Communities and Local Government
A selection of images representing communities.
Direct contact 020 7944 4400- contactus@communities.gov.uk
- Planning, building and the environment
- Planning
- Regional and local plans
- Spatial plans in practice project
- Overview of spatial plans in practice
Overview of spatial plans in practice
The Spatial Plans in Practice project is a major, three-year study of the new local plan-making system. The Project which commenced in April 2005 was launched by Planning Minister Yvette Cooper on 14 June 2005. The Project will support a step change in local plan making by providing a valuable source of shared knowledge and experience.
The Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 introduced a new kind of planning at local level - the local development frameworks (LDFs), a flexible portfolio of different documents, which are referred to as local development documents (LDDs) that can be tailored to the needs of a particular area and can be easily updated. The new LDFs system began in September 2004. It replaces the previously rigid system where all planning issues had to be addressed as part of a single development plan that often took years to agree or amend.
Local planning authorities will need support during the transition to the new system and the Spatial Plans in Practice project is a long-term, interactive project that will form part of the government's contributions. Leading authorities are already using many of the concepts in the new system and the study will ensure continuous learning and share good practice with others.
Plan making is central to the delivery of sustainable development and creating sustainable communities. The new LDFs system requires local practitioners to develop partnership approaches across the local authority, the local community and the development industry. The study will provide reliable evidence that will help us to better understand how inclusive and proactive plan making contributes to creating sustainable communities.
The Planning Advisory Service (PAS) (see link on the right of this page) are responsible for the broader dissemination programme and action learning. IDeA is responsible for running the PAS in association with, and with funding from, Communities and Local Government.
Planning Policy Statement 12: Local Spatial Planning (PPS12) explains what local spatial planning is, and how it benefits communities. It also sets out what the key ingredients of local spatial plans are and the key government policies on how they should be prepared. It should be taken into account by local planning authorities in preparing development plan documents and other local development documents.
This replaces Planning Policy Statement 12: Local Development Frameworks, published on 7 September 2004, and Creating Local Development Frameworks: A Companion Guide to PPS12, published on 2 November 2004.
This also replaces Planning Policy Guidance 12: Development plans (PPG12), published on 14 December 1999.
