Planning 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

The following draft guidance documents were approved by the Council’s Environment, Transport and Net Zero (ETNZ) committee on 01 February 2024 for public consultation.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)

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)

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

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

Durieshill Masterplan

Forthside Masterplan, part 1

Forthside Masterplan, part 2

Viewforth Masterplan

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

Cultenhove Development Framework, part 2

Kildean Development Framework

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.

Argyll Centre planning brief

Rainbow Slides planning brief

Randolph Road planning brief

Stirling Ice Rink planning brief

We produced this guide in 2005 to inform development activities in the Raploch area of Stirling. It is non-statutory guidance.

Raploch design guide, part 1

Raploch design guide, part 2

Raploch design guide, part 3

Raploch design guide, part 4

Raploch design guide, part 5

Raploch design guide, part 6