Local Development Frameworks (LDFs)

Local planning policies in England are set out in Local Development Frameworks (LDFs). These were introduced in the 2004 Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act. Some local authorities have decided to complete work on their old Local Plan (or Unitary Development Plan in metropolitan districts including London) and some authorities are still working on their LDFs. LDFs are required to be in general conformity to the Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) and to national policy.

LDFs consist of a core strategy – the key part of the plan – and may be supplemented by Supplementary Planning Documents (SPDs), including, in some authorities, SPDs on aspects of housing. Particular areas of change can be dealt with through Area Action Plans (AAPs).

The programme of preparation of Development Plan Documents (DPDs) is contained in a Local Development Scheme (LDS). Each local planning authority is also required to prepare a Statement of Community Involvement (SCI) setting out how it intends to involve communities in its area in plan preparation.

LDFs are examined through a local plan inquiry held by an independent Planning Inspector. The Inspector’s report recommendations are binding on the local authority.

Government guidance on the form and content of Local Development Frameworks is contained in Planning Policy Statement 12. Practical guidance on how to prepare a local development framework – the Plan Making Manual – is contained on the Planning Advisory Service website with a specific section on community involvement.

LDFs and Housing

While all parts of the planning system are important, it is at the local planning level that key decisions are made, targets for housing defined at regional level are allocated to specific areas of the local authority, policies on affordability are set out and land for housing and for other uses is allocated. It is very important to get involved at this stage and to do so with a clear vision of what you want for your local area.

The LDF sets out housing targets for an area, identifies sites for housing, specifies a level of affordable housing, establishes site thresholds above which an element of affordable housing will be required and includes other policies such as those on design quality and the relationship between housing and other community facilities.

Integrated Strategies

The LDF should have a direct relationship with strategies prepared by local authorities under other legislation, notably the Sustainable Community Strategy (SCS). The relationship between the Local Development Framework (LDF) and the Sustainable Community Strategy is described in different ways – either with the LDF being the spatial expression of the SCS or as one means of implementing it.

For guidance on this relationship:

Planning Together; Local Strategic Partnerships (LSPs) and Spatial Planning: a practical guide, DCLG, 2007.
download pdf (292 KB)

For more about Local Area Agreements, Local Strategic Partnerships and Sustainable Community Strategies, see Innovation and Development Agency for Local Government (IDeA) website

Your opportunity

Principles

You have the legal right to be involved in commenting on the preparation of a local development framework for your area. Changes in 2008 have put the onus on the local authority to choose at what point communities are involved.  However, the Government’s own guidance on community involvement in Local Development Frameworks, sets down five principles. This requires that involvement should be:
• appropriate to the level of planning;
• from the outset – leading to a sense of ownership of local policy decisions;
• continuous – part of ongoing programme, not a one-off event, with clearly articulated opportunities for continuing involvement;
• transparent and accessible – using methods appropriate to the communities concerned; and
• planned – as an integral part of the process for making plans.
You can judge your own council’s processes of involvement against these principles.

Statement of Community Involvement

The council must produce a Statement of Community Involvement (SCI). The involvement of the public in preparing the core strategy must follow the approach set out in the SCI. The SCI can be found on the website of your local council.

Opportunities and rights

Council’s are encouraged to involve the public at an early stage in their thinking on the plan and they must also give the formal opportunity for you to comment and object just before they send the LDF to the Government for its formal process of approval. You can comment on any of the content in the plan but you can also comment on the process of community involvement in the plan and whether the council has followed its Statement of Community Involvement (SCI).

The LDF will go to a public inquiry. Any comments you make will be considered by the independent Inspector (including comments on community involvement) and you may be invited to appear at the Inquiry – although you do not have the right to do so.

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Resources

Updated guidance on what Local Development Frameworks should contain was produced by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) in 2008. This is one of the first of the new-style planning policy documents, and is written in a clear and accessible way.

Planning Policy Statement 12: Creating strong safe and prosperous communities through Local Spatial Planning, DCLG, 2008
download pdf (1.1MB)

The Handy Guide to Planning, Caroline Gaunt, Elin Gudnadottir and Louise Waring, Urban Forum, 2006
download pdf (768kb)

Creating better places to live: A guide to the planning system in England, ODPM, 2004
download pdf (1.4MB)