North Ayrshire Council issued its second Local Development Plan (LDP) in 2019 to formalise and provide a framework to guide development and investment in the region.

Now the third offering – LDP3 - is being developed and the local authority is looking for as much input as possible from community groups, residents and local businesses.

Earlier this year, the council carried out surveys and events to gauge people’s views on the places where they live, work, and visit in North Ayrshire.

The council is currently preparing an Evidence Report - the first and a new stage in preparing an LDP – and this will be guided by the views of local communities and stakeholders. This will inform what to plan for, before the Proposed Local Development Plan looks at where development should take place.

To support the preparation of the plan, six ‘Place Profiles’ have been prepared, one for each locality in North Ayrshire. The Place Profiles summarise the main social, cultural, environmental and economic features of the area and summarise community opinions and priorities gathered through previous engagement activities.

Councillor Alan Hill, cabinet member for island and communities, said: “We recognise people’s priorities will change and we try and reflect this when we are producing new LDPs. This one will be no different and it’s vitally important that we get as much input from local people as possible. Local development plans are extremely important and provide local authorities with a framework that ensures development decisions are consistent and for the good of the whole area.”

There are no new proposals for the development and use of land at this stage of the process.

In the Garnock Valley, work is also underway to prepare a community-led Local Place Plan that will inform LDP3. Communities can find out more about both LDP3 and the Garnock Valley Local Place Plan at community events in Kilbirnie, Beith and Dalry. More detailed information is available on the Our Garnock Valley website.