LDP3 Development Plan Scheme
Perth and Kinross Council · 29 April 2026
Back to Perth and Kinross Council — 29 April 2026 and its agenda
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Our vision is a Perth and Kinross where everyone can live life well, free from poverty and inequality ___________________________________________________________________ Committee or Board: Perth and Kinross Council Date of Meeting: 29 April 2026 Report Title: LDP3 Development Plan Scheme Report Number: 26/115 Report Author: Brenda Murray, Development Plans Team Leader Organisational Lead: Serge Merone - Strategic Lead – Economy, Development and Planning ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Purpose 1.1 This report seeks approval for the updated statutory Development Plan Scheme (DPS) for the preparation of the next Perth and Kinross Local Development Plan (LDP3). The last update was approved by the Economy and Infrastructure Committee on 28 May 2025 (report 25/128 refers). 1.2 Sections 1. Purpose 2. Recommendation(s) 3. Background/Context 4. Progress 5. Proposals 6. Conclusion 7. Impact Value Assessment 8. Appendices 2. Recommendation(s) It is recommended that the Council: 2.1 approves the updated Perth & Kinross Council Development Plan Scheme 2.2 authorises the Strategic Lead – Economy, Development and Planning to submit the Scheme to the Scottish Ministers;
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3. Background/Context 3.1 A Development Plan Scheme is a document setting out a planning authority’s programme for preparing and reviewing their Local Development Plan (LDP). The Planning Authority is required to update its Development Plan Scheme at least annually. The last update was approved by the Economy and Infrastructure Committee on 28 May 2025 (report 25/128 refers). 3.2 The annual update offers a chance to review and refine the timetable for the remaining stages of the plan’s preparation. This is valuable because the timetable represents our best estimate of when each stage will be completed and is therefore indicative, requiring regular monitoring and adjustment. 3.3 The Development Plan Scheme must set out, by financial quarter, when each component of the Local Development Plan will be prepared. Any changes to this timetable must, by law, be reported in future Development Plan Schemes, along with an explanation of why the timetable has been altered. 4. Progress 4.1 A substantial programme of work is required to prepare the Proposed Plan. This includes: assessing the Call for Sites; producing Locality Profiles; completing the Urban Capacity Study; undertaking the Open Space Audit and developing the Open Space Strategy; preparing the Forest and Woodland Strategy; conducting a Green Belt Review; identifying Nature Networks; carrying out Local Place Plans site assessments; completing the Transport Appraisal; preparing the Housing Need and Demand Assessment (HNDA) and the Gypsy/Travellers Housing Needs Assessment; updating the Retail Study; identifying 20-minute neighbourhoods; developing local policies and place-based proposals; undertaking the Strategic Environmental Assessment; and preparing the Plan’s Delivery Programme. 4.2 Good progress has been made across many of these workstreams. Key updates include: • Locality profile work has advanced to a stage that now supports development of the draft spatial strategy. • Site assessments are underway, enabling consideration of potential site options. • The audit of all LDP2 designated open spaces is complete, and the Open Space Strategy is currently being prepared for Committee consideration in August 2026. • The Forest and Woodland Strategy is in preparation and is also scheduled for Committee in August 2026. • The Gypsy/Travellers Housing Needs Assessment is being undertaken and is expected to be completed by July 2026. • The Green Belt Review methodology has been drafted and issued to stakeholders for comment. • The Retail Study update was completed in April 2026. • The Housing Need and Demand Assessment (HNDA) is being prepared and is scheduled for completion in Autumn 2026.
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4.3 Although substantial progress has been made across most workstreams, a revision to the timetable is now necessary. The Proposed Plan will be presented to Council in the first quarter of 2027 rather than December 2026. Consequently, the anticipated adoption of LDP3 will move from late 2027 to early 2028. 4.4 The delay stems from slower‑than‑expected progress of the Evidence Report through the gate check process. When the current Development Plan Scheme was published in May 2025, the Evidence Report for LDP3 had been submitted to the DPEA for gate check assessment to determine its sufficiency for progressing to the Proposed Plan stage. On 8 July 2025, the DPEA advised that further work was required and requested resubmission of the Evidence Report. A revised Evidence Report, addressing the Reporter’s recommendations, was approved by Council on 10 December 2025 (report 25/354) and subsequently submitted to the DPEA for assessment on 30 January 2026. 4.5 Following the resubmission, the Reporter issued a further request for information on 16 March 2026 relating specifically to housing matters. The Reporter asked whether, in light of the updated household projections based on the 2022 Census—published on 16 December 2025—“the Evidence Report as submitted continues to provide sufficient basis (particularly in relation to the indicative Local Housing Land Requirement (iLHLR)) to proceed to prepare the Proposed Plan,” or whether this new information indicates a level of change that would require the planning authority to withdraw from the current gate check. 4.6 A response will be provided confirming that the Evidence Report remains a sufficient basis on which to proceed to the Proposed Plan stage, for the following reasons: • The submitted Evidence Report recognises that new or updated data, such as 2022 Census outputs, would become available before the Local Housing Land Requirement (LHLR) is finalised in the Proposed Plan, and that this may result in a final LHLR that differs from the indicative figure set out in the Evidence Report. • A review of the Housing Need and Demand Assessment (HNDA) is currently underway, and this provides the appropriate mechanism for considering the updated population projections alongside other refreshed inputs. • The updated information was published after the Council’s approval of the Evidence Report 4.6 If the Reporter does not consider the above reasoning sufficient, this could affect the timetable for the remaining stages of plan preparation. Once the Reporter’s assessment is received, the timetable will be reviewed and, if required, an updated Development Plan Scheme will be presented to the Economy and Infrastructure Committee. The DPEA has contacted other planning authorities on this same issue, and it has been escalated through the Heads of Planning Group, who have discussed the matter with the Scottish Government.
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Proposals 5.1 Given the above, the updated Development Plan Scheme in Appendix 1 (pages 4 and 5) has been amended to incorporate the revised timetable, reflecting the new target date for presenting the Proposed Plan to Council in the first quarter of 2027 and the anticipated adoption date in early 2028. As noted in paragraph 3.2, the timetable represents our best estimate of when each stage of plan preparation will be reached, and any opportunities to accelerate progress towards adoption will be taken wherever possible. 6 Conclusion 6.1 Despite the setback of having to resubmit the Evidence Report, significant progress has been made in preparing LDP3. The Scottish Government expects all Local Authorities to have a new style Local Development Plan adopted by May 2028, and the Council currently remains on track to meet this requirement. 7. Impact Value Assessment https://www.pkc.gov.uk/media/55038/LDP3-Development-Plan-Scheme-April- 2026/pdf/LDP3_Development_Plan_Scheme_April_2026.pdf?m=1774334812 580 8. Appendices 8.1 Appendix 1 - Perth & Kinross Development Plan Scheme 2026