Ambitious Local Development Plan offers foundation for investment

14 December 2016

Councillors today (14 December) have backed a new five-year Local Development Plan for Aberdeen.

The new Plan will inform decisions on all planning applications and provide a firm foundation for investment in the city.

The Plan was approved following an independent Examination by Reporters appointed on behalf of Scottish Ministers and contains a Spatial Strategy which explains the Council’s overall view of where developments should go and the principles behind it.

Future development sites and the scale of development expected on each of the identified sites are also mapped out.

Expectations of high quality design and infrastructure delivery by developers are also identified for major sites such as Grandhome, Newhills and Countesswells.

The Plan emphasises the need for masterplans to be drawn up and the importance of local community involvement.

At the Full Council meeting today (14 December), it was also agreed that the Chief Executive would write to the Scottish Government to request that when sites are minded to be added to the local development plan by the Scottish Government Reporter neighbour notification is carried out and response considered prior to any notification.

Aberdeen City Council Leader Councillor Jenny Laing said: “Our next Local Development Plan has today been agreed following years of extensive work and analysis by council officers, independent bodies and significant public consultation exercises.

“By identifying new opportunities for development and improving the planning process, the ambitious Plan sets out new possibilities on how we can make Aberdeen an attractive, prosperous and sustainable place in which to live, visit and do business.

“The Plan will ensure that developments are encouraged in the right places, are efficient and make the best use of our existing resources.”

Following the decision at Aberdeen City Council’s full council meeting, council officers will now notify Scottish Ministers of the Council’s intention to adopt the Aberdeen Local Development Plan. The formal date of adoption is likely to be sometime in January 2017. Residents who wish to view the Plan can do so at:

All public libraries in Aberdeen Marischal College, Broad Street, Aberdeen (8.30am to 5.00pm, Mon-Fri). On our website

Councillors have also agreed to begin formal consultation on a number of Supplementary Guidance documents which sit alongside the Local Development Plan.

These Supplementary Guidance documents provide certainty for the public, development industry and businesses in Aberdeen as to where and what kind of development will take place, and are an important means of securing investment and funding for development.

The six week consultation period will run from 16 December 2016 to midnight on 30 January 2017. A copy of the Proposed Supplementary Guidance is available to view at Marischal College (Monday to Friday 8.30am – 5pm), on CD-ROM in all public libraries and online.Comments on the Proposed Supplementary Guidance can be made through the online portal (link above), by email to ldp@aberdeencity.go.uk or by letter to: 

Local Development Plan Team Planning and Sustainable Development

Communities, Housing and Infrastructure

Aberdeen City Council

Business Hub 4

Ground Floor North

Marischal College

Broad Street

Aberdeen AB10 1AB