Thousands of home improvements including many dormer windows, large extensions and decking, will no longer need planning permission under plans revealed yesterday.

The Scottish Government said the changes would cut the number of planning applications by 38% with householders saving an estimated £1.4m in fees a year.

It wants to cut red tape and make it easier for houses to be altered and extended without the need for council approval. But the move has raised fears there could be a rash of unsympathetic home improvements, seas of satellite dishes and even dangerous DIY developments.

Builders representatives warned the move could become a "cowboy's charter", and raised concerns over jobs within the industry.

Conservationists feared the cumulative affect of many minor builds could lead to communities being blighted by "a thousand cuts", while architects said design quality would suffer.

Infrastructure minister Stewart Stevenson said: "We want to remove, in certain cases, the need for householders to apply for planning permission, enabling planning authorities to focus their attention on processing larger development applications."

Research based on findings by Heriot-Watt University showed the 38% reduction would have removed 9768 applications from the system in 2006/7. The figures put the total saving - based on £145 per development - at about £1.4m.

A government spokesman said the numbers were typical of any given year. The plans mean councils could receive less cash under the proposals, but also deal with fewer applications, appeals and enforcement actions.

Michael Levack, chief executive of the Scottish Building Federation, said: "This cannot be allowed to become a cowboy's charter' and a number of questions remain to be answered regarding policing these new rights and ensuring all developments meet stringent building standards.

"By freeing up time for local planners to concentrate on large-scale proposals and contentious projects, these plans will alleviate some of the delays that plague planning departments.

"However, ministers should not be distracted from the improvements that still need to be made. We must ensure that all parts of the public sector in Scotland, including planning, are fighting for Scottish jobs as the credit crunch continues to bite."

Terry Levinthal, of the Scottish Civic Trust, said yesterday that while he still had to study the detail, certain aspects raised immediate concerns.

He said: "The accumulation of impact is the concern - the principal issue is whether or not the amenity of a community could be affected by a thousand cuts'.

"Another initial concern that I have is that this is being driven not by desire to create wonderful neighbourhoods that people want to live in, but is being created by an administrative desire to have less things going through the planning system with a view to being more efficient."

Also chairman of Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park Authority planning committee, Mr Levinthal added: "I can see it from both ends. I know from personal experience things that have caused problems would now be taken out of the planning systems, so in effect there would be no mechanism.

"There shouldn't be safety concerns because issues regarding safety and technical build quality are dealt with through the building control system, but the wrinkle that might arise is a confusion among householders that there are these two systems.

"The fact you may not need planning consent doesn't mean that you don't need a building warrant, which is usually from the same local authority."

It is illegal not to obtain a building warrant and a homeowner would not be able to sell their house without such a document if work was carried out.

A consultation paper outlines potential changes to the system.

The paper highlights the "increasing calls" for further protection in World Heritage Sites and asks for opinions.

Extra restrictions on development are included in the plans for conservation areas and listed buildings.

The consultation, available on the government's website, closes on March 13 next year.