Planning delays are driving property investors away from Glasgow to other Scottish cities, a business boss has claimed.
Andrew Duncan, of Kelvin Properties, which describes itself as an urban renegeneration specialist, said the company wanted to "do more" in Scotland's largest city but were frustrated by the process and said Edinburgh had a "clearer vision" of where it wants to be.
He claimed a lack of investment in the planning department was leading to delays in responding to applications that was deterring firms and said while there was a lot "in the pipeline", projects which could help regenerate the city centre could be happening faster.
He claimed that property firms were being advised that Glasgow wasn't the "safest place" to invest in.
His comments came a day after The Herald reported that Dan Mead, head of asset management for London-based Bywater Properties, said more businesses are interested in investing in Glasgow than other UK cities, such as Manchester.
The firm's latest development in Glasgow, Waverley Park, sold out in 12 weeks. More than 1,000 applicants registered interest in 34 flats.
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It has now completed the purchase of a site in Canonmills that was formerly home to a charity’s furniture warehouse, where it plans to build 48 new apartments including 12 'affordable' homes.
"There is a lot of inward investment but I think the city centre has been left behind," said Mr Duncan, who is land director for the firm.
"For me, I'm coming at this very much from a land and development point of view...I find it so frustrating as a business who is based here and who would like to do a lot more with the city, how restrictive it is.
"It's so frustrating day in day out the issues we are having that I think are fundamentally holding back Glasgow really from flourishing like other cities across the UK are.
"The lack of investment in the planning authority to a degree is putting people off and pushing people to other cities.
"There are huge delays in responding to planning applications both upfront and you then need to discharge your planning conditions before you can actually commence on site.
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"The planning department in fairness has been completely obliterated. I think they are down at around 50-60% of the staffing levels so it's very, very difficult if you investing."
He said delays in decision making from the council had led to the firm having to pursue "a more aggressive planning strategy" by going directly to the local review committee.
(An artist's impression of the firm's development in Shawlands, Glasgow)
An applicant may ask for a review if a proposal has been refused, granted subject to conditions or undetermined after two months.
"It's not our preferred stance," said Mr Duncan, "But we have had to take a route to a planning committee faster, which is higher risk but ultimately we were at risk of losing our site.
"When you lodge a planning application, the planners either have two or four months to determine it.
"After those timescales have gone, the developer would then have the right to appeal on the basis of there being no determination, whether it's acceptance or refusal.
"So you can just decide I'm going to take it to the committee on the basis of there being no determination and that's not a great place to be because you are not in dialogue with the planners."
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He conceded that other local authorities were facing a backlog of applications due to the pandemic.
"We do sympathise but in order for Glasgow to move on and flourish and to see more of these projects, then they have to be resourced properly.
"We know this because we see it - if you are an outside investor looking to put your money somewhere and you willing to commit a lot of upfront money - the feedback that a lot of them will be getting is that Glasgow wouldn't be the safest place to invest your money."
Mr Duncan said the firm had found Edinburgh's planning processes easier to navigate.
"For a long time Glasgow had been talking about how it can attract more investment and people, not just students, back into the city centre.
"Glasgow city centre probably isn't an attractive place to live and at times it probably isn't an attractive place to be, given the retail closures." However he conceded that other high streets were facing exactly the same issues.
He said multi-million pound plans for Buchanan Galleries and St Enoch Centre were "long term and complex" and would be "difficult to unlock."
"It would be nicer to look around the city and see more residential, whether that's private rental or private for sale development. There is very little in that part of the city.
"We have big ambitions for Glasgow and are excited and motivated but I think the investment to help unlock some of these [projects] is flagging behind other cities."
Glasgow City Council said it worked with applicants wherever possible and certainly during the pre-application period "to help the whole planning process go as smoothly as it can".
A spokesman said the planning department had been expanded in recent years.
He added: “Any visit around Glasgow city centre would soon find a great deal of development going on, with just some examples being the Moda development at Pitt Street, Love Loan at the former Parish Halls at North Frederick Street and George Street, Barclays at Tradeston, JPMorgan Chase on Argyle Street and the Candleriggs Square scheme.
"All of these developers worked closely with our planners to realise their proposals and the benefit they will bring to the city.
"Our Invest to Improve programme increased the size of the council’s planning team, with new funding meaning more will soon join them, further expanding our capacity to work on applications for new development."
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