Plotting a map to the future – our new Local Development and Land Use Plan
The National Park Authority is piloting a new Local Development and Land Use Plan (LDLUP), the first in Scotland to bring planning and land use together under one integrated plan. The new plan will set out not just where development should and shouldn’t happen, but also how land across the National Park could be used, managed and protected.
On this page…
As the planning authority, we have a legal duty to prepare a development plan for the National Park guiding what happens where, including housing, business and tourism, while working to build and strengthen vital nature connections.
How land is used is also central to the environment, communities and economy of the National Park so it makes sense to bring these together in one integrated plan.
A new approach
As a National Park, things are and should be done differently here.
We can no longer do what we have always done. A worsening climate and nature crisis, compounded by a cost-of-living and housing crisis, mean nature and people are facing a collective struggle.
As National Park Authority we are ideally placed and eager to test new placed-based approaches which seek to provide innovative support for communities, drive sustainable development and investment while also working to adapt and tackle the climate, nature and housing emergencies.
The pilot also reflects wider change across planning in Scotland. National Planning Framework 4 has placed nature recovery and climate action at the heart of how land is used. The new plan delivers on this shift but goes a step further by bringing development planning and land use together in one joined-up plan for the first time.
The new plan will be a key tool in delivering the National Park Partnership Plan’s vision: a thriving, nature-positive, carbon-negative National Park by 2045, where communities and businesses prosper sustainably and nature is restored.
From 2028-2038, the LDLUP will be used by the National Park Authority when making planning decisions as well as to guide sustainable investment and land use projects.
It is also for communities, to help provide clarity on development and land use priorities in their areas and support the delivery of elements from their Local Place Plans.
It supports local and national developers to identify suitable locations where there are potential opportunities for new services and buildings that will meet the needs of communities, support the rural economy and protect nature.
It is for partner organisations and stakeholders to identify, coordinate and deliver what services and infrastructure are needed where in the National Park
It is for landowners and managers to see where and how they can help better protect and restore the National Park’s valuable natural environment and improve their own long-term resilience.
Winter 2025 – Winter 2026 – Evidence gathering and Evidence Report approved by Scottish Government
Spring 2026 – Autumn 2026 – Informal (non-statutory) engagement including Call for Land, Sites and Ideas.
Summer 2026 – Spring 2027 – Proposed Plan development
Summer 2027 / Autumn2027 Public consultation on Proposed Plan
The new Plan will draw on the direction set out in the National Park Partnership Plan.
The plan will be informed by Local Place Plans, community-led plans setting out what they want for their area, now in place for nearly every community in the National Park.
It also draws on a robust Evidence Report produced in 2025 capturing this key information, data, and implications for planning, development and land use across the National Park. The Evidence Report was submitted to the Scottish Government for approval and passed the gatecheck in May 2026.
We are currently at the Proposed Plan stage. We are developing the Plan’s spatial strategy, which will set out development and land use guidance over the 10-year plan period.
An important part of this stage was the Call for Land, Sites and Ideas, an open call inviting early suggestions on potential future development, land use and restoration.
All submissions received are suggestions only at this stage, their publication is for awareness and does not mean they will automatically be taken forward or approved.
The Local Development and Land Use Plan Evidence Report was found to be sufficient by the Reporter appointed by Scottish Ministers in May 2026. The reference number for our submission on the DPEA website is GATE-002-1. The Reporters decision means that we can now proceed to prepare the new Plan, called the Proposed Plan.
The Proposed Plan will combine the Local Development Plan and Land Use Framework into a single new document called the Local Development and Land Use Plan that will show how the National Park will change in the future (looking towards 2045) including where new development should and shouldn’t happen and how land could be used and managed to help achieve the 2045 vision for the National Park to be a “thriving place that is nature positive and carbon negative.”
Gatecheck submission 29 January 2026
On the 10th of November 2025, the full Evidence Report was approved by the National Park Authority. Following Board approval, we submitted our Evidence Report to the Scottish Government on the 18th of December 2025 and formally requested that they undertake a Gatecheck review. This is an independent assessment of whether we have sufficient information to prepare the plan. This marks a key milestone in the Development Plan making process. Whilst the Gatecheck process is underway we cannot begin any formal preparation of the new plan and must wait until the Gatecheck assessment has been successfully completed.
In the meantime, we are preparing to launch a Call for Land, Sites, and Ideas at the end of January 2026. Further information on the Call for Land, Sites and Ideas can be viewed here.
Evidence Report Published 3 November 2025
Earlier this year, we published a set of topic papers that form the basis of our Evidence Base for preparing the next Local Development and Land Use Plan. These summarised the relevant key information, data, and policy implications for planning, development and land use in the National Park. We also produced six map-based area summaries that provided summaries and local contextual evidence, highlighting key opportunities and challenges for each area.
We undertook engagement on this evidence base over the summer to check its sufficiency. This included discussions with key agencies, a series of in-person workshops and online surveys, allowing us to gather a wide range of detailed and valuable feedback. Following this engagement we have carefully reviewed and incorporated feedback into an overall Evidence Report.
The Evidence Report will be published today ahead of consideration by the National Park Authority Board, who are being asked to review and approve it before submission to the Scottish Government for the ‘Gate Check’ assessment on the sufficiency of the evidence and stakeholder agreement on this.
We have also published an updated Development Plan Scheme which outlines the programme for preparing and reviewing the new Local Development and Land Use Plan. This provides high-level information on the key stages of plan preparation, anticipated timescales, and opportunities for engagement.
We wish to thank everyone who took the time to contribute and help shape this important stage of the process and are looking forward to continuing to work together as we move into the next stages of preparing the new Local Development and Land Use Plan. Further information will be provided soon on more details of the next stages which will include a Call for Sites and Ideas.
Latest Update 11 July 2025
We’re currently in the ‘Evidence Gathering’ stage of preparing our new Local Development and Land Use Plan. This first stage of the Local Development and Land Use Plan preparation is all about collating relevant information for an Evidence Report, which has to be submitted to the Scottish Government for review that is called a ‘gate check’. This is to ensure that sufficient information is available to start preparing a new Local Development and Land Use Plan.
We’ve just completed a phase of public engagement, which has involved a series of in-person workshops across the National Park, as well as having online surveys for people to provide further feedback on our Evidence. Whilst the online surveys are now closed, you can still read all our Evidence in the form of our Topic Papers and Area Summaries here.
We’re now reviewing all of the responses we have received. We will be making changes to the Topic Papers as required and then will collate these into the full Evidence Report, which will also summarise the outcomes of our engagement. It is this full – finalised – Evidence Report that the Park Authority Board will need to approve before it can be submitted to the Scottish Government for review at the ‘gate check’.
We will update this page with the Evidence Report once it is completed.
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