Re: Local Plans- terminology - Public forum - Planning Advisory Service (PAS)

Technically the 2012 Regulations suggest both are wrong, the regulations read as if a Local Plan is a Development Plan Document. As Supplementary Planning Documents are not Local Plans.

Put simply as I understand it, a Local Plan is both; i) The totality of Development Plan Documents within a District (but not sure where minerals, CIL charging schedules and Neighbourhood Plans are included); and ii) An individual DPD. I think that as SPDs, SCIs etc are not Development Plan Documents, they cannot be described as Local Plans. I think that there is a clear steer from the NPPF that plans should, as far as possible, be a single document which forms a strategic framework for neighbourhood planning so that, as LDF style bundles of documents are brought together in the future, the ambiguity resolves itsself.

I would say that the Local Plan is the collection of planning policies you have adopted. They may be contained in different documents, but they all make up your 'Local Plan'. This may be a 'cop out' response of course.

I came up with the attached figure for our local planning documents. Does this capture it accurately? .

I'd suggest your saved policies are part of your Local Plan, even though I'm not sure they are covered under Reg 5 as they are not an LDD? I'm happy to be corrected on this point. As for 'Local Plan' Reg 6 states: Any document of the description referred to in regulation 5(1)(a)(i), (ii) or (iv) or 5(2)(a) or (b) is a local plan Personally (and it is clearly only my view), I think it is more user-friendly to bundle up all your LDDs as defined under Reg 5 and, when added together call them you 'Local Plan', rather than calling each one your 'Local Plan'. If you add to it with additional LDDs, you're metaphorically stapling them to the existing bundle. Any other views welcome. I probably shouldn't post things this late in the day! Adam

Glad to see the changes have made it all dso much simpler and clearer for everyone! I thought the term DPD had also gone so they key point of distinction in my mind should be which of the various documents (for those authorities not yet ready to move to a single document) form part of the statutory development plan, and if the" Local Plan" is limited to those elements (which I think is suggested by Reg 6).

Just a small point on nomenclature. When we had an informal meeting with an Inspector a few months ago, he said that PINS does not care what LPAs actually call their strategic planning documents/LDDs (for want of a better phrase), so if you want to call something an AAP, Anywheretown Improvement Plan or anything else, they will not normally interfere. I would share the view that the 'Local Plan' should be the over-arching term (as LDF is/was), to avoid confusion (as far as is practicable!).