Local Development Plan 3 – LDP3
East Dunbartonshire Council is currently preparing a new Local Development Plan (LDP) for the area – known as LDP3.
A Local Development Plan guides the future use of land by indicating where new development should be directed. It also sets out those areas that should be protected from development.
Once adopted, LDP3 will become part of the statutory development plan for the area, replacing the current LDP2, and will be used alongside Scotland’s National Planning Framework (NPF4), which can be viewed on the Scottish Government website, to decide future planning applications.
LDP3 will set out a land use strategy and framework for the growth and development of East Dunbartonshire up to 2038 and beyond.
Key stages
- Stage 1. Early Preparation - complete
- Stage 2. Evidence Report - complete
- Stage 3A Gate Check Review – Complete - View details of stage 3A on the Scottish Government website
- Stage 3B. Gate Check Resubmission / Review - currently underway - View details of stage 3B on the Scottish Government website
- Stage 4. Proposed Plan Preparation and consultation – expected in 2027
- Stage 5. Examination – to follow
- Stage 6. Adoption of LDP3 – to follow
- Stage 7. Monitoring and Delivery – to follow
Evidence Report submission
On 7 July 2025, the Council submitted its LDP3 Evidence Report for an independent ‘Gate Check Review’ by the Scottish Government’s Planning and Environmental Appeals Division (DPEA).
The purpose of the Gate Check is to ensure that the Council has sufficient information with which to proceed with preparation of the Proposed LDP3.
The Reporter’s assessment concluded that although the report provided a comprehensive summary of evidence gathered on topics relevant to the preparation of the next LDP, it did not provide sufficient evidence in relation to education and health care infrastructure and the Indicative Local Housing Land Requirement (I-LHLR). The Reporter’s Assessment Report can be downloaded from the DPEA website - ref. GATE-200-2.
Evidence Report resubmission
A revised version of the Evidence Report was considered by Council on 02 April 2026, with a further finalised version being approved at the meeting of the Council on 25 June 2026. Following this, the revised Evidence Report was submitted to the DPEA for re-assessment on 26 June 2026. It can be downloaded from the DPEA website - ref. GATE-200-3.
The Reporter will reassess the Evidence Report, focusing on the areas which have been updated, and will determine if the Evidence Report now contains sufficient information to allow the Council to progress to the Proposed Plan stage.
Next steps and further information
It is intended that the Proposed LDP3 and supporting information will be published for consultation in 2027.
To be kept up to date with the latest news on the LDP process, keep an eye on the Council’s social media channels and visit the Planning Newsletter webpage.
You can sign up to receive the Newsletter by emailing development.plan@eastdunbarton.gov.uk
If you have any questions that aren’t covered, please contact our policy team – email development.plan@eastdunbarton.gov.uk or call 0300 123 4510.