Why we should care about our development plans?

So why should we get involved in the consultation on the new Highland wide Development Plan?



Planning Advice Note (PAN)81 says to us:



22 The law requires that any planning application be determined in accordance with the development plan, unless there are material considerations that indicate that a different decision should be taken. It is therefore essential that people are given adequate opportunities to participate in the preparation of the development plan. It is often too late for people to object to the principle of an allocated use at the stage when it becomes subject to a planning application. It is the role of the planning authority and elected Councillors to promote a wider sense of public awareness of development plans by engaging actively with the people that they represent. The community too has an important role in engaging early with the planning authority as all parties need to have a common understanding of the issues. Greater recognition of the importance of development plans will result in more active engagement by the public and other parties in preparing those plans.



Almost 2 years ago now APTSec had a conversation with a senior planner at the Government Planning Directorate in Edinburgh and this is what he said in relation to a question that I asked on allocated land use:



"I'm not aware that we've formally defined the term 'allocated land use'. But what is usually meant are specific proposals in development plans, particularly local plans, that propose that specific areas of land should be developed or used for one or more particular purposes. These proposals will normally be illustrated by a notation on the local plan proposals map. So for instance, identifying a particular field for housing development"



"To determine what the site-specific land use allocations are in your area, you should refer to the adopted local plan. Any site-specific proposal in a local plan for the use or development of land could be termed a land-use allocation.

It is the development plan (by making land use allocations as described above) that establishes the principle that areas of land may appropriately be used/ developed for particular uses. So what I think para 22 of PAN 81 is saying is that if members of the community have 'in principle' concerns about the use that areas of land should be put to, these are best raised during the development plan process. When a planning application is made for site already allocated for that use in a local plan, debate is largely limited to matters of detail."



It is not quite, 'speak now or forever hold your piece' with regard to the development plan process since there may well be strong material considerations in relation to a specific area of land when it comes to determining the individual application, but, the importance of the development plan to the planning process is well highlighted in the paragraphs above.



The Highland Council's consultation on the Main Issues Report is due to begin on the 17th August.