The Scottish Grocers Federation has introduced an online function to enable its retail members to easily access information on planning applications and local development plans.

The ‘Planning Gateway’ on the SGF website now provides members with a direct link to every local authority planning portal in Scotland, with additional links to every local development plan.

Each local development plan shows where retail development can be sited within each new enterprise, business and housing zone.

SGF chief executive Pete Cheema said: “Planning issues are vital in enabling our members to assess the level of competition on the ground and in making investment decisions locally.

“The Gateway provides full geographical coverage of Scotland and will be of major benefit to our members – we must take advantage of the opportunities offered through local development and planning across Scotland and make the process work for us.”

The new Gateway is part of an ongoing project at SGF to provide members with an interactive platform for planning and development. The next phase of the project aims to provide data from every town and city in Scotland on demographics, retail density per head of population, socio-economic profile, digital connectivity and economic activity.