Local Place Plans

Local Place Plans (LPPs) let communities set out their ideas for how land and buildings in their area should be used in the future. They are community‑led plans that capture local priorities, improvements and opportunities – and help influence future planning decisions.

Once an LPP is registered with us, we must legally take it into account when preparing Local Development Plan 3 (LDP3).  This gives communities a real opportunity to shape how their area develops.

Who can prepare a Local Place Plan?

An LPP must be prepared by:

• A Community Council, or
• A community body,

as defined by Community Empowerment legislation

Community bodies can prepare an LPP at any time.

What a Local Place Plan includes

An LPP can be a digital or printed document and must include:

• A map showing the area covered by the plan
• A clear statement of proposals for how land should be used or developed
• be a proposal as to the development or use of land, and
• fulfil the legal requirements set out in the relevant legislation (see Local Place Plans circular 1/2022)

You can also include illustrations, photos or diagrams to support your ideas. Many communities link their proposals to wider goals, such as tackling climate change, improving local places or reducing inequalities.

The LPP will be a document (physical or digital) that will contain the ideas and proposals for how the community would like to see development take place within their local area.

The Scottish Government published regulations for both local communities and planning authorities on the preparation, submission, and registration of LPPs. The Local Place Plans circular 1/2022 updates their ‘How to prepare a local place plan’ guide and it is anticipated that a new version of the ‘How to guide’ will be produced by Scottish Government specifically for communities.

How Local Place Plans fit into LDP3

LPPs submitted earlier have the greatest opportunity to influence LDP3. Registered or draft plans may help inform:

• Community Profiles
• The Evidence Report
• The proposed LDP3

Plans submitted later will still be considered during preparation of the proposed plan.

Support and advice

We cannot write an LPP for you, but we can:

• Explain the process and legal requirements
• Provide checklists and guidance
• Answer questions and signpost useful resources

Advice on the Local Place Plan submission can be found online. Once complete, you submit your LPP to us using the Local Place Plan register online form. If it meets the legal requirements, we will validate it and add it to the Register of Local Place Plans.

Please see our Local Place Plans resources page which has been prepared to help assist communities looking to prepare a local place plan.