Highland Local Development Plan
A new Plan for Highland
We are currently preparing a new Local Development Plan for Highland.
Local Development Plans show how local places can change in the future, including where development should and should not happen.
Place-based, people-centred, delivery-focused
The national context for the new Highland Local Development Plan (HLDP) is set out in National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4).
As required by NPF4, we are aiming for the HLDP to be:
- place-based, so that it is relevant, accessible, and useful to people with an interest in their place
- developed in collaboration with a wide range of stakeholders
- based on robust evidence, so that it is deliverable
Preparing the Plan
The HLDP work programme includes the preparation of an Evidence Report in early 2025 and a subsequent Gate Check, with the Proposed Plan stage in 2026.
We are gathering evidence for the HLDP and will consult on it at the start of 2025. On 14 November the Economy and Infrastructure Committee considered the emerging evidence papers for the plan and the next steps for finalising these and carrying out wider engagement. You can download the emerging evidence papers which provide an overview of the areas and issues we think need to be addressed by the plan and the evidence that could be used.
It has also been possible to starting using some of the evidence such as Local Living data that measures access to services across Highland communities.
Call for Development Sites
At the end of January 2025, we will issue a call for new development sites to be considered for inclusion in the HLDP.
To help people prepare for this, we have produced a list of information we will require to assess the suitability of each site submitted.
We are consulting on this list until 3 January 2025. Read and commented on the list.
Local Place Plans
We have prepared advice and guidance for community bodies preparing Local Place Plans, and we continue to check and register these Plans.
Timescales and opportunities to get involved
Our Development Plans Newsletter (March 2024) gives the latest HLDP timescales and more details on the arrangements for engagement and will be updated in early 2025.
One further consultation is currently live:
Other opportunities to get involved will be announced on this page.