Local Development Plan
The council formally adopted the West Lothian Local Development Plan on 4 September 2018.
The Local Development Plan is prepared by West Lothian Council (the local planning authority) and sets out a local interpretation of the requirements of national and strategic policy.
In particular it must conform to the approved Strategic Development Plan which has been prepared by the strategic planning authority (SESplan) and its purpose is to implement requirements on a more detailed site-specific basis than exists within the SDP.
The LDP comprises a written statement and five proposals maps. The written statement provides the general policy context against which planning applications for new development proposals will be assessed. This is supported by the proposals maps which show the range of development opportunities and constraints within the area.
The Adopted West Lothian Local Development Plan 2018:Written Statement
Proposal Maps
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LDP's are intended to provide the vision and strategy for how communities will grow and develop in the future and also to provide certainty for communities and prospective investors about where development should take place and where it should not. LDP's also identify the supporting infrastructure required for growth and set out detailed policies and proposals which are the basis for decision making on future planning applications. LDP1 looks forward for planned developments within 10 years and provides an indication of where further developments can take place over the next 20 years.
On the 4 September 2018, the council adopted the first West Lothian Local Development Plan for West Lothian (LDP1), in accordance with the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 (as amended) and Town and Country Planning (Development Planning) (Scotland) Regulations 2008.
LDP1 is the first of a new generation of land use plans and replaces the previous West Lothian Local Plan (2009). It sets out the council's land use strategy, planning policies and proposals for the development and use of land across West Lothian for the next 10 years and is intended to guide development by clearly illustrating where and how new development should take place. It also identifies those parts of West Lothian that should be protected from development.
Together with the Edinburgh and South East Scotland Strategic Development Plan 2013 (SDP1), the West Lothian Local Development Plan 2018 forms the Development Plan for this area and has legal status in decision making on planning applications (together with the relevant statutory supplementary guidance which explains in greater detail how planning policies will be implemented).
The LDP can also be inspected at West Lothian Civic Centre, Howden South Road, Livingston, West Lothian EH54 6FF during normal opening hours (Monday - Thursday 8.30am - 5pm and on a Friday 8.30am - 4pm.
Printed copies of the West Lothian Local Development Plan 2018 are available to purchase for the sum of £75 (inclusive of £5 postal/packaging charge). Please note that if collecting from the Civic Centre, there will be no delivery charge.
Payments can be made by credit or debit card or by cheque to 'West Lothian Council'.
| Cost (for pick up only) | Cost (including post & package) | |
| Adopted Local Development Plan 2018 (including Proposals Maps) | £70 | £75 |
| Proposals Maps only | £17 | £20 |
If you have any questions relating to the LDP, the Development Planning process in general or just want to provide feedback and comments on our service, please email the Development Planning team at wlldp@westlothian.gov.uk. You can also write to us at Development Planning and Environment, West Lothian Civic Centre, Howden South Road, Livingston, West Lothian EH54 6FF or phone 01506 280000.
Statutory Supplementary Guidance is part of the LDP and expands upon existing policies and proposals.
Statutory Supplementary Guidance is subject to extensive consultation and formal adoption procedures via Scottish ministers. This gives it significant weight when making planning decisions.
The council proposes to prepare and adopt Supplementary Guidance on a range of topics.
Non-statutory planning guidance is prepared without going through the procedures required for Supplementary Guidance.
Non-statutory planning guidance can be helpful in enabling quality planning outcomes and used to provide detail on a range of subject areas. One of the benefits of non-statutory guidance is that it can be updated quickly when necessary. Consultation with relevant parties during publication is likely as it is intended it would be scrutinised and approved by the council prior to publication. PG can also be prepared where an issue arises unexpectedly during the lifecycle of the LDP.
Adoption of non-statutory guidance by the council gives it a degree of authorisation for decision making.
The council proposes to prepare and adopt Guidance on a range of topics.
The Adopted West Lothian Local Development Plan 2018 Action Programme was adopted by the council in February 2019 and sets out a detailed plan of actions and partnerships needed to deliver the key infrastructure and developments identified in the LDP. It will also act as a project management tool and a mechanism for monitoring the delivery of the Local Development Plan. It will comply with Section 21 of the Planning etc. (Scotland) Act 2006, which requires planning authorities to prepare an Action Programme alongside their respective development plan.
It is important that the Action Programme remains relevant and up-to-date and it will therefore be updated and republished on an annual basis until the end of the plan period.
West Lothian Council has formally adopted its Local Development Plan and as part of the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) regulations, the council has published a 'Post Adoption Statement' that summarises all comments made during the consultation and how these comments were considered within the LDP process.
The Planning etc. (Scotland) Act 2006 requires Local Authorities to publish an annual Development Plan Scheme (DPS).
The DPS sets out the programme for preparing and reviewing the Local Development Plan and also explains what is involved at each of the key stages. It creates an awareness of the LDP preparation process and how and when people can engage with the process.
The Development Plan Scheme is reviewed at least every year and the most recent scheme is 
Development Plan Scheme No.11 [939kb] which was published in March 2019.
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