There are three main stages in the production of Development Plan Documents:

• pre-production
• production

• examination & adoption.

There are two types of Local Development Document:

• Development Plan Documents (DPD) which are subject to independent examination and carry development plan status under s.38 (6) of the 2004 Planning Act (replacing s.54a of the 1990 Act).
• Supplementary Planning Documents (SPD) which are not subject to independent examination and do not have development plan status.

This section focuses on the preparation of DPDs. The figure below sets out the key stages of LDF production: pre-production, production, examination and adoption.

Pre-production
Production
Examination & Adoption

(source: ODPM)

More detailed advice on individual Local Development Documents and the stages in their preparation is available in Government guidance “Creating Local Development Frameworks: A Companion Guide to PPS12” (ODPM 2004).

Legislation

PPS12: Local Development Frameworks