Supplementary Planning Documents (SPD)

What is a Supplementary Planning Document?

Supplementary Planning Documents (SPDs) are used to provide further detail to policies and proposals contained in a Development Plan Document. The SPD is not part of the statutory Development Plan, unlike the Development Plan Document. However, the SPD will form part of the Local Development Framework (General Explanatory Information) (LDF) and will be an important consideration in determining planning applications.

SPDs may cover a range of issues and can be thematic or site specific. For example, it can be a design guide, development brief or a topic or issue based document.

SPDs must be consistent with national and regional planning policies as well as the Development Plan Documents in the LDF.

As part of Babergh District Council’s emerging LDF the Council has produced a Safeguarding Employment Land SPD (Adopted 2008), Affordable Housing SPD (Adopted 7 April 2009) and a Hamilton Road Quarter, Sudbury SPD (Adopted February 2010) to elaborate upon policy and set out in detail the Council’s approach to the above.

The Council is currently preparing the Sudbury Town Centre Redevelopment SPD and will consult the public, in accordance with the Statement of Community Involvement (link), on the draft SPD once completed.