You can help wildlife by having your say in your local development plan. Learn about the process here
Last updated: 2 July 2025
Every local planning authority (LPA) in Wales must produce a local development plan (LDP) for its area, containing policies and proposals regarding the development and use of land. This allows everyone to look ahead to the future, thinking about what their areas should be like and how planning decisions for development can help to achieve this. Together with Future Wales: The National Plan 2040, an LDP forms part of the statutory development plan that lies at the heart of the planning system.
An LDP must apply the principles set out in Future Wales and Planning Policy Wales (PPW) by having workable strategic and local planning policies for the area. It will also set out a vision and framework for the future development of an area over a 15 year period from the date of adoption.
Every LPA area must have an LDP that is up to date (or in the process of being adopted). The planning policies in the LDP must be considered in the determination of every planning application.
It is important for you to engage in, and make representations as part of, the preparation of an LDP. This is your opportunity to have a say in the strategic policies that will guide development in your area and the local policies that set out the general requirements and characteristics of that development.
The preparation of an LDP must follow a number of evidence-gathering and consultation stages, leading to a formal examination by a planning inspector and the adoption of the final version of the plan when its planning policies come into effect.
All LDPs are subject to the following stages, as outlined in the Town and Country Planning (Local Development Plan) (Wales) Regulations 2005:
Delivery Agreement (DA) (the Regulation 9 stage) - at the start of the process the LPA will prepare a DA that is made up of two parts – a timetable for LDP preparation and a Community Involvement Scheme (CIS), which explains how and when the LPA will involve the local community in the plan-making process. The DA will be made publicly available on the LPA’s website and at their offices.
Evidence gathering and stakeholder engagement (Regulation 14) - this is when the LPA gathers evidence to inform the plan and carries out a ‘call for sites’ exercise to identify potential development sites. There is no public consultation at this stage.
Preferred Strategy consultation (Regulation 15) - this is when the LPA consults on the issues and options regarding the development needs of the area which will inform the draft plan.
Deposit Plan consultation (Regulation 17) - at this stage the public may comment on the final draft plan that the LPA intends to submit for examination.
Submission (Regulation 22) - at this stage the final version of the LDP is submitted to the Planning and Environment Division Wales (PEDW) for examination.
Inspector's report and adoption – at the end of the examination the inspector will prepare a report on the soundness of the plan and include any necessary changes. The LPA will then hold a vote to accept the changes and must adopt the LDP within 8 weeks of receiving the inspector’s report.
The LPA must review its LDP at least every four years from the date it was adopted. If the review concludes that the plan needs updating, the preparation process will start again for a new replacement LDP.
For more detail on the different stages of preparing an LDP including how to engage, take a look at the Development Plans Community Guide produced by the Welsh Government and Planning Aid Wales.
At the beginning of the preparation process and any time during it, the LPA may also publish ‘issues and options’ reports for consultation. These reports will include a range of planning issues and proposed options for the future development of an area. Therefore, in practice there may be several more interim drafts of the LDP and consultations on those drafts.
Public representations (views either objecting to, commenting on or supporting the proposed LDP) may be made during the Preferred Strategy consultation and Deposit Plan consultation stages, and on any additional issues and options consultations. When making representations, it is important to understand what stage the plan is at and how it has evolved from earlier stages. While the LPA must record all consultation responses, comments on parts of the plan that have already been settled at a previous stage are unlikely to have much influence.
A key stage of the process is the examination of the plan, which is held by an independent planning inspector appointed by the Planning and Environment Division Wales (PEDW). The purpose of the examination is to test the ‘soundness’ of the plan, and to ensure that it has been properly prepared in accordance with legal and procedural requirements.
The three tests of soundness are set out in Chapter 6 of the Development Plans Manual (Table 27, page 166) and are as follows:
Test 1: Does the plan fit? (Is it clear that the LDP is consistent with other plans?)
Test 2: Is the plan appropriate? (Is the plan appropriate for the area in the light of the evidence?)
Test 3: Will the plan deliver? (Is it likely to be effective?)
The inspector considers the plan against these tests on a topic-by-topic basis with input from interested parties, the LPA and various other stakeholders via written representations and in-person or virtual hearing sessions.
If members of the public have made written representations on the Deposit plan (the Regulation 17 stage) they can participate in a hearing session, either by submitting a written statement or speaking in person. However, anyone is welcome to attend an examination to listen to the proceedings even if they are not taking part.
If you would like to take part in the examination, make sure that you submit comments at the Deposit plan consultation stage (Regulation 17) even if you have already made comments at an earlier consultation stage. If you don’t, you do not have a legal right to take part in the examination.
If the inspector considers the plan to be fundamentally unsound, they cannot recommend that it is adopted. The LPA will then decide whether to withdraw their plan and prepare a new one for submission. If this happens, any existing LDP policies will remain in force while a new plan is being prepared, which may result in such policies becoming increasingly out of date.
During its preparation, an LDP must go through a Sustainability Appraisal (SA) process. The process is designed to ensure that any environmental, economic and social impacts of the policies and proposals are identified and mitigated. An LDP Sustainability Appraisal will also incorporate the requirement to undertake a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA). The SA must be integrated with each stage of the plan-making process and published for consultation at each stage. Read more about this in the Welsh Government’s Development Plans Manual (Edition 3, chapter 4, page 63).
An LDP may also require a Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA), as set out in the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017 if it’s considered likely to have significant effects on internationally important wildlife sites (Special Protection Areas, Special Areas for Conservation or Ramsar sites). The SA should take account of the findings of a HRA, if one is carried out.
Examine the Sustainability Appraisal and Habitats Regulations Assessment (where there is one) for your draft LDP.
Make sure the plan properly identifies and mitigates all impacts from any new development proposals on the important sites for wildlife that you know about in your area.
All LDP documents will be published on the planning policy pages of the LPA website so you can view them and make comments online. Paper copies of LDP documents should also be available for inspection on request at the LPA’s offices.
The LPA may also carry out public exhibitions as part of the consultation, usually held in community venues such as village halls, to inform the local community of the LDP proposals and ask for their views.
Check the LPA’s Delivery Agreement (the LDP timetable) on the planning policy pages of their website to keep track of how your LDP is progressing. You may be able to sign up to receive email reminders about LDP consultations and there should also be notifications in local community newsletters if you don’t have access to email.
If you’re unsure about how or when to get involved, contact the Planning Policy team at your LPA for advice. Find your LPA here.