Local Development Plan 3
Find out about the Local Development Plan 3.
Local Development Plan 3
We're preparing a new Local Development Plan for the whole area (known as LDP3). The LDP will outline a strategy to deliver growth and new development for the entire Council area over the next decade and beyond.
The 'Call for Sites' engagement provides an opportunity for individuals, landowners, developers and other stakeholders to suggest sites to be considered for LDP3 or propose an alternative use to an existing allocated site. Promoting sites at this early stage is crucial to fully inform the proposed plan and ensure all reasonable options are evaluated.
Sites can be suggested for various uses including housing, business and industry, retail, renewable and low carbon energy, leisure, community, tourism, or a mix of uses.
If the site is already an allocated site in the current adopted local development plan (LDP2), and has not commenced, you should still make a submission as all allocated sites also need to be reassessed.
Our assessment of sites for inclusion in LDP3 will consider how they align with the spatial principles and policies set out in National Planning Framework 4. Submissions should also have regard to the LDP3 Evidence Report and supporting papers.
Please submit a separate form for each submission. The form requires you to provide clear information justifying why the site should be included in the plan. It's essential to submit the required level of information and supporting assessments to allow for a comprehensive evaluation of all site options. The supporting technical assessments should also be proportionate to the size and complexity of the proposed development. Failure to provide this information, including necessary technical assessments, may prejudice the consideration of the site through the site assessment process.
There will be no automatic opportunity to submit further details later in the process unless requested by the Council.
For more details on submission requirements, methodology and the assessment process, please refer to the Site Assessment Framework.
The consultation period will run for 10 weeks until 13 May 2025.
The Local Development Plan 3 Evidence Report was approved by Council on 11 September 2024. It provides an overview of the Council area and identifies what to plan for.
This was submitted to the Scottish Government Division for Planning and Environmental Appeals (DPEA) for Gate Check, an independent assessment of the Evidence Report to determine whether we have sufficient information to progress and prepare a Proposed Plan.
We received notification on the 13 December 2024 that the Reporter appointed by the Scottish Ministers was satisfied that the evidence report contained sufficient information to enable preparation of Local Development Plan 3.
Read the report on the Department of Planning and Environmental Appeals website.
Details on the stages and programming for preparing the new Local Development Plan is set out in the Development Plan Scheme (DPS) and Participation Statement. This includes, what is likely to be involved at each stage and who will be involved.
More information on LDP3 can be found on our LDP3 Hub.
The Planning (Scotland) Act 2019 introduced Masterplan Consent Areas (MCAs) as a new proactive consenting mechanism. This means development that is in accordance with the agreed scheme can be brought forward without the need necessarily for a planning application. Part 2 of the 2019 Act (Section 15) sets out the legal framework for preparing MCAs. The full provisions from the Act relating to MCAs and the associated regulations are not yet in force. We anticipate the MCA provisions being fully in place later in 2024.
The new provisions will allow the council to prepare a MCA 'Scheme' setting out for particular places, the detail of what they are giving consent for. There will be requirements for publicity and consultation on individual schemes. As the MCA regulations are not yet in place, we have not yet identified or assessed potential locations which may be desirable to bring forward an MCA scheme. We intend to reconsider this once the legal basis for preparing MCAs is in place.
We recognise the potential benefits of MCA schemes. The Scottish Government has indicated that MCAs could be used to support delivery of the local development plan. We'll consider whether it would be desirable to make any Masterplan Consent Areas as part of our work on delivery linked to the Local Development Plan's Delivery Programme.
In future we'll be able to use prepare Masterplan Consent Area schemes as part of a placemaking approach to planning and consenting. Unlike planning applications which are typically led by a developer, the preparation of MCA schemes will be led by the planning authority, but can be taken forward through collaboration.
