Olivia Neame, Planning Improvement Officer in the Improvement Service, outlines the work being undertaken to help create new style local development plans.
The Improvement Service partners with Scottish Government to deliver the National Planning Hub’s work that helps ensure planning services are equipped to tackle emerging issues as they arise. A key priority within the 2026 work programme is to provide support to planning authorities as they progress their new-style Local Development Plans (LDPs) through the LDP Support Programme. As we complete the first quarter of the LDP Support Programme, this blog reflects on the progress made so far and highlights the support delivered to date.
The programme launched in April with an LDP workshop that brought together around 100 local authority planners, key agency and Scottish Government representatives. The workshop provided an opportunity to share updates on progress across Scotland, explore common barriers, and discuss opportunities to address topics that have proven challenging within the new system.
The workshop included a series of learning exchange sessions focused on key areas of LDP preparation. Presentation slides from these sessions are available on the LDP Support Network Teams group. Alongside the learning exchanges, participants took part in smaller cohort discussions, providing an opportunity to discuss challenges and share good practice with peers at key stages of the LDP process. The insights gathered through these discussions have directly informed the programme's outputs, which are outlined below.
Key Takeaways from Cohort Exchange and Our Response
Compiling Evidence Report:
Planning authorities highlighted the scale and complexity of preparing Evidence Reports, with particular challenges around calculating housing requirements. In response, we are hosting a webinar with the Centre for Housing Market Analysis to provide an overview of the revised Housing Need and Demand Assessment tool.
Authorities also noted the challenges associated with coordinating and managing large volumes of evidence from a range of sources and stakeholders. To support authorities in this area, we have developed a case study showcasing North Lanarkshire Council's approach to evidence gathering and engagement.
Evidence Report Submitted Stage:
There is a strong appetite among authorities to capture lessons learned from the Evidence Report and Gate Check process. As more authorities reach this stage, there is value in understanding the approaches taken by others. To support this, we have worked with Renfrewshire Council to develop a case study reflecting on their experience of preparing and submitting their Evidence Report.
Proposed Plan Stage:
Authorities at the proposed plan stage are facing uncertainty as they are the first to navigate the new process. To alleviate this, authorities reported that working with others to share practice and provide support has been beneficial. To build on this, we worked with the Planning and Environmental Appeals Division (DPEA) to organise an in-person training on preparing for examination. Further information on the training is available in this Learning Point.
Planning authorities are continuing to grapple with what a place-based approach means in practice. Translating concepts into plan structure and policy wording has taken significant time. To support authorities in this area, we have worked with Angus Council to develop a case study showcasing their framework approach to place-based working.
Authorities also reported that health engagement has been challenging. Our colleagues in the Planning for Place team undertook a survey on Health Board engagement in LDP preparation. The findings and outputs from this will be shared with authorities shortly.
LDP Support Network Teams group
At each stage in the process authorities reported on the benefit of working with and learning from each other. To support this, we have launched the LDP Support Network Teams group providing a space for local authority planners, Scottish Government and key agencies to share examples of good practice and provide peer to peer support. We encourage anyone interested in joining to contact npi@improvementservice.org.uk to be added to the group.
Looking Ahead
The LDP Support Programme is being delivered flexibly to ensure it can adapt to emerging challenges and priorities. Over the coming months, we hope to deliver support on project management and development viability.
If your authority has good practice examples or a learning experience that could benefit others, please complete this survey or email npi@improvementservice.org.uk.
You can read all of this material, and future resources that will be developed to support LDP preparation, on the National Planning Hub webpages.