A commercially focused, creative and responsive town planning consultancy — delivering results for developers, landowners and investors throughout Scotland.
Quinn Town Planning is a specialist planning consultancy operating across Scotland, providing commercially informed planning advice to developers, landowners and investors. We combine 27 years of direct planning experience — spanning private practice, regulation and local authority — with a pragmatic, results-driven approach.
We understand that planning permissions need to be deliverable: acceptable to occupiers, funders and lenders within realistic timescales. This is achieved through collaborative engagement with planning authorities, creative strategy and genuine responsiveness to our clients' objectives.
Our expertise spans residential development, mixed-use and regeneration schemes, renewable energy, major infrastructure, EIA consenting, strategic land promotion and planning obligations — with particular strength in Edinburgh, the Lothians and the Central Belt.
Chartered Town Planner with 27+ years across private consultancy, national regulation and local authority practice in Scotland and Australia. A rounded perspective most consultants simply can’t offer.
Quinn Town Planning offers a comprehensive range of planning services across all sectors. From site appraisal and strategic advice through to renewable energy consenting, EIA coordination, S75 negotiations and DPEA appeals — we have the depth of experience to deliver. Contact Brent to discuss your project.
Clear, percentage-based assessments of planning policy, constraints, history and political context — giving clients the confidence to make well-informed investment decisions.
End-to-end preparation, team coordination and submission of applications across all sectors. We manage architects, engineers and specialists to deliver robust, efficient submissions.
Creative and technically grounded planning strategies — integrating policy, politics and programme to unlock the development potential of complex or constrained sites.
Expert negotiation of Section 75 agreements, affordable housing mechanisms (including Golden Share), education contributions and developer obligations under Scots law.
Experienced in Environmental Impact Assessment coordination, energy infrastructure, waste facilities and large-scale industrial consenting across Scottish planning authorities.
Planning advice and consenting support across the renewable energy spectrum — onshore wind, solar, battery storage, energy-from-waste and associated grid infrastructure. Experienced in NPF4's strong renewable energy policy framework and the complex community engagement these projects require.
Appraisal support and affordable housing policy negotiation informed by direct experience on both sides of the planning process — as applicant, officer and regulator. We understand how obligations interact with development economics to protect scheme viability.
Preparation and presentation of appeals through written representations, hearings and Public Local Inquiries before the DPEA, drawing on experience as both consultant and former regulator.
Management of public consultation, statutory consultee engagement and political liaison — leveraging deep relationships across Scottish local authorities and agencies built over 27 years.
Promotion of sites through the Local Development Plan process to secure favourable allocations — including Development Plan representations, examination hearings and expert witness.
Scotland operates an entirely distinct planning system from England and Wales, with its own legislation, policy framework and procedures. Quinn Town Planning is deeply embedded in this system — with officer, regulator and consultant experience across multiple Scottish authorities spanning 27 years.
From Edinburgh's complex City Plan 2030 environment through to strategic infrastructure consenting at national scale, we bring a rounded and authoritative understanding of how Scotland's planning system actually works in practice.
Deep expertise in CEC planning processes, City Plan 2030, conservation areas, the World Heritage Site and Edinburgh's affordable housing requirements including Golden Share mechanisms.
East, West and Midlothian — strategic housing allocations, LDP promotion and development management. Direct LPA experience at Midlothian Council.
Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Stirling, Falkirk — mixed-use regeneration, residential and infrastructure across Scotland's economic core. LPA experience at Falkirk Council.
National planning consultation experience from SEPA, providing unparalleled knowledge of statutory consultee frameworks and regulatory engagement across all Scottish authorities.
23-unit flatted development with ground floor commercial. Complex S75 negotiation, Golden Share affordable housing mechanism, and car-free consent at West Granton Road.
EdinburghLocation: West Granton Road, Edinburgh
Project: 23-unit flatted development with ground floor commercial space on a challenging waterfront site in Granton. Quinn Town Planning managed the full planning process from pre-application through to consent.
Key challenges: Complex Section 75 negotiation with City of Edinburgh Council, securing a Golden Share affordable housing mechanism, and achieving a car-free consent in a location where transport policy required careful justification. The ground floor commercial use also required detailed consideration of the emerging Granton Waterfront regeneration context.
Outcome: Full planning consent granted.
A complex residential application for 24 flatted units in Rosyth that required careful navigation of challenging site constraints and planning policy. Quinn Town Planning built a robust case addressing the key issues and secured a successful consent.
Rosyth, FifeLocation: Rosyth, Fife
Project: Residential application for 24 flatted units on a complex brownfield site in Rosyth requiring careful management of site constraints and planning policy.
Key challenges: The site presented a combination of technical and policy constraints that required a robust and evidence-led approach. Quinn Town Planning built a detailed planning case addressing each of the key issues raised in pre-application discussions with Fife Council.
Outcome: Successful planning consent secured.
Planning advice and consenting support for onshore wind, solar, battery storage and energy-from-waste proposals — including EIA coordination, community consultation and complex multi-agency engagement.
Scotland-wideLocation: Scotland-wide
Project: Planning advice and consenting support across a range of renewable energy technologies, including onshore wind, solar, battery storage and energy-from-waste proposals.
Key challenges: Each project required EIA coordination, community consultation strategy and complex multi-agency engagement — including SEPA, NatureScot, Transport Scotland and local authorities. Brent's background as National Planning Manager at SEPA provides a direct understanding of how statutory consultees assess and respond to renewable energy proposals.
Outcome: Multiple consents secured across different technologies and local authority areas.
Planning and EIA consenting for large-scale energy recovery facilities involving multi-agency coordination, complex regulatory engagement and national significance.
Scotland-wideLocation: Scotland-wide
Project: Planning and EIA consenting support for large-scale energy recovery facilities, which involve some of the most complex regulatory processes in the Scottish planning system.
Key challenges: Projects of this scale require multi-agency coordination across SEPA, SEPA's waste regulation function, the Scottish Environment Agency, transport authorities and local communities. National significance, cumulative impact and emissions assessments are all central to the case.
Outcome: Consenting support delivered across multiple projects of national significance.
Planning strategy through to consent for a major mixed-use regeneration scheme delivering approximately 500 homes in Stirling.
StirlingLocation: Stirling
Project: Planning strategy and consent for a major mixed-use regeneration scheme delivering approximately 500 homes alongside commercial uses on a significant brownfield site.
Key challenges: Large-scale regeneration schemes require a coordinated approach to masterplanning, infrastructure delivery, community engagement and phased consenting. The scale of the project required careful management of the planning process and stakeholder relationships.
Outcome: Planning consent secured for the full regeneration scheme.
Assessment programme identifying planning capacity for 1,000+ residential units, including policy evidence and representations to emerging development plans.
Central ScotlandLocation: Central Scotland
Project: A structured assessment programme identifying planning capacity for over 1,000 residential units across multiple sites, including preparation of policy evidence and representations to emerging Local Development Plans.
Key challenges: Land promotion requires a long-term strategic approach — understanding which sites have realistic prospects of allocation, what evidence is required to support representations, and how to engage effectively in the LDP process. Quinn Town Planning provided strategic planning advice throughout.
Outcome: Sites identified and representations submitted to support allocation in emerging development plans.
Oversight of major infrastructure initiative at Cairns Regional Council, managing a public capital programme exceeding AUD $200m with full public consultation and programme governance.
InternationalA challenging listed building consent case to convert a category-listed shop on Grange Road into 2 short-term let units and 1 residential flat. Both the listed building status and Edinburgh's STL licensing context presented significant regulatory hurdles — City of Edinburgh Council approved the application following a detailed heritage and planning justification.
Edinburgh – Listed BuildingLocation: Grange Road, Edinburgh
Project: Listed building consent and planning permission for the conversion of a category-listed commercial property into 2 short-term let units and 1 residential flat.
Key challenges: The application faced a dual regulatory challenge: the listed building status required a detailed heritage justification demonstrating that the proposed works were sympathetic to the character and fabric of the building; and Edinburgh's short-term let licensing context required careful navigation of both planning policy and the separate licensing regime. Both issues were significant and required separate but complementary lines of argument.
Outcome: City of Edinburgh Council approved the application following a detailed heritage and planning justification prepared by Quinn Town Planning.
When a planning application is refused or conditions are unreasonable, there is a formal right of appeal. In Scotland, the appeal route depends on how the original decision was made. Quinn Town Planning has direct experience of both principal routes — the Local Review Body (LRB) and the Department of Planning and Environmental Appeals (DPEA) — and can advise you on which applies to your case, and how best to present it.
For applications decided by officers under delegated powers (typically householder, minor or local developments), you can seek a review by a panel of elected councillors. Appeals must be submitted within 3 months of the decision notice. Brent has LRB appeal experience across householder, rural and short-term let cases and knows how to frame a concise, policy-aligned case that resonates with the councillors and their appointed planning adviser.
For applications decided by committee, appeals go to the Department of Planning and Environmental Appeals (DPEA), where an independent Reporter considers the case. Brent has a proven track record at DPEA, having successfully appealed cases involving short-term lets in Edinburgh, housing in Fife, a gym in Fife, and listed building consent for commercial use in Edinburgh.
The distinction turns on whether the original decision was made under delegated powers or by committee. We advise upfront on the correct route, the realistic prospects, and the most effective strategy — whether that means a written submission, a hearing or a site visit. If an appeal is unsuccessful, we advise on next steps including revised resubmission or alternative planning strategies.
We prepare and submit the full appeal documentation — appeal statement, supporting evidence, and any additional material — and can represent you at hearings. We assess whether new or revised plans can be introduced, and advise on whether a "less is more" approach is appropriate for your case.
Quinn Town Planning has successfully represented clients at appeal across a range of case types:
“Brent navigated a genuinely complex application with professionalism and real commercial understanding. His knowledge of the Edinburgh planning system and his ability to anticipate officer concerns gave us confidence throughout. We wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Quinn Town Planning.”
“Quinn Town Planning has been invaluable to our short-term let portfolio. Brent understands the STL licensing landscape in Edinburgh better than anyone we’ve worked with, and his strategic approach has delivered results time and again. A trusted partner for our business.”
“We worked with Brent on a residential site in the Borders. His attention to detail and clear communication made a real difference to the application process. He managed the pre-application dialogue effectively and kept us informed throughout. We were pleased with the outcome.”
“Brent represented us at a Local Review Body appeal after our application was refused. He presented a well-structured, policy-focused case and we won the appeal. His knowledge of the LRB process and how to engage with it effectively was evident throughout. Highly recommended.”
“Quinn Town Planning handled our appeal with real expertise. Brent understood exactly what the Reporter would be looking for and structured our case accordingly. We achieved the outcome we needed. Excellent work throughout.”
“As architects we need a planning consultant who understands design quality and can translate it into planning policy language. Brent does exactly that. He engages constructively with the process and always adds value to our projects.”
“Brent is the first person we call on any project where planning is a serious consideration. His former roles at SEPA and in local authority give him a perspective that is genuinely different from other consultants. Commercially astute and exceptionally thorough.”
“Quinn Town Planning worked with us on a complex commercial development involving multiple stakeholders and a challenging site history. Brent’s strategic thinking and persistence were key to getting the consent we needed. An outstanding result.”
“We approached Quinn Town Planning for advice on securing consent for new lodge accommodation at Boreland Farm. Brent provided clear, practical guidance throughout the process and understood exactly what we were trying to achieve. His planning knowledge made a real difference and we are delighted with the outcome.”
Practical insight on Scottish planning policy, market conditions and emerging issues — written for developers, landowners and investors who need to understand what is changing and what it means for their projects.
If you are developing in Edinburgh right now, one of the most significant variables in your project appraisal is the cost and enforceability of developer contributions. The position has been shifting for over a year, and while City of Edinburgh Council now has guidance in place, the route it has taken to get there has created a legal and practical landscape that every developer and landowner needs to understand.
Developer contributions in Edinburgh have long been governed by Supplementary Guidance — a formal policy document that sits alongside the Local Development Plan and sets out what financial and in-kind contributions are expected from development. Under the old system, this Supplementary Guidance carried statutory weight, meaning it was directly enforceable as part of the development plan.
The Planning (Scotland) Act 2019 changed this. The Act removed the provision to prepare statutory Supplementary Guidance, with transitional arrangements giving planning authorities until the end of March 2025 to prepare, submit and have guidance adopted by Scottish Ministers. Edinburgh submitted its guidance within that window — but Scottish Ministers declined to adopt it as statutory guidance, stating their inability to consider the document as they thought desirable in the time available.
On 10 September 2025, Edinburgh's Planning Committee approved the Developer Contributions and Infrastructure Delivery Guidance, which now forms non-statutory guidance and will represent a material consideration in the determination of planning applications and the preparation of legal agreements. In plain terms: the guidance exists, it will be taken into account, but it no longer has the same statutory force it once did.
The shift from statutory to non-statutory guidance has several practical consequences. First, the guidance is a material consideration rather than a development plan policy — which means it can be weighed against other material considerations. This opens the door to negotiation in a way that was previously more difficult to justify.
Second, viability has become a more legitimate line of argument. Planning Circular 4/2025 on Planning Obligations, published in December 2025, seeks to expand the use of viability assessments and improve procedure to streamline the negotiation process and speed up consenting. This is a significant shift in Scottish planning policy — viability arguments, previously underused compared to England, are now explicitly encouraged as part of the negotiation process.
Third, the types of contributions sought remain broad. Education, transport, affordable housing, open space and healthcare infrastructure can all be sought depending on the nature and scale of the development. The quantum of each will vary by location within the city and the specifics of the proposal.
The current environment rewards those who engage early and strategically. Pre-application discussions with the council remain essential — not only to understand what contributions are likely to be sought, but to test whether there is appetite for a viability-based approach where development economics are challenging.
Landowners pricing land for disposal should factor in realistic contribution levels rather than optimistic assumptions. The non-statutory status of the current guidance does not mean contributions will not be sought — it means the basis for negotiation is somewhat more open than before.
For developers already in the Section 75 negotiation process, the new Circular and the non-statutory status of Edinburgh's guidance both provide useful tools for a more evidence-based discussion with the council on what is genuinely necessary and proportionate to make development acceptable.
Quinn Town Planning view: The current period is one of genuine transition in how Edinburgh manages developer contributions. Developers and landowners who understand the policy framework — and how to navigate it — are better placed to protect development viability and deliver consented projects. If you are appraising a site in Edinburgh or are currently in S75 negotiations, we would be happy to discuss your position.
Get in touch →Scotland occupies a genuinely unique position in the UK's energy transition. With some of Europe's best wind resources, a strong policy framework, and a government committed to net zero by 2045, the conditions for renewable energy development are as favourable as anywhere in the world. But ambition and delivery are not the same thing — and the gap between Scotland's targets and what the planning and consenting system can realistically deliver in the time available is a challenge that developers, landowners and investors cannot afford to ignore.
The Scottish Government's targets are ambitious by any measure. The aim is for the equivalent of 50% of Scotland's overall energy consumption — not just electricity, but heat, transport and power combined — to come from renewable sources by 2030, with near-complete decarbonisation of the energy system by 2045. Scotland is also targeting 20GW of additional renewable energy generation by 2030 and 5GW of low-carbon hydrogen production, scaling to 25GW by 2045.
Progress in electricity generation has been remarkable. By 2023, 91.2% of Scotland's electricity came from zero or low carbon sources, and Scotland is already a net exporter of clean energy. Emissions from energy generation have fallen by over 93% since 1990. But electricity is only part of the picture. Heat, transport and industrial decarbonisation present far harder challenges, and the Scottish Government has acknowledged that its 2030 interim targets are no longer achievable at the pace originally envisaged — with the net zero minister confirming in 2024 that progress must now be delivered at a pace and scale that is feasible, fair and just.
National Planning Framework 4, adopted in 2023, represents a significant shift in how renewable energy proposals are assessed in Scotland. NPF4 Policy 11 actively encourages all forms of renewable energy, giving significant weight to proposals that contribute to tackling the climate and nature emergencies. Strategic renewable energy infrastructure is designated as a National Development under NPF4 — meaning that the principle of development is already established at national level, removing one of the key hurdles that previously slowed consenting.
The practical effect has been notable. The balance of decision-making has shifted — localised landscape and visual impact, which previously carried substantial weight, is now less determinative in the context of the climate emergency. Section 36 consents (for schemes above 50MW, determined by Scottish Ministers rather than local authorities) have reflected this shift, with a higher rate of approvals since NPF4 came into force. A late-2025 Scottish Government consultation proposed raising the Section 36 threshold to either 100MW or 150MW, recognising the growing scale of modern turbines and seeking to focus ministerial decision-making on the largest schemes.
For smaller schemes — onshore wind below 50MW, solar, battery storage and community energy projects — the position is determined through the conventional planning application process, with NPF4 providing strong national policy support. Varying interpretations of NPF4 policies at local authority level remain a live issue, however, and the consenting landscape continues to evolve.
Strong national policy support does not mean the path to consent is straightforward. Several regulatory requirements continue to shape the consenting process in ways that add time, cost and uncertainty to renewable energy projects of all types.
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) remains a core requirement for most significant renewable energy schemes. The scope of EIA has expanded in recent years — habitats, biodiversity net gain, peat, hydrology, cumulative impacts and grid infrastructure all require detailed assessment. For wind energy in particular, cumulative landscape impact remains a live issue even in the NPF4 era, where there is existing capacity in a search area. Ecology and ornithology surveys — especially for protected species such as golden eagle, hen harrier and red kite — can extend pre-application timescales significantly.
Grid connection remains one of the most significant practical constraints. Scotland's transmission network was not designed for the volume of renewable energy now being connected to it, and connection queues and infrastructure investment timescales present real challenges for developers seeking to bring projects forward before 2030. The relationship between consenting and grid connection strategy is increasingly a critical project management question.
Community benefit obligations are also becoming more structured. The Scottish Government has consulted on strengthened guidance for community benefit funds from onshore renewable projects, covering fund levels, governance and distribution. While not a planning requirement in the strict sense, community benefit expectations are now effectively embedded in the pre-application process and can influence local authority engagement and community response to planning applications.
Despite the regulatory complexity, the opportunity is real. Scotland's combination of natural resource, policy support and government commitment creates a development environment that is genuinely attractive. The pipeline spans onshore wind — both new development and repowering of existing sites — solar and battery storage, offshore wind, hydrogen and emerging technologies such as tidal and wave energy.
For landowners, the renewable energy sector represents a significant and growing source of income — through lease agreements, option agreements and joint venture structures. Understanding the planning implications of different technologies and site configurations is essential to structuring arrangements that protect long-term interests and maximise value. Early planning advice — before heads of terms are agreed — is consistently more valuable than advice sought after the process has begun.
For developers, the window to deliver against the 2030 target is narrowing. Projects that are well-prepared, have robust EIA evidence and a clear understanding of the consenting route are best positioned to navigate the system within the available timeframe. Those still in early feasibility need to move quickly if 2030 delivery remains the goal.
Quinn Town Planning view: Brent Quinn has direct experience of renewable energy consenting in Scotland, having managed complex applications and negotiations across the sector. If you are a developer or landowner exploring renewable energy opportunities, we can advise on consenting strategy, EIA scoping, pre-application engagement and the planning implications of different technologies and site configurations.
Discuss your project →Quinn Town Planning is a growing practice and we are always interested in hearing from talented planning professionals who share our commitment to commercial excellence and creative thinking in the Scottish planning context.
We offer an environment where planners take genuine ownership of projects, develop client relationships and build a rewarding career with real variety. All levels of experience considered.
If you are a planning professional looking for an exciting opportunity in a commercially focused Scottish practice, we'd love to hear from you. Send your CV to:
Whether you have a planning application in mind, a site to appraise, or simply want to understand the prospects for a development project, Brent would be delighted to hear from you. Initial consultations are always welcome.