Scotland's first Strategic Development Plan approved by Ministers

The plan is the first of its kind to be approved by Scottish Ministers and sets out a blueprint for development in the area for the next 20 years. It was approved with some minor modifications.

The Strategic Development Plan (SDP) will guide the planning policy in Glasgow and Clyde and the surrounding areas, covering eight local authorities in total. It will be used as a basis for granting planning permission in the area.

Three other cities in Scotland are also developing SDPs for their areas, including Aberdeen, Dundee and Edinburgh. The SDP will be supplemented by a local development plan and supplementary guidance.

The plan has been prepared by Glasgow and the Clyde Valley Strategic Development Planning Authority (GCVSDPA) and will replace the Glasgow and the Clyde Valley Joint Structure Plan 2000 and its four subsequent Alterations.

A locational strategy for new development is outlined in the plan for the first 12 years and a broad indication of the scale and direction of growth is covered in the plan for up to year 20 and beyond.

The SPD outlines a development corridor which runs west to east through the Glasgow City region and parallel to the River Clyde and the M8 corridor to Edinburgh. The development is planned to be in three main areas.

Housing and regeneration led schemes are proposed to be built around Clyde Waterfront, a new town centre is proposed to be built at Ravenscraig in Lanarkshire and development around the Clyde Gateway will be focused on the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

The plan also contains sustainability guides and proposes a 'green network', which would ensure that green infrastructure is planned into developments to provide the  environmental setting for the City region’s urban area and a link to rural areas.

The Glasgow and Clyde Valley SDP has been published and forms part of the planning policy for the area immediately, however, there will be a six week period during which it is open to legal challenge.