Planning guidance
Planning guidance prepared to support the process of siting, designing, submitting, and assessing proposals for new developments.
How to use this guidance
The guidance on this page is divided into:
- statutory guidance documents that form part of the current Development Plan
- non-statutory guidance documents that do not form part of the Development Plan
In all cases, the guidance provided on this page carries 'material weight' in the assessment of a planning application. This means that, when you submit development proposal, we'll use the relevant guidance to:
- Assess the compliance of the proposals with the guidance
- determine whether the proposal should be approved or not
Draft Planning Guidance
The following draft guidance documents were approved by the Council’s Environment, Transport and Net Zero (ETNZ) committee on 01 February 2024 for public consultation. As these represent the latest position of the Council on the relevant policy matters, they carry material weight in the assessment of planning applications.
- Draft Planning Guidance: Sustainable Transport and Access to New Development, February 2024 (Updates Supplementary Guidance: Transport and Access for New Development, November 2021)
- Draft Planning Guidance: Householder Alterations and Extensions, February 2024 (Updates Planning Guidance: Residential Alterations and Extensions, October 2015)
- Draft Planning Guidance: Energy Efficiency and Micro-Renewables in the Historic Environment, February 2024 (Updates Planning Guidance: Historic Environment - Energy Efficiency and Micro-Renewables, February 2019)
Stirling Local Development Plan guidance
Statutory general guidance
This statutory guidance forms part of the Statutory Development Plan for Stirling.
- Supplementary guidance on advertisements (November 2021)
- Supplementary guidance on small settlements (November 2021)
- Supplementary guidance on housing in the countryside and design guide (May 2020)
- Supplementary guidance on flood risk management and the water environment (May 2020)
- Supplementary guidance on forestry and woodland strategy (May 2019)
- Supplementary guidance on wind energy developments (February 2019)
- Supplementary guidance on housing in multiple occupation (December 2018)
Statutory guidance historic environment
- Supplementary guidance on battlefields (May 2019)
- Supplementary guidance on boundaries and hardstandings (May 2019)
- Supplementary guidance on historic building recording (May 2019)
- Supplementary guidance on roofing (May 2019)
- Supplementary guidance on shopfronts (May 2019)
- Supplementary guidance on windows and doors (May 2019)
Non-statutory guidance
This non-statutory guidance that is not part of the Statutory Development Plan for Stirling.
- Planning guidance on placemaking, February 2024
- Planning guidance on new uses for redundant rural buildings, February 2024
- Planning guidance on chalets and huts, February 2024
- Planning guidance on green belts, February 2024
- Developer Contributions Planning Guidance, February 2023
- Developer Contributions Background Report, February 2023
- Planning guidance on the Blairhoyle small settlement proposal (May 2015)
- Planning guidance on the Green Network (October 2014)
- Planning guidance on residential alterations and extensions (October 2015)
- Planning guidance on low and zero carbon buildings (October 2014)
- Planning guidance on landscape and planting requirements in new developments (October 2014)
- Planning guidance on trees and new development (October 2014)
- Planning guidance on trees and the law (October 2014)
- Draft supplementary guidance on biodiversity and landscape (November 2019)
- Draft supplementary guidance on landscape character assessments (November 2019)
Customer Guidance Notes
Conservation area appraisals
Under the Stirling Local Development Plan, the council area has 28 conservation areas. Each of these areas has a specific map, which you can access below.
In 2014 and 2015, to help with management and planning within these areas, we produced detailed character appraisals. Since then, these appraisals have helped to inform our development frameworks, masterplans and planning briefs. However, they are non-statutory guidance.
Ashfield Conservation Area character appraisal
Balfron Conservation Area character appraisal
Bannockburn Conservation Area character appraisal
Blairlogie Conservation Area character appraisal
Bridge of Allan Conservation Area character appraisal
Bridgehaugh Conservation Area character appraisal
Bruce Street Conservation Area character appraisal
Buchlyvie Conservation Area character appraisal
Cambusbarron Conservation Area character appraisal
Cambuskenneth Conservation Area character appraisal
Carbeth Conservation Area character appraisal
Deanston Conservation Area character appraisal
Doune Conservation Area character appraisal
Drip Bridge Conservation Area character appraisal
Dunblane Conservation Area character appraisal
Fintry Conservation Area character appraisal
Gargunnock Conservation Area character appraisal
Killearn Conservation Area character appraisal
King's Park Conservation Area character appraisal
Kippen Conservation Area character appraisal
Park Place Conservation Area character appraisal
Randolph Road Conservation Area character appraisal
St Ninian's Conservation Area character appraisal
Stirling Town and Royal Park Conservation Area character appraisal
Thornhill Conservation Area character appraisal
Torbrex Conservation Area character appraisal
Masterplans
We produced these masterplans as part of the previous Stirling Local Development Plan or to support specific developments in the council area. They are non-statutory guidance.
South Stirling Gateway Masterplan, part 1
South Stirling Gateway Masterplan, part 2
Development frameworks
We produced these frameworks as part of the previous Stirling Local Development Plan or to support specific developments in the council area. They are non-statutory guidance.
Burghmuir Development Framework
City Centre Development Framework
Cornton Development Framework, part 1
Cornton Development Framework, part 2
Cornton Development Framework, part 3
Cultenhove Development Framework, part 1
Planning briefs
We produced these briefs as part of the previous Stirling Local Development Plan or to support specific developments in the council area. They are non-statutory guidance.
Stirling Ice Rink planning brief
Design guides
We produced this guide in 2005 to inform development activities in the Raploch area of Stirling. It is non-statutory guidance.