Local Place Plans – invitation to create

Changes to the planning system in Scotland aim to empower communities and strengthen links between citizens, communities and the planning system.

One of the steps towards achieving this is the introduction of Local Place Plans (LPPs), a way for communities to highlight issues, ideas and aspirations. LPPs are not intended to replace existing opportunities to participate in the planning system, but to provide additional input.

LPPs can identify areas of potential change and opportunities for enhancements, and can suggest areas of vacant or derelict land for new or alternative uses. Conversely, they can recommend land and buildings that should be protected. LPPs can also set out circumstances where the community group wishes to amend provisions within the Local Development Plan.

Examples of matters that can be addressed in LPPs include:

• Local initiatives for the promotion of active travel and community food growing
• Sites for housing – including affordable housing – new or retained local employment and new tourism/community facilities
• Sites which support climate change adaptation, such as renewable energy or flood mitigation
• Retaining, improving and expanding quality open space, and green/blue infrastructure and play facilities
• Conservation of the natural/built environment
• Improvements in the town/neighbourhood centre
• Protection of valuable local assets.

Whilst they may be important issues for local communities, the following matters would not be appropriate for inclusion within an LPP:

• Litter management and dog fouling
• Improvements to public transport (routes and timetables)
• Proposals which do not fundamentally impact on the long-term use of land, such as occasional activities/events using existing facilities, spaces and places.

Our new Local Development Plan 3 will consider any registered Local Place Plans, enabling communities to have a more direct role in the decisions that influence their local area.

Whilst it may seem like there is a long time to prepare your LPP it is not unusual for projects of this scale to take much longer than expected. The Council therefore recommends that work by the community in preparing the LPP should start as soon as possible.

Given the necessary stages in preparing a Local Development Plan, any LPP must be submitted to the Council by June 2025 to ensure that it can be incorporated into the LDP3.

If your organisation or group is interested in preparing an LPP please fill in the form to register your interest.

Once community groups have prepared their LPP it can be submitted to the Planning Authority to be ‘registered’. In your submission to the Council the following must be demonstrated:

• That the LPP has been prepared by a constituted Community Body as defined in the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 or by a Community Council.
• That the proposals within the LPP relate to the use of land and new development.
• How other stakeholders have been involved and the perceived level of local support for the provisions within the LPP.
• That a map setting out the area covered by the LPP has been provided.
• Notification of each Elected Member covering the LPP area and any relevant Community Councils (when the submitting group is not itself a Community Council or where the area is covered by multiple Community Councils).
• That the LPP has taken into account the provisions of the National Planning Framework, Local Development Plan and any relevant Locality Plans.
• Where the LPP proposes to diverge from any of the above plans, a statement giving clear justification for this must be provided.

Once the LPP is registered it will be included within the Council’s list of registered LPPs and will form a material consideration in the assessment of planning applications.

If the Council is unable to register the LPP, the reasons for this will be provided and where possible the Council will support the group to revise the LPP to enable it to be registered.

There is lots information to help you decide if an LPP is right for your local area/organisation and to help you get work underway:

Planning Circular 1/2022: Local Place Plans
Our Place and Local Place Plans – How to Guide
PAS – LPP Resources for Communities

Whilst community bodies will lead on preparing the LPP, the Council can provide assistance in a number of ways, including:

• Understanding the national and local policy context.
• Understanding the regulatory requirements.
• Using and preparing spatial data (GIS).
• Identifying potential funding sources.
• Advice on undertaking community engagement and consultation events.

The Council has prepared answers to a series of common questions relating to Local Place Plans. This can be viewed by selecting the link to the Local Place Plans FAQs webpage.

If you have any other questions or require further information, please contact the Council’s Land Planning Policy team by emailing development.plan@eastdunbarton.gov.uk