Invitation to Create Local Place Plans

Local Place Plans allow communities to submit ideas and proposals for their area that can be taken into consideration while the Local Development Plan for their area is being prepared.

We will soon be preparing a new Orkney Local Development Plan that will be shaped by the aspirations and ambitions of communities across Orkney. The new Orkney Local Development Plan provides a strategy for the future of an area and a land use framework within which investment and development can take place. It is the main policy tool used by the Planning Authority in the determination of planning applications. We are aiming to adopt our new Local Development Plan by 2027.

We are inviting community groups to create their own community-led Local Place Plans, which set out their proposals for development or the use of land in their area. Further information and guidance can be found on the Local Place Plans page.

Based on current timescales, Local Place Plans should be submitted by the end of March 2025. This is so we can use your community plans to feed into the earliest stages of the new Local Development Plan we can accept Place Plans after this date but their influence on the Local Development Plan could be reduced. This date may be revised to a later one depending on progress with the different stages of the Local Development Plan.

Once a Local Place Plan has been submitted, it has to be checked to see it has met the various legislative requirements. After it has cleared that process it can be registered and taken into account in preparing the Local Development Plan. Therefore, if Local Place Plans can be submitted sooner than the end of March 2025 this will provide more time, if needed, for the clearance process.

There will be many other opportunities for individuals and communities to have their say and input into the preparation of the Local Development Plan. We are happy to discuss the best way for your community body to be involved in the process. For example we could work collaboratively with your community to map your aspirations for improved infrastructure, services and identify future development priorities without the need for a community to prepare a formal Local Place Plan.

If you are considering preparing a Local Place Plan or have any other questions about Local Place Plans, please feel free to contact us at devplan@orkney.gov.uk.