Development plans and policies

Midlothian Local Development Plan 2

Midlothian Council is preparing the next Local Development Plan for the area: the Midlothian Local Development Plan 2 (MLDP2).  This will shape the development and use of land in the area from 2027-2037. In MLDP2 the Council will allocate sites for development, identify places to be protected, and set out the policies that will be used when deciding planning applications.

Progress so far

The first stage in preparing the new plan was compiling the Evidence Report. This included engaging with people living and working in Midlothian to understand their views on Midlothian as a place now and how it could develop in the future. 

The Evidence Report was approved by Midlothian Council on 25 June 2024 and was submitted to the Scottish Government Planning and Environmental Appeals Division (DPEA), who carried out an assessment to see if it provides a sufficient evidence base to prepare MLDP2. This process is called “Gate Check”. The Council was informed on 19 September 2024 that the Evidence Report contains sufficient information to enable the planning authority to prepare its local development plan.

Find the Evidence Report, supporting documents, DPEA assessment and recommendations on the DPEA website.

A Summary of the Evidence Report is available here:

A Participation Report and Children and Young People Participation Report are also available, which set out how we engaged with people between the start of the plan preparation process and the submission of the Evidence Report.

From July - October 2024, we undertook a Call for Ideas and Opportunities to provide individuals, communities, landowners, developers or any other interested people, businesses or organisations with the chance to put forward ideas, opportunities or suggestions on matters or sites they would like to have included in MLDP2.

Current stage

We publish an annual Development Plan Scheme (DPS), which sets out our up-to-date programme for preparing MLDP2. The timetable has shifted since DPS17 was published in April 2025 and we will be publishing DPS18 for consultation as soon as possible. We are currently at stage 5 of the plan production process.

  • Stage 1: Early consultation
  • Stage 2: Evidence Report - March 2023 to June 2024
  • Stage 3: Gate Check - July to September 2024
  • Stage 4: Call for Ideas - 1st July to 1st October 2024
  • Stage 5: Prepare Proposed Plan - November 2024 to May 2026
  • Stage 6: Consultation on Proposed Plan - Summer 2026
  • Stage 7: Modification of Proposed Plan - Autumn 2026 and Winter 2026/27
  • Stage 8: Examination - March 2027 to October 2027
  • Stage 9: Plan adoption - Winter 2027/28
  • Stage 10: Delivery and monitoring

As part of the preparation of the Proposed Plan, we are selecting potential development sites to meet our housing and employment land requirements. Housing site selections were discussed at Planning Committee on 26 June 2025 and 18 November 2025.

The formal consultation on our suggested sites will happen as part of the consultation on the Proposed Plan.

Find more details on the potential development sites we have assessed.

Contact us

For more information on the MLDP2 process or to be added to our LDP mailing list, contact the Local Development Plan Team.

  • Email: ldp@midlothian.gov.uk
  • Write to: Planning Service, Fairfield House, 8 Lothian Road, Dalkeith, Midlothian, EH22 3AA

We will also post updates on:

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