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 2026 to 2036. 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.  Infrastructure and services, including health services, public transport, community facilities, local shopping and greenspaces are the highest priorities for our communities.  Midlothian has experienced an unprecedented level of growth over recent years, and this is of very significant concern and objection to many people in Midlothian communities.  

The Evidence Report was approved by Midlothian Council on the 25th of June 2024 and has been submitted to the Scottish Government Planning and Environmental Appeals Division (DPEA), who will carry out an assessment to see if it provides a sufficient evidence base to prepare MLDP2. This process is called “Gate Check”. The Evidence Report and supporting documents can now be viewed on the DPEA website.

The full Evidence Report and a shorter Summary of the Evidence Report are available here:

A Participation Report and Children and Young People Participation Report are also available, which set out how we have engaged with people since the start of the plan preparation process. Both of these were put to the Planning Committee meeting of June the 4th 2024 and are available from that page (see agenda item 5.1).

Current stage

We have opened 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. This represents us reaching stage 4 of the Plan production process, as shown below. Stage 3 is ongoing alongside this.

  • 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 - July to October 2024
  • Stage 5: Prepare Proposed Plan - November 2024 to July 2025
  • Stage 6: Proposed Plan publication - July to October 2025
  • Stage 7: Modification of Proposed Plan - October to December 2025
  • Stage 8: Examination - March to September 2026
  • Stage 9: Plan adoption - December 2026
  • Stage 10: Delivery and monitoring

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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