You need a licence from the local authority to use a raised structure that will be used for seating or standing accommodation,unless the structure has been approved as part of a Building Warrant. For the purposes of section 89 of the Civic Government (Scotland)
Act 1982 a raised structure is a platform, stand, staging or other similar structure. Raised structures do not include scaffolding or similar equipment used in connection with work on a building or other structure.
You need to consider what your structure will be used for, its location, design, any obstructions or underground services, cables, etc., how many people will use it, entry and exit arrangements including evacuation in event of an emergency, how access will be controlled, structural design and capacity, how long it will be used for and the time period that structure will be erected. You are strongly advised to engage the services of an engineer or similar professional to design your structure and provide you with the necessary design drawings, details, information and certification for submission to us.
We will consider your application and advise you if we require any further information or details. For most raised structures plans, details and structural certification of the design will require to be provided to us and this should be submitted with your application. The relevant application fee also requires to be submitted. The application fee is currently £260, however for large or complex raised structures we reserve the right to increase this charge; depending on the complexity of the structure and the work involved in dealing with the application and inspecting the structure. Please contact us if you think this may apply to you to discuss the fee that will apply.
If we require further information or clarification we will contact you. We will send a copy of the application form, drawings, certification and information submitted to us to the Scottish Fire & Rescue Service as part of a statutory consultation that requires to be carried out with them. Any issues raised by the fire service will have to be resolved before approval will be given.
Once the raised structure has been erected you will require to provide certification of the completion of the erection of and inspection of the structure. This certification requires to be signed by a Full Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers or the Institution of Structural Engineers. You require to notify us of the time and date that the structure will be available for inspection; this notification requires to be made at least 2 working days prior to the planned inspection. Once we have satisfactorily inspected your raised structure we will then issue the consent to use it.
The final decision on your application can only be made once we have inspected the completed raised structure. However we aim to check your application and design information within 28 days and either let you know that we are satisfied for the structure to be erected or what further information we require.
'Tacit authorisation' does not apply because there is an overriding reason relating to the public interest, namely the need to protect the health and safety of people. Therefore if you have not received a decision after the target time has expired, your authorisation is not granted automatically. In such a situation, we will get in touch with you to let you know what happens next.
Please note that you must not use a raised structure for which you have applied until you have been granted consent from us.
If you are unhappy with the way we have processed your application please contact us.
Find out more about objections and representations