East Ayrshire’s future planning mapped out as LDP2 reaches its next stage
The future of planning decisions in East Ayrshire was mapped out as Council approved the proposed Local Development Plan (LDP2).
The proposed LDP2 takes a comprehensive overview of existing and future land use throughout East Ayrshire’s towns, villages and rural areas.
In line with current planning legislation, the publication of the Main Issues Report (MIR) in June 2020 identified key areas of change since previous plans and put forward a preferred and alternative options for each “main issue” that would affect future planning policy. At the same time it identified various land use topic headings covering the Council’s main ideas of priorities for future land use.
This Main Issues Report was published for widespread consultation with the public, community groups, stakeholders and business.
The current Local Development Plan has a five-year life span and is due to expire in April 2022. Following preliminary work carried out by the Development Planning Team, a Members and Officers Working Group (MOWG) was set up to review all aspects of the Proposed Local Development Plan 2.
Working closely with colleagues in Education, NHS Ayrshire and Arran, East Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership, SEPA, ARA, Facilities and Property Management and other external agencies, the MOWG looked carefully at how site allocations and any subsequent decisions in all areas would affect education, health, roads, environment and infrastructure.
Taking all the consultation views into consideration, this week’s report marks the next stage in the production of the final LDP2. It presents the Proposed LDP2 and associated documents ready for public consultation, and details the next steps in the process before submission to the Scottish Government for a Planning Reporter to consider on behalf of the Scottish Ministers. The target for full adoption of LDP2 is late 2023.
The Proposed LDP2 is presented in two parts; Volume 1 sets out a series of policies covering
- Place and environment
- Communities and housing
- Economy and employment
- Infrastructure, resources and climate resilience
Volume 2 is more spatial in nature – it contains a settlement map for each East Ayrshire settlements and a wide rural area map. Each map identifies features and opportunities including:-
- Housing opportunity site
- Business and industry opportunity sites
- Miscellaneous development opportunity sites
- Safeguarded open space
- Town centre boundaries
- Conservation area boundaries
- Future Growth areas
Although much of the plan remains similar to the existing Local Development Plan, LDP2 does reflect current Council priorities, putting greater emphasis on consideration of issues of climate change, infrastructure development, community wealth building opportunities and embracing the development of sites funded by the Ayrshire Growth Deal.
Council agreed that the Proposed LDP2 and its Supplementary Guidance, Action Programme and Environmental Report, will be publicised in local newspapers, the Edinburgh Gazette and notified to key agencies, stakeholders. It will be available to view on the Council’s website and representations invited for a six week public consultation period which will start before 31 May 2022.
Read the Council Report and Proposed LDP2 Plan and associated papers