It is imperative that local plans reflect the needs and aspirations of local people. They should tap into, and complement, the strategies and profiles prepared by locally formed partnerships. This type of bottom-up approach to issue identification and policy development will improve the effectiveness of development plans. Where structure plans indicate an area-based approach to policy delivery at the local level, local plans should bring forward those policies and proposals and identify appropriate opportunities. Development Control 59.
Development plans seek to provide a policy context for the determination all planning applications.
However, they cannot foresee all new proposals over the Plan period. In rural areas, the number of occasions that development contrary to policy comes forward may be small in number but significant in terms of environmental or visual impact. Planning applications may be permitted, subject to conditions, provided wider rural development objectives set out in this NPPG are satisfied. Further advice is contained in PAN 41. Local plans can indicate the range of conditions that they may in general apply, for development proposals not in accord with the development plan, but this should not result in an exhaustive list to cover every eventuality.