London School of Economics, University of Sheffield, Stefano Smith Planning and Rettie & Co will help inform the government’s review of the effectiveness of existing mechanisms (such as planning obligations) for securing contributions from developers towards infrastructure.

The team’s work will provide much-needed evidence on how much is being raised through planning obligations in Scotland, and how it is being spent. It will also look at the practical issues associated with planning obligations, including their relationship with development plans and their impact on development viability and infrastructure delivery.

The government said the research will help to inform future policy development in relation to planning, funding and delivering the infrastructure required to create high quality places.