Council planners have been praised for helping boost the stagnant property market through working closely with the house building industry.

Largs councillor Tom Marshall also lauded the council’s planning team as it 'continues to set the benchmark for authorities across Scotland'.

A new report has revealed that it continues to provide one of the quickest, most efficient planning services.

The planners came in for praise for helping to 'stimulate a sluggish housing market through collaboration with the house building industry'.

The planners have managed a further reduction in average timescales for determining householder applications, from 4.7 weeks to 4.3 weeks – well within the statutory timescale of eight weeks.

Timescales for non-householder applications remained at 5.9 weeks while major planning applications are dealt with in 10.2 weeks on average – both far lower than the Scottish average.

Councillor Marshall, Chair of North Ayrshire's planning committee, said: “Our planning team deserves huge praise for consistently providing a service which is sector-leading in Scotland.

“This isn’t just a one-off - year after year, the results show that they provide an efficient, effective and innovative service which compares favourably with anywhere else.

“While the planning process can be sometimes be complex, the team continues to make great strides in offering a professional service which works for both ordinary householders who wish to make changes to their home and large companies who have submitted proposals for major developments.”

The report also highlights some of the major milestones including the team was shortlisted for Local Authority Team of the Year at the 2019 RTPI Awards for Planning Excellence,

Looking ahead, the planning team will play a key role in delivering the multi-million pound Ayrshire Growth Deal, which was signed earlier this year, projects of which include development at Hunterston, and a marina in Millport.