The Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act, which came into force in September 2004, replaced the existing system of Local Plans with a system of Local Development Frameworks (LDF). 
The preparation of local development frameworks is the responsibility of the District and Unitary Authorities.  The Council is now in the process of preparing an LDF and it will eventually consist of a series of planning documents that will set out the policies and proposals for the use of land.  Consultations on the LDF are being held under the banner of "Shape Bournemouth’s Future”.

The Local Development Framework will be made up of the following parts:

• Core Strategy - this sets out the vision and spatial strategy for Bournemouth, describing  what shape the town could take in the future.
  
• Local Development Scheme (LDS) - sets out the programme and timetable for preparation of  the Local Development Documents over a rolling 3 year period.
  
• Statement of Community Involvement (SCI) - sets out how the Council will engage with the  community and allow for participation in the planning process.
  
• Development Plan Documents (DPD) – These set out the main strategy and policies for the  LDF.  A number of different strategic and detailed policy documents will eventually be  produced, covering a wide range of topics including site specific allocations of land.
  
• Affordable Housing DPD - Following an initial round of consultation with stakeholders, the DPD is now at the 'Preferred Options' stage.  The DPD aims to markedly increase the provision of affordable housing in Bournemouth by seeking a contribution towards affordable housing from every new development.
  
• Supplementary Planning Documents (SPD) – these are non-statutory documents which cover a range of issues and give more detailed information on the policies within the LDF.
  
• Sustainability Appraisal and Strategic Environmental Assessment (SA/SEA) - the policies and  proposals within the LDF must be appraised to ensure that they contribute to the aims of  sustainable development, and to identify any key environmental, social and economic  implications they may have.
  
• Annual Monitoring Report (AMR) – this monitors the LDF and contains information on how the Council’s planning policies are performing against key indicators.
  

The production of the above documents and policies is being overseen and advised by the LDF Steering Group.

As part of the 'evidence gathering' stage in the preparation of the Local Development Framework, we will, at times, employ external consultants to carry out detailed specialist research on a number of topics. View recent studies.