Development Plan

What is the Development Plan?

Medway Council has a statutory duty to prepare plans that cover its administrative area to control and regulate most forms of development. The power to control development is one that derives from primary legislation (in the form of the various Town and Country Planning Acts) and is given to the council by central government. The council grants planning permission to permit development to occur. To ensure that decisions about the granting of planning permission are seen to be fair, open and reasonable, the council is required to prepare publicly available plans containing policies and proposals to guide the shape and nature of development in its area. These plans are known collectively as the development plan.

The development plan comprises two different types of plans:

• regional spatial strategies (which will replace structure plans);
• local development frameworks (which will replace district-wide local plans, minerals local plans and waste local plans).

More information:

• Local Development Framework
• Medway Local Plan
• Regional Spatial Strategy (South East Plan)
• Kent and Medway Structure Plan
• Development Briefs and Other Guidance

Useful external links:

• Communities and Local Government (CLG)
  www.communities.gov.uk/planningandbuilding/planning/
• Government Office For The South East (GOSE)
  www.gos.gov.uk/gose/planning/?a=42496
• Planning Advisory Service
  www.pas.gov.uk/pas/core/page.do?pageId=1
• Planning Inspectorate
  www.planning-inspectorate.gov.uk/pins/index.htm
• South East England Development Agency (SEEDA)
  www.seeda.co.uk/
• Medway Renaissance
  www.medwayrenaissance.com/

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