Just months after the adoption of the current plan, work has started on the pre-planning phase of a four-year project to produce the next one.

Planners have been attending community council forum events across the area in recent weeks, to put forward a draft programme of work, called the Local Development Plan Scheme 2018.

Increased engagement with communities is one of the recommendations being taken forward following evaluation of the process to create the last LDP.

Extensive engagement with community councils and other interested parties will be undertaken before councillors are asked to consider, comment upon, and agree the publication of a Main Issues Report and proposed Local Development Plan for publication in November 2018.

The five-year programme for the production of the LDP is currently:

This is in line with Scottish Ministers’ expectations that Local Development Plans are adopted within two years of the adoption of a Strategic Development Plan.

The draft Local Development Plan Scheme 2018 will be reported to Local Area Committees in November, before Infrastructure Services Committee is asked to approve it in January 2018.