottish Ministers decide to alter a scheme in a way that has any of the effects described in paragraph 13(1)(b), they are bound by the same rule as planning authorities and must not make the alteration until 12 months after making that decision.