Aberdeen City and Shire - Strategic Development Planning Authority

Development Plan

The development plan contains our plans for developing and using land. It addresses a wide range of issues such as housing, shopping, industry, transport and the environment.

The development plan guides other people's plans and investment strategies, and is used to assess planning applications. It has two parts:

1) A Structure Plan – these are high-level strategic plans setting out a long-term vision for the future of the area and how we will change the way we use land. It broadly identifies how much development should happen and where it should take place. It does not identify sites – the local plan does that. The structure plan is prepared jointly by Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Councils. Under new legislation, structure plans will be replaced by strategic development plans.

2) Local Plan – these are prepared by both Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Councils individually and are required to conform to the structure plan. They set out detailed policies and proposals and typically have a shorter time-horizon. Under new legislation, local plans will be replaced by local development plans.

Proposals outlined in the 2005 Planning White Paper ('Modernising the Planning System') and taken forward in the Planning etc. (Scotland) Act 2006 will replace these with strategic development plans (prepared by four Strategic Development Planning Authorities – of which Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire form one) and local development plans (prepared by each Council individually).