Hunch. On 8 October the First Minister refused a full public consultation on the guidance because it could break the government's own deadline.
The guidance market resolves on the publications and news pages of gov.scot: YES if by the end of 24 December 2026 the Scottish government publishes national planning guidance on data centres that councils are to use when they decide applications, including interim guidance or a chief planner letter, and NO if nothing is published by then or only a draft for consultation. BBC Scotland and The Guardian settle it if the official pages are silent.
We looked for publicly announced Scottish government timetables to publish a planning plan, policy or guidance for councils, from 2015 to 2026. Nine scored timetables were announced between 2019 and 2022. Three were met on time. An additional 2021 consultation timetable is discussed below but not scored because its autumn endpoint was ambiguous.