What is a Local Development Framework?
The Local Development Framework - known commonly as the LDF - is a set of documents that contain the City of Lincoln Council’s policies to do with the development of land in the City. The Local Development Framework will replace the Local Plan.
The aim of the LDF is to prepare plans and policies that create places that are attractive to live in and are sustainable. It should be better integrated with other plans and policies, such as economic, housing and environmental strategies.
An LDF will be made up of a number of documents, some of which the Council must produce, some of which are optional. An LDF could be made up of the following documents:
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Development Plan Documents:
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The Core Strategy (required)
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The Site Specific Allocations document (required)
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Area Action Plans (optional)
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The Adopted Proposals Map (required)
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Other Development Plan Documents (optional) e.g. Development Control Policies.
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Supplementary Planning Documents (optional):
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These give more in-depth guidance on a policy or set of policies in a Development Plan Document.
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The following:
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Statement of Community Involvement (required)
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Local Development Scheme (required)
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Annual Monitoring Report (required)
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Local Development Orders or Simplified Planning Zones (optional).
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Each Local Development Document will be required to undergo an examination, where the "soundness" of the document is assessed. An inspector will review all the evidence that has been used to define the policies, the consultation that has taken place, and the process that was taken to prepare the documents, before writing a report that will set out whether the document can be adopted as policy. The report written by the Inspector is "binding" and therefore he can only suggest minor change to the document. If there are major changes needed to the document it will be found "unsound" in which case the document will need to be rewritten, consulted on and re-examined.
More information on the examination of Development Plan Documents can be found by clicking here and going to the Planning Inspectorate website.
The LDF in Lincoln
In Lincoln, we are currently preparing the Core Strategy document. We have already consulted on a number of Emerging Options, and Preferred Options. The Council has gained a better understanding of what is required for a Core Strategy through examinations of other core strategies and an external review of work already undertaken by the City of Lincoln Council. The Council therefore decided to carry out further work on the Options before proceeding to write and undergo examination on a draft Core Strategy.
We have recently produced a Position Statement on where we are with the LDF which can be viewed here.
Last updated: 11th March 2009
