Major Developments

Definition of a major development

A major development is defined as follows:

Housing

• 50 or more homes
• The total area of the site is 2 hectares or more

Business and general industry, storage and distribution

• The floor area of the site is 10,000 square metres or more
• The total area of the site is 2 hectares or more

Electricity generation

• The capacity of the generating station is 20 megawatts or more

The following developments are part of a different instruction under the Electricity Act 1989 and are governed by those procedures:

• An onshore wind farm or power station that is not driven by water and has a generating capacity in excess of 50 megawatts

Waste management facilities

• The capacity of facility is 25,000 tonnes or more
• If used for sludge treatment a capacity to treat more than 50 tonnes (wet weight) per day

Transport and infrastructure projects

• The length of the road, railway, tramway, waterway, aqueduct or pipeline exceeds 8 km

Fish farming

• The surface area of water is, or exceeds, 2 hectares

Minerals development

• The total area of the site is 2 hectares or more

Other development not classed within any single class of the above development

• The gross floor space of any building, structure or erection constructed as a result of such development is 5,000 square metres or more
• The total area of the site is 2 hectares or more

Schedule 1 development

Any type of development which is mentioned in Schedule 1 of the Environmental Impact Assessment (Scotland) Regulations 2011.