Outer Hebrides Local Development Plan 3 (OHLDP-3)
SKIP TO 'CALL FOR IDEAS' CONSULTATION
All planning authorities are legally required to prepare a Local Development Plan (LDP) for their area and Comhairle nan Eilean Siar is currently preparing a new LDP to replace the current Outer Hebrides LDP (2018). This key planning document sets out land use proposals and planning policies intended to guide development and inform planning decisions within the Outer Hebrides. This Plan will allocate sites for development, identify places and resources to be protected and set out the policies to be used to guide planning decisions.
Planning (Scotland) Act 2019
The Planning (Scotland) Act 2019 made significant changes to the approach to preparing LDPs with the aim of making them more effective, with greater community involvement and more focus on delivery. LDPs themselves are expected to be place-based, visual plans with the inclusion of a clear spatial strategy.
The Development Plan
Planning decisions must be taken in line with the ‘Development Plan’ unless material considerations indicate otherwise and since February 2023, the National Planning Framework together with the relevant LDP together form the Development Plan for each local authority area.
National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) was published in 2023 and is the Scottish Government’s national spatial strategy for Scotland, setting out spatial principles, national developments and national planning policy (see below).
It is envisaged that under the new Planning Act, the focus for LDPs should be on land allocation through the spatial strategy and interpreting national policy in a local context. There is no need for LDPs to replicate policies within NPF4, but local authorities can add further detail including locally specific policies should they consider to be a need to do so, based on the area’s individual characteristics.
The NPF4 National Planning Policy topics are:
Sustainable Places
- Tackling the climate and nature crises
- Climate mitigation and adaptation
- Biodiversity
- Natural places
- Soils
- Forestry, woodland and trees
- Historic assets and places
- Green belts
- Brownfield, vacant and derelict land and empty buildings
- Coastal development
- Energy
- Zero waste
- Sustainable transport
Liveable Places
- Design, quality and place
- Local Living and 20 minute neighbourhoods
- Quality homes
- Rural homes
- Infrastructure first
- Heat and cooling
- Blue and green infrastructure
- Play, recreation and sport
- Flood risk and water management
- Health and safety
- Digital infrastructure
Productive Places
- Community wealth building
- Business and industry
- City, town, local and commercial centres
- Retail
- Rural development
- Tourism
- Culture and creativity
- Aquaculture
- Minerals
How is the LDP being prepared?
Our Development Plan Scheme sets out the proposed stages and programme for preparing our new Plan.
The key stages are shown below.
We are currently at the first stage of Evidence Gathering. This stage involves early engagement and data collection to ensure a sound evidence base so we know ‘what to plan for’ before we look at ‘where and how’ it should take place.
How to get involved
LDP3 Consultation and Engagement
During the Evidence Gathering and Plan Preparation stages there are opportunities for members of the public and stakeholders to get involved and influence the final LDP.
We would like as many people and organisations to be involved with the new LDP as possible.
The Development Plan Scheme sets out details of who we will consult and methods of engagement at each stage of the plan preparation.
Call for Ideas
Planning affects everyone and impacts many aspects of life - you can influence how the LDP responds to the opportunities and challenges ahead and what the Plan can do for your community.
We are seeking views on the places that matter to you and how you would like to see the islands develop in the future.
This is an early opportunity to propose ideas for any aspects of the Plan and how you feel land should be used in the future. You are not limited to specific topics or places - we want to hear what matters to you.
You may find it useful to look at the NPF4 topics headings in the table above to give you an idea of the type of land-use topics the Development Plan generally covers or you may already have something specific you want to say about the future development of your community, or the islands in general.
You can submit your comments using the form below:
CALL FOR IDEAS - CONSULTATION FORM
Tell us About Your Place Survey
In addition to the ‘Call for Ideas’ consultation we would like to invite you to tell us what you think about the places that are important to you.
This survey is based on the Place Standard tool, which is a way of assessing ‘places’ and will help enable conversations and gather feedback on what makes for a good place to live, work, play and visit.
The tool is simple and easy to use. It consists of around a dozen or so questions that relate to the physical, social, and environmental elements of a place. It asks what is good about the places you use and what could be done differently. Participants answer each question on a scale from 1-7.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR PLACE SURVEY
We are interested in hearing the experience of particular groups of people and have alternative online forms for:
DISABLED PEOPLE AND PLACE SURVEY
CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE (UNDER 25)
If you have already completed the Place Standard Tool as part of the Outer Hebrides Community Planning Partnership (OHCPP) consultation, thank you, there is no need to complete it again.
Local Place Plans
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 more information, please visit our Local Place Plans page.
Mailing List
If you would like to be added to the Outer Hebrides Local Development Plan 3 (LDP3) mailing list please email us and request to be added.
We will use your details for the purposes of notifying you regarding updates connected to the LDP3 process. You will need to provide an email address as notifications will not be sent by post.
Your details will remain on the LDP3 mailing list until the adoption of the Outer Hebrides Local Development Plan 3, from where they will be removed.
Email us at localdevplan@cne-siar.gov.uk