Local Development Plan
The statutory development plan for Aberdeenshire consists of the Aberdeenshire Local Plan 2023 and National Planning Framework 4.
Local Development Plan
The adopted 2023 Local Development Plan and its associated documents may be viewed here.
The Plan sets out statements of the policies we will use for assessing planning applications and through the proposals confirms the principle of development on sites across Aberdeenshire.
As part of the reform of the planning system in Scotland, supplementary guidance now has greater weight and forms part of the Development Plan, although the whole planning system is again under review by the Scottish Government (see www.gov.scot/policies/planning-architecture/reforming-planning-system/). The supplementary guidance provides more detailed information on specific issues, proposals and sets out detailed policies. This allows the plan to focus on the distribution of development between settlements, the spatial strategy, and the main policies and proposals.
National Planning Framework 4
National Planning Framework 4 was approved by the Scottish Parliament on 11 January 2023. A copy of National Planning Framework 4 may be downloaded here.
Strategic Development Plan
On 13 February 2023, the Aberdeen City and Shire Strategic Development Plan 2020 and associated supplementary guidance ceased to have effect and, as such, is no longer part of the development plan.