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monitoring departures and altering plans
KEY ADVICE
- Authorities should be aware of the number and type of departure cases they are dealing with as monitoring will indicate the need to alter or replace existing policies (para 22).
- Authorities should keep a public record of departures from development plans (para 23).
22. Local authorities should not use the departure procedure as an alternative to the public participation requirements associated with formally altering a local plan. Local plan alteration relates more to substantive and significant policy changes which could change the overall direction of the relevant development plan. However, most individual departure applications are not of this significance and the departures procedure should therefore be used as normal practice. It is important that authorities should be aware, from their own records, when they are having to cope with a relatively large number of a specific type of departure case. As the departure procedure is not a substitute for up-to-date development plans, the cumulative effect of dealing with a large number of departure applications will indicate the need to alter or replace existing policies, and it is therefore essential for authorities to monitor this.
23. NPPG 1 asks planning authorities to keep a public record of departures from structure and local plans. They are advised to reference each departure by local plan area, present it in a form easily understood by the public and publicise the existence of the record. Information on departures is collected by The Scottish Office Development Department every 6 months.
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