Development Plan Scheme and Participation Statement
What is the Development Plan Scheme?
It's a Plan which will show how our places will look in the future, where new houses and places of work will be built, how services and facilities such as schools and travel will be provided and identify the places and buildings to be protected.
It includes details of the proposed timetable, the timing of each stage of the plan making process and what is involved; as well as a Participation Statement which explains how and when we will ask stakeholders including local communities and key agencies to become involved.
What is the Development Plan for South Lanarkshire Council?
Development plans are important as they guide decisions on applications for planning permission. The current arrangements that apply across Scotland are shown in the table below.
| Title |
Description |
|---|---|
| National Planning Framework |
Sets out the Scottish Ministers’ policies and proposals for the development and use of land. Must have regard to any adopted regional spatial strategy (RSS) when preparing, revising or amending the NPF |
| Regional Spatial Strategy |
A planning authority, or authorities acting jointly, prepare these long-term spatial strategies for the strategic development of an area. RSS are not part of the statutory development plan but have an important role in informing future versions of the NPF and LDPs (Local Development Plan). |
| Local Development Plans |
Councils must prepare one or more LDP for their area. It shows how local places will change in the future, including where development should and should not happen. It must take into account the National Planning Framework and any registered local place plan/s (LPPs) for the area the LDP covers. It should also have regard to their adopted RSS and Community Plan for the area it covers. |
| Local Place Plans |
LPPs are community-led plans prepared by community bodies setting out proposals for the development and use of land in their local area. It must have regard to the NPF, any LDP which covers the same area, and also any neighbourhood plan which covers the same area. |
National Planning Framework 4 was published and adopted by the Scottish Government on 13 February 2023. It sets out 33 national planning policies which represent the Scottish Government’s long term spatial strategy for Scotland. These policies are used to assess planning applications and also provide the direction for what the council’s Local Development Plan should include.
The information in Annex 1 shows how these policies link to other national and our own strategies and policies.
South Lanarkshire Local Development Plan 2 was adopted in April 2021 and represents the council’s spatial policy for its area. It includes sites that are allocated for development as well as detailed policies on matters such as climate change, the green belt and rural area, housing, town centres and transport.
It is accompanied by other documents including Supporting Planning Guidance covering Developer Contributions, Renewable Energy, Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure and Development at a Dwellinghouse.
Regional Spatial Strategies will look at strategic development issues – in the case of South Lanarkshire across the Glasgow City Region. The legislation on this has not been brought into effect yet by the Scottish Government.
Local Place Plans are a new opportunity for local communities to get involved in the planning system by setting out proposals for the development and use of land in their area. Once it has been registered by the planning authority, we have a legal responsibility to take it into account in the preparation of the next Local Development Plan. Once we officially start the process of creating the new plan, we will formally invite communities to prepare Local Place Plans. You can find more information on Local Place Plans on the Scottish Government Planning circular 1/2022.