We are currently inviting communities to create Local Place Plans (LPPs) in accordance with Schedule 19 of the Planning (Scotland) Act 2019.
Local Place Plans have been introduced to encourage communities to be active participants in planning for their futures and to have a more direct role in the decisions that influence their place.
Local Place Plans focus on the community’s proposals for the development and use of land and provide a new opportunity for communities to feed into the planning system with ideas and proposals. If a Local Place Plan is registered by the Comhairle, they are required to take the contents into account when preparing the next Local Development Plan.
For us to validate and register Local Place Plans submitted to us, they need to comply with the guidance set out in the Circular. A key feature of LPPs is that they are prepared by a ‘community body’ and contain proposals for the development and use of land, and the proposals are shown on a map.
The Comhairle cannot prepare Local Place Plans for communities but we can help advise on the process and requirements and can signpost groups to sources of information and practical help.
Community bodies can prepare an LPP at any time, but if their purpose in preparing one is to influence our next Local Development Plan, it should be submitted to the Comhairle by Summer 2025.
If you are considering preparing a Local Place Plan, or are already in a position to submit one, we’d love to hear from you. Please contact: localdevplan@cne-siar.gov.uk
Please see below for guidance on creating Local Place Plans:
- The Planning (Scotland) Act 2019
- The Town and Country Planning (Local Place Plans) (Scotland) Regulations 2021
- Planning Circular 1/2022: Local Place Plans
- Our Place - Local Place Plans
- Local Place Plans - how to guide
- Parish Online
A Local Place Plan can be promoted and developed by:
- Any individual or collection of community groups which meets the definition for community-controlled bodies
- Community councils established in accordance with Part 4 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973
The Planning Service will keep a register of Local Place Plans as they are prepared. Once registered, Local Place Plans will not themselves be an integral part of the development plan, they will nevertheless have a statutory role in shaping the planning process. They will require to be taken account of by the council when it is preparing the next LDP.
No Local Place Plans are currently registered with Comhairle nan Eilean Siar.
If you have any questions about Local Place Plans, contact us by emailing: localdevplan@cne-siar.gov.uk