Currently Bristol Planning Applications are assessed in accordance with the 1997 Adopted Local Plan.
This was reviewed in 2003 and was to have been updated, but the new system of Local Development Frameworks came in before this could happen. So the 1997 plan is the main policy document, though the revisions of 2003 are also sometimes referred to.
When the Core Strategy is adopted this will replace parts of the Adopted Local Plan.
Further local development documents will be consulted on as part of the Local Development Framework consultation process in 2010.
Eventually the 1997 Adopted Local Plan will be replaced by the Bristol Development Framework See How will BDF replace the Bristol Local Plan? for how this will be implemented
Current Local Planning Policy
Bristol Documents
1997 Adopted Local Plan
The 1997 Adopted Local Plan is, at present, the main document used to determine Planning Applications in Bristol.
Policies in the plan should be referred to by anyone wishing to submit a Planning Application. The Policies in the 1997 Local Plan are referred to by the Planning Officer in his report to the planning committee.
1997 Adopted Local Plan Saved Policies
In 1997, policies in the Adopted Local Plan were reviewed and most were saved for future use.
(8 policies were not saved.)
2003 Proposed Alterations to the Local Plan
In 2003, the council published Proposed Alterations to the Bristol Local Plan.
The proposed alterations are a material consideration when determining Planning Applications but generally carry less weight than policies in the Adopted Local Plan.
Supplementary Policy and Guidance
A series of Supplementary Planning Documents (SPD) and Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG) have been produced to provide greater detail on policies within the Local Plan and support decisions on Planning Applications.
Bristol Development Framework (BDF)
Bristol City Council is producing a new suite of planning documents to guide development decisions in the city over a 20-year period.
Together these documents make up the Bristol Development Framework (BDF), which will gradually replace the Local Plan.
BDF Core Strategy: Publication Version
The Core Strategy sets out the council's strategic approach to shaping the future of the city.
Once adopted it will become the key overarching policy document within the Bristol Development Framework, and all other policy documents will need to have regard to and be in conformity with it.
Regional Spatial Strategy revoked 6 July 2010
National Policy
Government Statutory ProvisionsPlanning Policy Guidance Notes (PPGs) and Planning Policy Statements (PPS)
Planning Policy Guidance Notes (PPGs) and their replacements Planning Policy Statements (PPSs) are prepared by the Government after public consultation to explain statutory provisions and provide guidance to Local Authorities and others on planning policy and the operation of the planning system.
They also explain the relationship between planning policies and other policies which have an important bearing on issues of development and land use.
Local Authorities must take their contents into account in preparing their development plans.
The guidance may also be relevant to decisions on individual Planning Applications and Appeals.
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