News on North Ayrshire’s third Local Development Plan

Communities Encouraged to Participate in Scottish Government Consultation

Effective community engagement is an essential part of local development plan preparation. The Scottish Government have published drafted guidance on how planning authorities can comply with their legal duties to engage with the public when preparing their local development plans.

National Planning Framework 4 defines a community as 'A body of people'. This can be based on common factors:

location (for example people who live or work in or use an area);

identity (for example a shared ethnicity, language, or age); and

interest (for example the business community, amenity, sports, social or heritage groups)

The guidance is intended to be used by planning authorities as a sense check when planning their engagement to support the preparation of local development plans.

It will also be helpful to communities, organisations and individuals in understanding when they can engage in the local development plan process, and what influence on the plan making that engagement may have.

This drafted guidance is part of the ongoing planning reform within Scotland which aims to enhance engagement within the planning system.

Communities are encouraged to read the draft guidance and respond to the consultation which runs until the 13th September 2023.

Posted on 22nd June 2023

by North Ayrshire Council