Local Place Plans

Local Place Plans can be prepared by community bodies, which include community councils and other community-controlled organisations.

For guidance on who can formally prepare a Local Place Plan, read our Local Place Plan Preparer Checklist.

This checklist should be submitted as soon as possible by any group that has started or is about to start preparing a Local Place Plan. Send your completed checklist to lpp@highland.gov.uk.

Your local Third Sector Delivery Organisation can advise on governance and any necessary changes to meet the requirements for community-controlled groups, such as Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisations (SCIOs) or companies limited by guarantee, under the Community Empowerment Act.

You can download the Scottish Government’s model governing documents and community asset transfer guidance.

The area covered by a community body preparing a Local Place Plan must include the entire area of the plan. For advice on ensuring your plan’s validity and effectiveness, see our guidance on Local Place Plan area and Community Body areas.

Deadline

Local Place Plans can be prepared at any time.

The Scottish Government requires us to set a deadline for registering Local Place Plans so they can be considered as evidence for the new Highland Local Development Plan (HLDP).

According to the current HLDP timetable outlined in the Development Plans Newsletter 2026, the following submission arrangements apply:

• Plans that pass the validation checks and are registered no later than 30 April 2026 will be taken into account in the preparation of the HLDP Evidence Report
• Plans that pass the validation checks and are registered between May and September 2026 are likely to be taken into account in the preparation of this HLDP from the outset
• Plans that are validated and registered after September 2026 will be taken into account at the next available opportunity in the local development plan cycle, which may include some consideration in the preparation of the HLDP Proposed Plan

The minimum time to validate a plan is typically 10 working days. We recommend submitting your Local Place Plan early to allow for any necessary amendments during validation.