Local developments pre-application advice

Local development proposals are building projects that are bigger than alterations or extensions to a single existing house. They include:

• Building 1 to 49 houses or flats
• Converting non-residential buildings
• Small to medium business and industrial developments 
• Small wind energy proposals (up to 20 megawatts)

On this page we have put together guidance for local developments. Please read this before submitting a request for advice. 

There is a possibility we may be asked to provide information about pre-application advice inquiries, when FOI and EI requests are made.

To determine if your proposal is acceptable, you need to consider a few things. First you need to check the classification of the area your site is in, these are:

• A settlement
• The greenbelt
• Coastal zone
• Accessible rural area
• Remote rural area

View Sections 6 to 8, and the interactive settlement maps, of the Local Development Plan 2023 storymap to:

• Check classifications of different areas and settlements in Aberdeenshire
• View other key factors, in policies and appendices, that indicate if a proposal will be acceptable

If the site lies within the Cairngorms National Park, view the policies and appendices of the Cairngorms National Park Local Development Plan 2021. 

There are additional considerations you must meet (we encourage you to get advice from qualified professionals):

• The need to demonstrate suitable siting and design, view building design guidance (PDF 70KB)
• Being able to service the site with water and drainage to an adequate standard, view drainage advice (PDF 1.1MB)
• Providing safe access, parking and bin collections
• In some cases, the cost of developer obligations

Other considerations

Other consideration, although not an exhaustive list, can include:

• Flood risk management
• Impacts on existing landscaping, including environment and nature conservation, wildlife and protected species
• Listed buildings and conservation areas

View environmental health advice which covers air quality, contaminated land, light pollution, noise, odours and private water supplies.

Request further advice

If you have read the guidance and are still unsure, you can request pre-application advice online or in paper. To request a paper form please contact us.

View our local development pre-application advice guidance (PDF 91KB) to find out what you need to provide with your request, and what information we will give you in our response.

Please note this informal advice will not include comments from consultees or other council services.

Request local development pre-application advice

View planning applications privacy notice (PDF 48.2KB) to find out what we do with your data.

What happens next

After we get your request for advice, we can give you an estimated date by which you can expect a response.