Development Plan Monitoring and Representations

The planning system itself is a 'plan-led' system and operates on the basis that planning applications be determined in accordance with the policies of the development plan, unless material considerations indicate otherwise.

The development plan identifies long-term strategic locations for specific forms of development and sets out policies to direct development to those locations. It also sets out general policies to deal with speculative proposals that come forward for non-allocated sites and sets out those protective policies that seek to prohibit development in certain locations, in the interest of protecting the historic, cultural and environmental character of cities, towns and the open countryside.

We monitor the various stages of consultation as development plans progress towards adoption, to ensure that the short, medium and long-term development aspirations of our clients are best represented. This is of increased importance to clients with a land and property portfolio, where a longer-term strategy for the development or disposal of sites may be required. Our comprehensive monitoring service means that important consultation deadlines are not missed and ongoing detailed representations can be submitted at each stage of the process.