Scotland’s planning system is plan-led. The ‘purpose of planning’ is “to manage the development and use of land in the long term public interest”.
Development plans set out how places will change into the future, including the long term vision for where development should and shouldn’t happen. Development plans show where new homes and workplaces will be built, how services and facilities such as schools and travel will be provided, and identify the places and buildings we value and want to protect.
The development plan comprises:
Together these will be the main basis for all planning decisions.
Significant changes to development planning were made by the Planning (Scotland) 2019 Act. The Development Planning work package included implementation of provisions relating to:
Our planning reforms have sought to strengthen and simplify LDPs. We want a new approach to preparing plans that will result in #newstyleplans that support the management and use of land in the long-term public interest.
More detail about local development planning is available online
and
We consulted on proposals for the secondary legislation and draft guidance. The consultation was informed by input from the Development Planning Working Group.
The consultation documents included
The consultation closed on 31 March 2022, and we received 87 responses. Where consent was given to publish the response, these are available to read on the Scottish Government’s consultation website.
We also commissioned independent analysis of the responses, which found that respondents were generally supportive of the proposed Guidance and Regulations, with a series of comments on the detailed wording. More detail is available in the Analysis Report.
A separate consultation on the definition of Gypsies and Travellers, for the purpose of engagement on LDP Evidence Reports, ran between December 2022 and February 2023. Targeted in-person engagement took place with Travelling community members, with one early engagement session in November and three consultation events in February. The online consultation received 41 responses from members of various Travelling communities, representative bodies and local authorities.
The responses informed the development of the final regulations. The Policy Note provides details of the regulations’ provisions, the consultation to inform the Regulations and of the impact assessments carried out.
Timescales |
Engagement |
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2017-2019 |
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2019-2020 |
December 2019 - October 2020 |
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2021 |
March 2021 |
Development Planning Working Group Outputs |
2022 |
December 2021 – end of March 2022 |
|
2023 |
December 2022 and February 2023 |
Consultation on the definition of Gypsies and Travellers
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March 2023 |
Development planning regulations made and laid in Parliament |
|
19 May 2023 |
Regulations came into force: The Town and Country Planning (Development Planning) (Scotland) Regulations 2023 |
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24 May 2023 |
Local Development Planning Guidance published |
Last Updated: 24 May 2023