(PG) Planning Guidance : Planning for Nature : Development Management and Wildlife

NB: This consultation is now closed.

It was agreed at a meeting of the Development and Transport Policy Development and Scrutiny Panel on 3 September 2019 to consult on new Planning Guidance 'Planning for Nature : Development Management and Wildlife'.

Previous Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG) on the same subject supported the West Lothian Local Plan (now superseded) but guidance now requires to be replaced as the new West Lothian Local Development Plan (LDP) was adopted in September 2018.

This guidance is intended to help prospective developers and agents understand how their proposals impact on the biodiversity (wildlife and habitats) and geodiversity (rocks, soils and fossils) of the West Lothian area and how this should be taken into account when formulating proposals for planning permission. The guidance will also be a material consideration which the council will have regard to when it considers applications for planning permission.

Planning Guidance (PG) is produced by the council in order to explain how particular development plan policies should be applied in practice.

The PG explicitly supports policies ENV 17, ENV 18, ENV 19 and ENV 20 of the adopted LDP which collectively seek to ensure that protected habitats and species are considered appropriately when the council takes decisions on planning applications.

This PG has had regard to and is compliant with all relevant national planning policies which are set out in the Strategic Development Plan and the policies of the new LDP in relation to Planning and Nature.