Planning Services

Development Planning

Development Planning is the part of the Planning Service which is responsible for planning policy.

The specific responsibilities of the Development Planning Service include:

• Production and review of statutory development plans (South Ayrshire Local Development Plan)
• Production and review of statutory and non-statutory Supplementary Planning Guidance;
• Advising service customers and Development Management on implementation of Council planning policies (pre-application discussions and planning consultations on development proposals);
• Producing policy and advising on implementation of delivery of affordable housing through the planning system;
• Preparation of master plans and development briefs;
• Advising on development proposals requiring environmental assessments
• Collection, analysis and presentation of demographic and other land use information (including information on population and households, much of it related to the Census 2001; as well as housing land supply, industrial land supply, vacant and derelict land, town centres).
• built heritage conservation
• outdoor public access, Land Reform and rights of way
• tree protection and forestry
• Trees (TPOs, Trees in Conservation areas, Tree works applications forms and guidance notes)

Modernisation of the planning system

The Local Development Plan (LDP) is the new strategic land use document that, when complete, will replace the South Ayrshire Local Plan and the Ayrshire Joint Structure Plan as part of the wider modernisation of planning. It will set out strategic spatial priorities and policies for South Ayrshire and will secure land zoning for specified uses (e.g. land for housing/industry etc.) to provide increased certainty for development.
The preparation of the LDP will take place over the next 5 years and it is intended that it will be adopted in 2013.
A number of documents will be produced as part of the process of preparing the LDP. Each of these documents will appear on this section of the website as and when we publish them.

View the Development Plan Scheme document.

South Ayrshire Local Plan

The South Ayrshire Local Plan (SALP) was adopted on April 6th 2007, in accordance with the town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 (http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1997/8/contents). It sets out the policies, proposals and recommendations for the development and other use of land, the protection of environmental resources and for the management of transport and traffic within an identified administrative area. In effect, the SALP is the primary document against which all planning applications within South Ayrshire will be assessed. Together the SALP and the Ayrshire Joint Planning Steering Group make up the Development Plan for the area.

The South Ayrshire Local Plan comprises of:

• Adopted Text of the South Ayrshire Local Plan
• Local Plan Maps
• Appendix I (Help to understand the Plan)
• Appendix II (The Strategies) including:

1. Ayr Town Centre Strategy
2. Newton Strategy
3. Heathfield Strategy
4. Forestry Strategy
5. Wildlife Strategy
6. Coastal Strategy