Item 8 - Local Place Plans

West Dunbartonshire Council · 20 September 2023
Back to Planning Committee — 20 September 2023 and its agenda

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WEST DUNBARTONSHIRE COUNCIL
Report by the Planning, Building Standards and Environmental Health
Manager 
Planning Committee: 20th September 2023
___________________________________________________________________
Subject: Local Place Plans
1. Purpose
1.1 The purpose of this report is to seek approval of an approach to Local Place
Plans which will deliver new duties arising from the Planning (Scotland) Act
2019.
2. Recommendation
2.1 That the Committee agrees the approach to Local Place Plans as set out in
this report and gives authority to officers to issue the invitation to prepare
Local Place Plans to communities.
2.2  That the Committee notes that officers will submit a burden item for members
consideration in setting the 2024-25 budget for the preparation of Local Place
Plans.
3. Background
3.1 The Planning (Scotland) Act 2019 give new powers to communities to prepare
Local Place Plans for their area, as well as placing associated duties on
Planning Authorities. Local Place Plans are community led plans which set
out proposals for the development and use of land. A Local Place Plan, must
be prepared by a Community Council or another Community Controlled Body,
as defined by the Community Empowerment Act.
3.2 The Town and Country Planning (Local Place Plans) (Scotland) Regulations
2021 set out the requirements which communities must fulfil when preparing a
Local Place Plan. This includes matters to which a community body must
have regard; the form and content of a Local Place Plan; steps required to be
taken before submission of a Local Place Plan; and information to be
submitted with a Local Place Plan.
3.3 The following duties arise for the Council; to invite this form of participation; to
maintain a register of Local Place Plans; and take account of Local Place
Plans when preparing Local Development Plans. This report sets out how the
Council will meet these duties and the support that the Council will give to
communities to better enable them to fulfil the requirements for preparing a
Local Place Plan.
4. Main Issues

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Invitation to Prepare Local Place Plans
4.1 The Council is required to issue an invitation to prepare Local Place Plans. In
line with Scottish Government’s guidance a stand-alone invitation to prepare a
Local Place Plan will be placed on the Council website, email, public notice
and social media will be used to inform community bodies of the invitation.
The invitation will set out the link to the Local Development Plan preparation
process, and timeframes which are set out within the Development Plan
Scheme and Participation Statement which are also being considered at the
September Planning Committee. The invitation will also set out what
assistance is available to groups which wish to prepare a Local Place Plan.
4.2 Community groups are likely to require more than one year to prepare a Local
Place Plan. It is noted that community groups are required to define the area
covered by their Local Place Plan and indicate this on a map. It is not required
that this follow any predefined area, such as a Community Council boundary,
and it is possible for different groups to prepare separate Local Place Plans
covering the same area. In these circumstances, the Council would
encourage groups to work together to prepare a single plan.
4.3 It is not known how many community groups will want to prepare a Local
Place Plan, although some have already expressed an interest. The invitation
would request that community groups get in touch with Planning Services if
they are considering to start the process, so as to gauge the level of interest.
4.4 The Council will commission consultants to prepare a “how to guide”, graphics
and template to support the plan making process. The consultants will work
with groups interested in preparing a Local Place Plan to ensure that the “how
to guide” meets their needs. In addition, the following assistance would be
offered to all community groups by the Council:
• Provision of mapping or access to facilities with which to prepare maps.
• Key Documents would be provided on the Local Place Plan pages of the
Council website, and any group which comes forward would be provided
with those which are required to be considered to meet the legislative
requirements.
• A start up meeting would be offered to any group coming forward to talk
though the legislative requirements, explain the support that is on offer
and discuss any further requirements.
• When the community group has a draft plan, the planning service would
coordinate responses on the draft Local Place Plan from relevant Council
services.

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• Pre-validation check would be offered to give communities an opportunity
to undertake any outstanding processes which would be required to
ensure a Local Place Plan is valid prior to formal submission.
4.5 The Council may be able to offer other assistance to groups, however due to
resource implications, and dependent on the level of interest, these may not
be able to be provided to every group. Interested groups will be asked to
submit an expression of interest for further support within the invitation. The
following would be outlined within the invitation as additional supports which
we may be able to offer.
• Start-up funding (The Draft ‘How to’ Guide indicates that there are
essential expenses of between £500 and £1000 which will arise in the
preparation of a Local Place Plan).
• Support to form a “community-controlled body” as defined by the
Community Empowerment Act.
• Printed mapping and materials
• Subscriptions to Online platforms such as Placebuilder and Community
Map Scotland.
• Training in for example facilitation, engagement or the Place Standard.
• Assistance to apply for funding opportunities for professional/consultancy
support
Validation
4.6 The Council, as Planning Authority, is required to validate Local Place Plans
which meet paragraphs 1(4) and 2(1) of Schedule 19 of the Planning
(Scotland) Act.
4.7 Validation of submitted Local Place Plans will be undertaken by officers in the
Development Planning and Place team of Planning Services. The validation
only considers the requirements of legislation and is not based on the content
of the Local Place Plans. Officers would submit recommendations in relation
validation of a Local Place Plan to Planning Committee for approval.
4.8 An explanation is required to be provided to groups when a Local Place Plan
is not considered valid. Officers would aim to support communities to meet the
requirements for validation before recommending that a Local Place Plan is
not valid to the Planning Committee.
4.9 The planning service will share draft Local Place Plans for consultation with
relevant services prior to submission for validation. Where a validated Local
Place Plan includes proposals which relate to other Council services the
validated Local Place Plan will be shared with the relevant service for their
consideration.

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Register of Local Place Plans
4.10 The Planning Authority will maintain a register of valid Local Place Plans,
which will be available to view by the public in person and on a website
maintained for that purpose. It is anticipated that this will follow the form of
other planning registers and be hosted on the Council website and
Geographical Information System (GIS). This would include the map showing
the land to which Local Place Plans relate as well as copies of Local Place
Plans and accompanying documents, including the validation report. 
Preparation of Local Development Plan
4.11 The Council is also required to take into account any registered Local Place
Plans when preparing the Local Development Plan. The Development Plan
Scheme, Participation Statement, and invitation to prepare Local Place Plans
set out the timescales in which will allow sufficient time for Local Place Plans
to be prepared, validated, and considered before the Proposed Local
Development Plan is published. It is anticipated that Local Place Plans can
take up to 1 year to produce.
4.12 Members of the Development Planning and Place team will provide a
response to valid Local Place Plans, setting out how the Local Place Plan has
been considered when preparing the Local Development Plan. Where the
Local Place Plan has been submitted during an early stage of the Local
Development Plan preparation this will be provided as a background report to
the Proposed Local Development Plan. Local Place Plans which are validated
after Proposed Local Development Plan publication would be responded to as
part of the Local Development Plan Examination process.
5. People Implications
5.1 It is difficult (at this time) to quantify the Council resources required to support
a successful Local Place Plan programme. It is for communities to decide if
they want to do one, the timing of it, and the geography and content of it. The
plans are to be community-led, but different communities are likely to require
different levels of support from the Council. Beyond the invitation and
validation of Local Place Plans, there is likely to be a call on the time of staff
within the Planning and Communities teams to support the development of
Local Place Plans. It is anticipated that this new requirement of the Planning
(Scotland) Act 2019 is likely to place additional resource requirements on both
the Planning and Communities teams. 
5.2 It is anticipated that Local Place Plans will include proposals which go beyond
the definition of development and would not be considered within the Local
Development Plan. These will be passed to the relevant services for
consideration. 
6. Financial and Procurement Implications

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6.1 It is considered that consultancy support would be beneficial in encouraging
the preparation of Local Place Plans, particularly through ensuring they are
communicated and consulted on as effectively as possible, and presented in a
manner that is likely to be understood by the communities they cover and able
to effectively influence the future development of the area (and potentially the
services that affect it). 
6.2 As detailed above it is difficult to determine how many communities will come
forward to prepare Local Place Plans and to determine the support they will
require. However once invitations are issued it will be clearer the interest from
community groups and the likely costs. Officers will submit a proposal as a
burden item for Members consideration in setting the 2024/25 budget. In the
meantime, the commissioning of consultants to prepare a “how to guide”,
graphics and template to support the plan making process will be met within
the existing Planning and Building Standards budget. 
7. Risk Analysis
7.1 Failure to meet the duties arising from the Planning (Scotland) Act 2019
places the Council at risk of legal challenge.
7.2 The Council is required to consider validated Local Place Plans in preparing
the next Local Development Plan. It would be preferable for community
prepared Local Place Plans to be validated in time for them to be reflected in
the Proposed Plan, but as the timing of these are to be decided by
communities there is no guarantee of this.
8. Equalities Impact Assessment (EIA)
8.1 Equalities Impact Assessment 778 is attached as Appendix 1 to this report.
The EqIA sets out a recommendation to introduce the policy within the
following summary: We will pro-actively engage with groups which are under-
represented in the Local Development Plan preparation process. Potential
impacts are detailed in the EIA in terms of equality and human rights as they
relate to participation.
9. Environmental Sustainability
9.1 The Local Development Plan and any proposals arising from Local Place
Plans will be subject to a strategic environmental assessment.
10. Consultation
10.1 Issuing the invitation to prepare Local Place Plans is a key consultation stage
of preparing the next Local Development Plan.  The Development Plan
Scheme and Participation Statement will be consulted on for a period of 8
weeks if approved.

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10.2 The views of the Communities team has been sought during the preparation
of this report.
11. Strategic Assessment
11.1 Local Place Plans are considered to be relevant to, and will help
deliver, all of the Council’s strategic priorities:
• Our Communities – Resilient and Thriving
• Our Environment – A Greener Future
• Our Economy – Strong and Flourishing
• Our Council – Inclusive and Adaptable
Pamela Clifford 
Planning, Building Standards and Environmental Health Manager
Date: 20th September 2023
___________________________________________________________________
Person to Contact:
Appendices:
Background Papers:
Pamela Clifford, Planning, Building Standards and
Environmental Health Manager, 
pamela.clifford@west-dunbarton.gov.uk
Alan Williamson, Development Planning & Place Team
Leader
alan.williamson@west-dunbarton.gov.uk
Appendix 1 - Equalities Impact Assessment 778
Planning (Scotland) Act 2019
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2019/13/section/14/en
acted
Town and Country Planning (Local Place Plans)
(Scotland) Regulations 2021
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2021/353/introduction/
made
Circular 1/2022: Local Place Plans
https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govsco
t/publications/advice-and-guidance/2022/01/circular-1-
2022-local-place-plans/documents/circular-1-2022-local-
place-plans/circular-1-2022-local-place-
plans/govscot%3Adocument/circular-1-2022-local-place-
plans.pdf

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Wards Affected: All