Planning Policy

The project has been designed and assessed against all relevant national and local planning policy, in particular the Aberdeenshire Council Local Development Plan (2017) and the most recent Aberdeenshire Council Local Development Plan (2023). As policy has evolved, studies have been evaluated to ensure that they address the key concerns in the most up to date documentation.

In particular, the design takes into account the parameters set out by National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4). NPF4 was adopted by the Scottish Government in February 2023. It replaced the previous National Planning Framework 3 and Scottish Planning Policy. NPF4 focusses on development that helps to tackle climate change and creating spaces that are designed to reduce emissions. It also seeks to find a balance between important factors such as biodiversity, climate change mitigation and landscape impacts (amongst others). The Proposed Development has been designed to achieve an acceptable balance between key policies that protect these factors.