Living In the National Park

Proposals Map

Farming in the Lake District National Park

The Local Plan and Proposals Map sets out more detailed policies to guide development and includes policies which:

  • Have a strong environmental and conservation ethos throughout
  • Emphasise that the National Park should be enjoyed for its intrinsic merits and that the tourist industry, which underpins the economy, should develop accordingly
  • Give a clear priority for housing to meet local needs
  • Look to foster the local economy in ways commensurate with the needs of a relatively small population
  • Provide a framework for the management of traffic in an environmentally acceptable way
  • Incorporates policies on minerals (Chapter 14) and Waste (Chapter 15)

Important changes to the Local Plan

The Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 allows local planning authorities to save some Local Plan policies to avoid a gap in planning policies while waiting for the adoption of the Local Development Framework.

From 28 September 2007 the development plan for the Lake District National Park is made up of:

  • Cumbria and Lake District Joint Structure Plan 2001-2016 (adopted April 2006)
  • Policies contained in the Lake District National Park Local Plan (adopted May 1998) referred to in the Direction by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government of 18 September 2007

Legally we are required to take the policies of the adopted development plan as the starting point in any planning decision. Our decision must be in accordance with the development plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise.

The Government advises that extended policies should be read in context and that where polices were adopted some time ago it is likely that material considerations, in particular the emergence of new national and regional policy and also new evidence, will be afforded considerable weight in decisions.

Which policies still apply

Important Policy Changes to the Local Plan September 2007 (opens Document Library) lists which policies have been saved and which have not.

If you need more information please contact us on 01539 724555 or planning@lake-district.gov.uk

How to view the Local Plan and Proposals Map

Local Plan and Proposals Map on the Planning Portal (opens in new window) is hosted on the Planning Portal website. To use it:

  • Select the topic areas link on the top left hand section  of the page.
  • Chapter headings will appear on the left of the page - select them to see links to individual policy subjects

The Proposals Map is interactive and can be loaded using the proposals map link at the bottom left of the page. A new window called the Planning Portal Viewer will open. There are links to interactive tools and help on the page.