Appendix 5 - Prioritisation Framework
Perth and Kinross Council · 1 October 2025
Back to Housing and Social Wellbeing Committee — 1 October 2025 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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Appendix 5 Prioritisation Framework Introduction Our Prioritisation Framework provides a tool to prioritise investment, it balances the Scottish Government’s ambitions contained in Housing to 2040, and Perth and Kinross Council’s Local Housing Strategy (LHS) outcomes. Partner Housing Associations that operate in the area have been asked to submit proposals, in an agreed format, for any sites that are not currently in the SHIP that they wish to be considered for funding. The framework does not provide the only assessment of priority and the Council will continue to balance its investment decisions to ensure housing need across the Housing Market Areas is met, and that there is an appropriate split between rural/urban and greenfield/brownfield delivery, as per LHS outcomes. As achieving strategic objectives is crucial, it is essential that we ensure only those projects that can be delivered are included. For this reason, the framework operates a 2-step process, whereby a pre-screening exercise is undertaken initially, before proposals are then scored against our matrix. Pre-Screening Any sites proposed that are outwith development boundaries, as per LDP, will automatically be screened out unless they have planning consent, either outline, or detailed, or can be justified through NPF4. Any allocated housing sites in LDP will automatically be progressed to site scoring. All other sites will be considered as part of the pre-screening process, whereby a review of the site will be considered by Perth and Kinross Council’s Housing Strategy Team. This review will include a check on the sites planning history, potential site constraints, and may include discussions with Planning about the proposal. These sites will then be reviewed against the detail and scale of the project. There are 3 potential outcomes of pre-screening: 1 Progress to site scoring. 2 Refusal to score until planning consent given. 3 Agree to score though only on a reduced number of units. Agreement to proceed to site scoring is not an assurance that the site will ultimately be delivered as per the proposal, only that initial checks have been carried out to ensure that the Council have satisfied itself, based on current knowledge that there are no obvious impediments to its delivery. Proposals that do not provide a contribution to the LHS target to deliver 10% of new supply affordable housing that is wheelchair or adaptable standard, will be screened out, unless there are exceptional circumstances related to the site that make this prohibitive, and/or through agreement with Housing Strategy. This standard includes
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both Wheelchair User and Older / Ambulant Disabled User standard contained in Housing for Varying Needs document. Site Scoring To ensure fairness and transparency, each proposal, unless screened out, will be scored against set criteria listed below. As noted above, whilst this is the basis for investment decisions, it cannot be the only tool that is used, as the sites selected for inclusion need to assist in achieving the LHS outcomes, and so this needs to be considered alongside site scoring. Priority 1 considers whether the proposal meets housing need. This will be assessed using different data sets, including applicant wating lists, scale of existing stock and current turnover, Housing Need and Demand Assessment (HNDA), and future supply. Priority 2 considers whether the proposal reflects a ‘brownfield first’ approach and helps bring back into use sites that would benefit the community. Priority 3 considers where the sites are on their development journey, prioritising those that are more progressed. Priority 4 considers whether the proposal will provide fully wheelchair adapted properties Priority 5 considers whether project can be cross funded and bring in alternative funding streams. Priority 6 considers how deliverable the proposals are. This is to ensure that priority is not given to sites that are unlikely to be brought forward. Priority 7 considers whether the proposal meets wider strategic priorities. Examples include provision of supported housing, regeneration projects, substantial over provision of wheelchair or adapted housing, achieving other LHS outcomes. Some elements of scoring will be a matter of fact, some will be down to professional judgment. Scoring Criteria 1. Meets Housing Need • High (3) • Medium (2) • Low (1) 2. Site attributes • Listed Building (1) • Vacant and Derelict Land Register (1) • Long term empty building (1) • Brownfield (1) • Buildings at Risk (1)
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3. Development status • Detailed planning consent (2) • Planning in principle (1) • Land acquired (1) • Allocated LDP housing site (1) 4. Includes fully wheelchair adapted housing • 10% delivery (3) • 5% delivery (2) • Less than 5% (1) 5. Can harness other funding streams e.g Rural Housing Fund (2) 6. Deliverability • High (3) • Medium (2) • Low (1) 7. Meets Wider Strategic Priorities (3) Low (1-4) Medium (5-9) High (10+)