In a joint letter, Dr Fiona Simpson, chief planner and director, and Craig McLaren, national planning improvement champion, said LDPs remain central to giving the public, investors and councils clarity over how places will develop, and to unlocking the investment needed to tackle Scotland’s housing emergency.

The letter follows a Summit co-chaired by the two officials on 10 August 2026, which focused on the Proposed Plan stage of the LDP process. The event built on an earlier Evidence Report Summit and Action Plan, bringing together heads of planning, the Improvement Service, the Key Agencies Group, and officials from the Planning and Environmental Appeals Division (DPEA), the Planning Directorate and the National Planning Hub.

The Summit resulted in a new Action Plan and Advice Note, which sets out agreed actions for lead partners “to be taken with immediate effect.”

The letter frames the new-style LDP process as an opportunity to fundamentally reset planning practice, rather than simply adapting old approaches to new rules. Authorities are being urged to prioritise getting adopted plans in place as quickly as possible, drawing on improvement actions identified through the National Planning Improvement Framework, and to ensure adequate resources are committed with a “clear sense of urgency.”

The letter also reiterates guidance issued in March 2026 that Proposed Plans, including site allocations, should carry significant weight in decision-making, giving a strong early indication of where development should and should not take place.

With national planning policy now embedded in the National Planning Framework as part of the development plan, the letter says LDPs are expected to contain only a limited number of policies, with detailed development management guidance instead delivered through more flexible planning guidance, masterplans, development briefs and other place-based frameworks.

Workshop planned for November

To support delivery of the Action Plan, the Improvement Service and the National Planning Hub will host a face-to-face workshop in Edinburgh on 12 November 2026, bringing together planning authorities, Scottish Government, DPEA, key agencies and development industry representatives. Further details are expected shortly.

The letter notes that ongoing support for LDP performance remains available through the National Planning Improvement team and the National Planning Hub, with enquiries directed to NPI@improvementservice.org.uk.