The Park is its own planning authority
Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park Authority is a separate planning authority. If your plot is inside the boundary, your application goes to the Park Authority, not the surrounding council.
The National Park boundary doesn't follow council boundaries. Confirm it on the Park Authority's website before you buy.
Design expectations
- Landscape comes first. Proposals that dominate the landscape face real challenge.
- Form and materials. Architectural form and materials should be justified by the particular landscape, settlement pattern and character of the site. Review the National Park's adopted development plan and design guidance; there is no universal prescribed palette of stone, timber or zinc.
How to approach it
The Park responds best to applications with a well-reasoned design and a clear relationship to the landscape. A generic scheme gets a very different reception.
Take pre-application advice from the Park Authority before you commit to a plot inside the boundary.
Sources: Scottish Government: National Planning Framework 4. Last reviewed October 2026.
Questions
Who decides planning applications in the National Park?
Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park Authority is the planning authority for land inside the Park boundary, not the surrounding council.
General guidance for Scotland, not legal, tax, financial or planning advice for your project. Rules change, so check current official guidance and take advice specific to your site before acting.
