Fife Council adopted FIFEplan (Fife’s Local Development Plan) on 21 September 2017.
FIFEplan is supported by:
- Supplementary Guidance which explains in greater detail how planning policies will be used.
- Action Programme which identifies what is required to deliver the Local Development Plan, the expected timescales, and who is responsible for delivery.
Fife Local Development Plan 2
We are now preparing a new Local Development Plan (LDP). Once adopted, LDP2 will replace the existing FIFEplan. It will also replace the Supplementary Guidance on Affordable Housing, Low Carbon Fife, Making Fife’s Places, and Minerals.
Along with the Scottish Government’s National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4), it will form the statutory development plan for Fife. Within, it will set out the planning policies and proposals for the use and development of land across Fife for the next 10 to 20 years.
NPF4 is the national spatial strategy for Scotland. It sets out the spatial principles, regional priorities, national developments, and national planning policy.
Key stages and timescales
The above timetable for the plan preparation shows the expected dates for each plan stage. The Evidence Report has been completed and was submitted to the Gate Check review process on the 3rd May 2024. For further information see Scottish Government - DPEA - Case Details (scotland.gov.uk).
- Evidence gathering will take place throughout 2024.
- Plan preparation, at its various stages, will take place between 2025 and 2027. Earlier preparation on the call for sites and ideas and the assessment of sites will commence 2024.
- Delivery of the Adopted Plan and the Delivery Programme will take place 2027-28, with Monitoring and Delivery continuing into 2028.
The date convention used is in accordance with local development planning regulations and guidance: 1Q = April-June; 2Q = July-September; 3Q October-December; 4Q = January-March.
The latest edition of the Fife Development Scheme 2023 also provides further information about Fife’s Local Development Plan and its preparation timetable.
Links to the Evidence Report and Annexes can be found below:
Local Development Plan 2 Evidence Report
- Annex 1 - Meeting legislative requirements
- Annex 2 - List of data sources used in the Evidence Report
- Annex 3 - Matters required to be included in Evidence Report
- Annex 4 - Summary of engagement
- Annex 5 - Summary of known areas of agreement and dispute on the Evidence Report
- Annex 6 - Review of FIFEplan (2017)
- Annex 7 - Local Living and 20 Minute Neighbourhoods
- Annex 8 - Housing Issues Introduction & Legislative Requirements
- Annex 9 - Housing Need
- Annex 10 - Local Housing Land Requirement
- Annex 11 - Local Housing Land Requirement Technical Paper
- Annex 12 - Localised Housing Issues
- Annex 13 - Waste Management
How to get involved
The Plan will be shaped by the views and aspirations of all interests across Fife (including communities, investors, businesses and other stakeholders) and the Council’s Plan for Fife .
Details of consultations to date, which have helped inform the Evidence Report, can be found in the Evidence Report Summary of Engagement.
Communities can also inform the Local Development Plan of community views and aspirations through Local Place Plans. Local Place Plans are plans for local communities that have a focus on development, land use, and ‘place-making’. Our new Local Development Plan will take account of registered Local Place Plans, to allow communities to have a more direct role in the decisions that influence their place.
Watch out for forthcoming events which will be posted here:
Place Matters
Potential development sites and ideas for what the new Local Development Plan should say about Fife’s places will be welcomed, once the Gate Check process is complete. Whilst we do not have a specific date for when the Gate Check will finish, we expect it to be late July. We currently anticipate commencing the call for sites and ideas in August.
Please note, Local Place Plans do not need to be re-submitted.
How to get in touch
You can keep in touch with the Policy & Place team preparing the new Local Development Plan using the options below:
Sign up for regular email updates from Fife's planning service via our e-newsletter The Fife Planning Update. Register for our planning e-newsletter here, or
Contact us: fife.devplan@fife.gov.uk
Follow us on X (formerly Twitter): @FifePlanning