Planning/Windfarm - Freedom of information requests

Title or Description: Planning/Windfarm
FOI Number: 15856
Date Received: 25/11/2021
Type of Request: FOI
Request or Question: 1. a. How many full-time equivalent staff within your planning department are involved in dealing solely with windfarm development applications?b. Of these staff numbers how many manpower hours are spent determining windfarm developments on average?2. Given the staff manpower costs involved in processing a windfarm development application, does the council make a profit or loss on each application?3. Does the local authority you have sufficient staffing resources available to deal with windfarm planning applications?
4. Is the local authority looking to increase its manpower resources in order to deal with the number of future windfarm development applications? If so, by how many?
Response: 1a. One FTE dealing solely with major planning applications, including windfarms. We also employ one FTE peripatetic planning officer who, as well as dealing with local applications across the Borders area, supports the major applications officer.
b. This would depend on the number of WF applications in our system at any particular time. However, this information is not recorded and we give notice under s17 of FOI(S)A 2002.
2. This information is not recorded and we give notice under s17 of FOI(S)A 2002.
3. Yes. We are however operating at full capacity in terms of applications per officer. Staffing resources will be an issue if major application/windfarm application numbers increase.
4. No