Preparing Local Place Plans

Community groups are invited to create their own community-led Local Place Plans (LPPs). Find out about the legislative requirements and view guidance and tools for preparing LPPs. 

The fundamental requirements for a LPP are that it must:

• be prepared by a community body
• be a proposal as to the development or use of land
• fulfil the legal requirements set out in Section 14 of The Planning (Scotland) Act 2019 and The Town and Country Planning (Local Place Plans) (Scotland) Regulations 2021

The legislation sets out a list of plans that a community body must have regard to when preparing a LPP. These are:

• The Local Development Plan: this would be the Aberdeenshire Local Development Plan 2023 or the Cairngorms National Park Local Development Plan 2021, depending on where the community body is located and the area to be covered by the LPP
• The National Planning Framework
• Any locality plan published for the area: Peterhead, Banff and Macduff and Fraserburgh; community bodies within these areas must consider the relevant locality plan when preparing a LPP

Detailed guidance on the legislative requirements is set out in the Scottish Government's Planning Circular 1/2022: Local Place Plans.

Guidance and tools

We have produced an information note for community bodies (PDF 234KB) outlining all the different stages to be followed when preparing a LPP. If you are considering preparing a LPP please contact us by completing the request for support form.

Request support and advice

View the planning reform update and LPP presentation (PDF 412KB) to find out about the background and purpose of LPPs. 

Extra guidance

Resources to help inform the development of a Local Place Plan:

• Aberdeenshire open data
• Scottish Living Locally Data Portal
• Local Place Plan guides on the Our Place website
• Guide to community-led plans on the Planning Aid Scotland (PAS) website

Engagement resources:

• The Place Standard Tool
• Place Standard Tool (PDF 991KB)
• The Place Standard Tool: Versions for Children and Young People
• National Standards for Community Engagement

LPP examples

Please note no two LPPs will be the same, but you can also view examples of existing LPPs as guides:

• Imagine Udny: Developing a future vision for Udny
• What’s next for Stromness?
• Scalloway Local Place Plan and Scalloway LPP documents
• Stratherrick and Foyer Community Council LPP

Contact

If you would like to contact us about local place planning, please email delivery@aberdeenshire.gov.uk.