What is a Local Development Plan?
Part of:
The next Local Development Plan
The planning system in Scotland is ‘plan led’ and the statutory Development Plan for any place in Scotland consists of National Planning Framework 4, which covers all of the country, and the Local Development Plan for the planning authority area where the place is (Figure 1).
Figure 1 The Scottish Statutory Development Plan
Strategic direction within the National Park is also provided by the Cairngorms National Park Partnership Plan 2022. The National Park Partnership Plan is the overarching management plan for the Cairngorms National Park which has been approved by Scottish Ministers. It sets out the vision and overarching strategy for managing the National Park, as well as identifying priorities for action and an overall strategic policy framework. Furthermore, the National Park Partnership Plan acts as the Regional Spatial Strategy for the National Park, which is intended to address strategic development and issues.
Scottish Government guidance states that Local Development Plan for National Parks should be consistent with the National Park Partnership Plan and Regional Spatial Strategy. The National Park Partnership Plan therefore provides the strategic context for the Local Development Plan, and the Local Development Plan will help to deliver a number of the National Park Partnership Plan’s policies and priorities.
At a local level the development plan may be influenced by Local Place Plans (LPPs). These are community-led plans that focus on places within local authorities’ areas, which may include particular neighbourhoods.
In May 2023 The Town and Country Planning (Development Planning) (Scotland) Regulations came into force. All planning authorities have five years from that point to replace their current Local Development Plan with a new style Plan, which is to be place-based with an emphasis on maps, site briefs and masterplans, with minimal policy wording. This means the Park Authority must prepare and adopt a new Local Development Plan by May 2028.
