DISCLAIMER:
This duty is currently under review and has not yet been formally signed off by the relevant professional association. The information provided is for reference only and should not be treated as final or authoritative guidance. Please verify any decisions against approved sources or seek professional advice. Updates will be published once sign-off is complete.
Simple terms explainer
When land is being compulsorily purchased, the owner is entitled to compensation based on what the land would have been worth on the open market if the compulsory purchase wasn’t happening. A CAAD helps establish that value. It allows either the landowner or the acquiring authority to ask the council to confirm what kinds of development would reasonably have been permitted on the land in a hypothetical “no‑scheme world” - that is, imagining the compulsory purchase project did not exist. The council must assess the planning merits of the site at the relevant valuation date and decide what development could have been approved. This certificate is then used by valuers to calculate fair compensation.
Legal status
Statutory
Duty category
Planning
Duty type
Compliance
Social determinant of health
Neighbourhood and environment
Emerging policy and legislation
1
National bodies with shared interest
Heads of Planning Scotland (HOPS)
District Valuer / Valuation Office Agency (VOA)
Society of Local Authority Lawyers and Administrators in Scotland (SOLAR)
Standards and frameworks
1