GUIDE TO LOCAL DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORKS

Introduction to Local Development Frameworks

The government has introduced a new plan system to manage how development takes place in towns and the countryside.

The Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 introduced a new 'two-tiered' plan system, comprised of:

• Regional Spatial Strategies (RSS) - prepared by the regional planning bodies (or in London the spatial development strategy prepared by the Mayor of London). These set out a broad spatial planning strategy for how a region should look in 15 to 20 years time and possibly longer.
• Local Development Frameworks (LDF) - a folder of local development documents prepared by district councils, unitary authorities or national park authorities that outline the spatial planning strategy for the local area.

The Local Development Framework, together with the Regional Spatial Strategy, will determine how the planning system will help to shape your community.

This guide explains the purpose of the different kinds of documents in a Local Development Framework.

It also explains the crucial role of community involvement in the plan-making process - one of the most important elements of the new system.

Local Development Framework (LDF) components

1. Development plan documents
2. Local development scheme
3. Statement of community interest
4. Annual monitoring report
5. Supplementary planning documents
6. Local development orders and simplified planning zones

LDF documents fall into two categories: Required and Optional.

1. Development Plan Documents (DPDs)

A Local Development Framework must include a Core Strategy and a Proposals Map. It may also contain additional optional development documents such as Area Action Plans. These are classed as DPDs and outline the key development goals of the Local Development Framework.

DPDs are subject to rigorous procedures of community involvement, consultation and independent examination. Once adopted, development control decisions must be made in accordance with the DPDs unless material considerations indicate otherwise. DPDs are also subject to a Sustainability Appraisal to ensure economic, environmental and social effects of the plan are in line with sustainable development targets.

1.1 Core Strategy - (Required)

The core strategy is the principal development plan document contained within the Local Development Framework. It sets out the general spatial vision and objectives for delivery of the Local Development Framework and can also include 'Strategic Site Allocations'. It is a crucial part of the local development framework in that it positions the council as both a strategy maker and a deliverer of outcomes.

The core strategy also plays a key part in the delivery of the council's sustainable community strategy by setting out its spatial aspects and providing a long-term spatial vision. The core strategy must be kept up to date and all other development plan documents must be in conformity with it and the Regional Spatial Strategy (or the Spatial Development Strategy in London).

From April 2010, existing RSSs and Regional Economic Strategies (RESs) will be replaced with a single Regional Strategy (RS).

1.2 Adopted Proposals Map (Required)

The proposals map is a cartographic representation of the geographic application of all policies with specific spatial extent set out in any DPD or saved development plan.

The proposals map does not have DPD status in its own right because anything it conveys must be identified in a DPD or saved development plan policies.

1.3 Area Action Plans (Optional)

An Area Action Plan (AAP) is a development plan document focused upon a specific location or an area subject to conservation or significant change. This could include a major regeneration project or a growth area.

The AAP should focus on implementation - providing an important mechanism for ensuring development of an appropriate scale, mix and quality for key areas of opportunity, change or conservation.

An AAP should outline protection for areas sensitive to change and aim to resolve conflicting objectives in areas subject to development pressures.

1.4 Other Development Plan Documents (Optional)

These can include thematic documents concerned with housing, employment, retail development etc...

However, additional Development Plan Documents (i.e. beyond the Core Strategy) should only be produced when truly necessary and where the Core Strategy can not guide and/or deliver.

Each development plan document should be in conformity with the Core Strategy, Saved Policies and should be subject to an independent Examination in Public.

2. Local Development Scheme (Required)

The Local Development Scheme (LDS) is a public 'project plan' identifying which development plan documents (DPDs) will be produced, in what order and when.

The LDS acts as the starting point for the community and stakeholders to find out about the authority's planning policies in respect to a particular place or issue, and the status of those policies. It also outlines the details of and timetable for the production of all DPDs.

All local authorities should keep their LDSs under review and submit any revisions to the Secretary of State for approval.

3. Statement of Community Involvement (Required)

The Statement of Community Involvement (SCI) shows how and when planning authorities intend to consult local communities and other stakeholders. SCIs are no longer subject to independent examination, which means they can be used flexibly as a community engagement strategy by Local Strategic Partnership organisations for mapping, planning and monitoring community engagement activities relating to LDFs and other documents.

A key outcome of the SCI will be to encourage 'front loading' - meaning that consultation begins at the earliest stages of each document's development so that communities are given the fullest opportunity to participate in plan making and to make a difference.

Every SCI must provide open access to information, actively encourage the contribution of ideas and representations from the community, and provide regular and timely feedback on progress.

4. Annual Monitoring Report (Required)

A report submitted to the government by a local planning authority to assess the progress and the effectiveness of a Local Development Framework.

The Annual Monitoring Report will assess:

• are policies achieving their objectives and is sustainable development being delivered?
• have policies had intended consequences?
• are the assumptions and objectives behind policies still relevant?
• are the targets set in the LDF being achieved?

To achieve this goal, the Annual Monitoring Report will include a range of local and standard (Core Output) indicators. It should also highlight if any adjustments to the Local Development Scheme are required.

5. Supplementary Planning Documents (Optional)

Supplementary Planning Documents (SPDs) expand or add details to policies laid out in development plan documents (DPDs), or a saved policy in an existing development plan. These may take the form of design guides, area development briefs, a master plan or issue-based documents.

These documents can use illustrations, text and practical examples to expand on how the authority's policies can be taken forward. Local authorities must involve the community in the preparation of SPDs.

Due to the fact that many SPDs’ overarching policies would have been subject to a Sustainability Appraisal (SA) – which ensures economic, environmental and social effects of the plan/policy are in line with sustainable development objectives – the Planning Act 2008 removed the blanket requirement for all SPDs to be subject to a SA.

LPAs will still need to consider the legal requirements for a SA where there are impacts that have not been covered in the appraisal of a higher-level policy, such as a DPD or a saved policy or where an assessment is required by the SEA directive.

6. Local Development Orders and Simplified Planning Zones (Optional)

The Local Development Framework may also contain Local Development Orders and Simplified Planning Zones.

A Local Development Order is made by a planning authority in order to extend permitted rights for certain forms of development, with regard to a relevant local development document.

A Simplified Planning Zone is an area in which a local planning authority wishes to stimulate development and encourage investment. It operates by granting a specified planning permission in the zone without the need for a formal application or the payment of planning fees.

GETTING INVOLVED

Having your say on planning in your area

Planning shapes the places where people live and work - so it is right that people should able to take an active part in the process.

Under the new plan system, each local planning authority will produce a Statement of Community Involvement, which will set out how communities will be involved in the revision of local planning documents as well as the consideration of planning applications.

The Statement of Community Involvement must ensure the active meaningful and continued involvement of the community throughout the process and should address the following:

• What is the local authority seeking community involvement on? This includes the range of local development documents being consulted upon.
• How and when will the community involvement be sought? This should address the possible forms of involvement, including receiving and spreading information, policy and plan development procedures and feedback processes.
• Who will be involved? Authorities must make sure they involve the widest possible range of interests - in particular hard-to-reach groups who do not normally participate in planning.

If you want to have a say in the way your local area changes, you should contact your local planning authority to find out how you can get involved.

You can find contact information for your local authority on the Planning Portal