The local development documents
taken as a whole must set out the authority's policies relating to the
development and use of land in their area. In the case of LDDs included in a minerals and waste development scheme, the LDDs together must also set out the authority's policies relating to minerals and waste development. Each framework will be a folder containing a number of inter-related documents. The Core Strategy, development plan documents and statement of community involvement are compulsory, with other documents being optional.
Local development scheme This is a public 'project plan' which identify which
local development documents will be produced, in what order and when. The local development scheme acts as the starting point for the community and
stakeholders to find out about the local authority's planning policies in respect to a particular place or issue, and what the status of those policies is. It also outlines the details of, and timetable for the production of all documents that make up the local development framework over a three-year period. All local authorities submitted their local development schemes to the
Secretary of State by the end of March 2005
Development plan documents These include the
core strategy document and the
local plan. The Town and Country Planning (Local Development) (England) Regulations 2004 (
SI 2004/2204) lays out details they must comply with. It is a
statutory instrument that sets out the specific
local development documents which
local planning authorities in
England are required to prepare and how that should be done. Essentially, the Act gives detail to the
British Government's revisions to the
planning system by means of the
Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004. It came into force on 28 September 2004.
Statement of community involvement The SCI should explain to the public how they will be involved in the preparation of the framework. They should set out the standards to be met by the authority in terms of community involvement, building upon the minimum requirements set out in the Regulations and
PPS 12. Prior to the statement being adopted, local authorities must ensure that any plan preparation work meets these minimum requirements. A key outcome of the SCI will be to encourage 'front loading' meaning that consultation with the public begins at the earliest stages of each document's development so that communities are given the fullest opportunity to participate in plan making and to make a difference.
Annual monitoring report The Annual Monitoring Report is submitted to
government by a local planning authority at the end of December each year to assess the progress and the effectiveness of a Local Development Framework, specifically: • Are policies achieving their objectives, and is
sustainable development being delivered? • Have policies had the intended consequences? • Are the assumptions and objectives behind policies still relevant? • Are the targets set in the Local Development Framework being achieved? To achieve this goal, the Annual Monitoring Report includes a range of local and standard (Core Output) indicators.
Optional development plan documents • Area Action Plan: an optional development plan document aimed at establishing a set of proposals and policies for the development of a specific area (such as a town centre or an area of new development) of a district authority. There is no limit on the number of area action plans that a local authority can develop. • Supplementary planning documents: established as part of the
Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 in
United Kingdom law, SPDs may cover a range of issues, thematic or site-specific, and provides further detail of policies and proposals in a 'parent' development plan document. •
Local development orders •
Simplified planning zones Sometimes certain policies from an old document remain effective when that document is superseded. These policies are known as "saved" policies.
Legal requirements of all local development documents They should be prepared in accordance with the
local development scheme and should have regard to section 19 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004: • National policies and advice contained in guidance issued by the Secretary of State, • The
regional spatial strategy for the region in which the area of the authority is situated, if the area is outside Greater London. Also the RSS for any region which adjoins the area of the authority or the
Wales Spatial Plan if any part of the authority's area adjoins Wales • The
spatial development strategy if the authority is
London borough or if any part of the authority's area adjoins
Greater London • The
community strategy prepared by the authority and also any other authority whose area comprises any part of the area of the
local planning authority • Any other local development documents which has been adopted by the
authority • The resources likely to be available for implementing the proposals in the document • Such other matters as the Secretary of State prescribes. • They should comply with the statement of community involvement (once the statement is adopted) • The
local planning authority must appraise the sustainability of each development plan document and report the findings. Development plan documents are subject to rigorous procedures of community involvement, consultation and independent examination. Once adopted,
development control decisions must be made in accordance with the DPDs unless material considerations indicate otherwise. DPDs must be examined with a
sustainability appraisal to ensure economic, environmental and social effects of the plan are in line with sustainable development targets. ==Key government aims==