Local development document

Local development documents are a set of documents specified in United Kingdom planning law which a local planning authority creates to describe their strategy for development and use of land in their area of authority.

Established as part of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 in United Kingdom law, a local planning authority must include as local development documents in their local development schemes.

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.

The Secretary of State may prescribe the form and content of LDDs and which descriptions of those documents are development plan documents (which are to be subject to the process of independent examination and which will form part of the authority's development plan).

Compulsory local development documents

• Core Strategy
• Development plan documents
• Statements of community involvement

Optional local development documents

• Area action plans
• Supplementary planning documents
• Local development orders

Sometimes certain policies from an old document remain effective when that document is superseded.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 [1]:-

• 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.

See also

• London Plan

External links

• Planning Portal visual guide to Local Development Frameworks