NatureScot Statutory Consultation and SSSI Consent Service (NSCSCS)

Overview — NSCSCS (the NatureScot Statutory Consultation and SSSI Consent Service) is used by NatureScot to bring greater consistency to the SSSI consent, statutory consultation and pre-application decision-making process. Underpinned by InformedDECISION, it provides AI-enabled capabilities and flexible workflows that support a faster, more consistent approach than the previous legacy case-management system, which offered limited support for identifying similar cases or retrieving answers from unstructured documents.

How it is used — The service manages all development-management casework (planning, forestry, Electricity Act, transport and harbour infrastructure), CAR licences, marine licences, oil-spill contingency-plan consultations, strategic environmental and environmental impact assessments, SSSI consents and related pre-application consultations. Applications, previously submitted by email, are now made online; staff triage and route cases to the right team, with easy access to information already held in NatureScot systems. It was developed, piloted and rolled out through the Scottish Government's CivTech programme and is provided as software-as-a-service by Informed Solutions.

Scope and limitations — The service enables online digital applications for all case types, supports staff in triaging and routing cases, and helps officers review and assess them. It does not automate decision-making, make suggestions about case outcomes, or generate content.

Human oversight — All decisions and responses are authored by NatureScot case officers after the system has collated and made relevant information accessible, following a human-in-the-loop model. Applicants who are initially filtered out can contact NatureScot, with their information retained. The service undergoes a quarterly assurance exercise reviewing data quality, user access, data protection and business-continuity controls.

• 25% reduction in applications by filtering out ineligible submissions or submissions that don't require NatureScot consent.
• 50% reduction in time to triage cases, ensuring case officers are focused on the most important cases.
• Up to 75% reduction in the time taken to respond to SSSI consents.
• An improved customer experience through intuitive workflows.
• Enhanced staff satisfaction by allowing case and triage officers to focus on relevant cases while spending less time handling unnecessary and poorly formed applications.