The Local Plan provides a degree of certainty for communities, businesses and investors, and a framework for guiding decisions on individual planning applications. It is a legal requirement that applications for planning permission must be decided in accordance with the Local Plan (and Neighbourhood Plans) unless there are other important factors (material considerations) which indicate otherwise. This means that if sites are allocated for development within the Local Plan, they are acceptable in principle although many detailed aspects of the developments will still need to be worked out through the subsequent planning application process.
A planning application seeks permission for a specific development or change of land use. The application is submitted by an individual or organisation and then reviewed by the Council to assess its compatibility with the policies in the Local Plan before granting or refusing permission.