Government issues advice on LDP Evidence Reports and Gate Checks

Drawing on experience to date, the advice includes actions for stakeholders and information on essential housing and infrastructure evidence to be included within an Evidence Report.

Describing the challenges in an accompanying blog, the Scottish Government said an increasing number of Evidence Reports have been returned to planning authorities following the Gate Check, on the basis of having insufficient information to inform the proposed local development plan.

This has particularly related to key issues of housing and infrastructure, including education, transport and health. Addressing the issues is adding time to plan preparation when timely progression is essential.

Developed collaboratively following a summit between the Scottish Government and Heads of Planning, the advice:

• aims to accelerate plan progress,
• sets out agreed actions for key stakeholders,
• clarifies how the LDP Guidance should be applied drawing on experience,
• provides greater clarity on the approach to essential housing and infrastructure evidence to be included in the Evidence Report, and
• sets out Reporter expectations on sufficiency

Key themes include providing proportionate, necessary evidence of significant issues; focusing on the significant issues, including housing and infrastructure; and the use of templates and summary statements and acknowledgement of any gaps in evidence.

Specific advice is provided on steps to arrive at indicative local housing land requirements (iLHLR) and transport, education and health infrastructure evidence.

The Scottish Government added: “An important matter agreed by all was the need to avoid potential for delays at subsequent LDP preparation stages. We will therefore apply the collaborative approach taken at the summit and to the advice to support the Proposed Plan and Examination stages as far as possible.”