50Chief planning officers
(1)The Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 is amended as follows.
(2)After section 1 insert—
“1APlanning authorities: chief planning officer
(1)Each planning authority must have a chief planning officer.
(2)The role of an authority’s chief planning officer is to advise the authority about the carrying out of—
(a)the functions conferred on them by virtue of the planning Acts, and
(b)any function conferred on them by any other enactment, insofar as the function relates to development.
(3)The Scottish Ministers must issue guidance to planning authorities concerning the role of an authority’s chief planning officer.
(4)A planning authority may not appoint a person as their chief planning officer unless satisfied that the person has appropriate qualifications and experience for the role.
(5)In deciding what constitutes appropriate qualifications and experience for the role of chief planning officer, a planning authority must have regard to any guidance on the matter issued by the Scottish Ministers.”.