Adopted Planning Policy Documents

Development Plan

There are a number of statutory development plans which make up the plan framework for the Island. It is this framework which guides all new development. In time, the Development Plan for the Isle of Man will be made up solely of a Strategic Plan and a number of Area Plans but for the time being consists of:

• a Strategic Plan – see www.gov.im/strategicplanning
• the Area Plan for the South – see www.gov.im/taps
• the Area Plan for the East – see www.gov.im/tape
• a number of Local Plans – see www.gov.im/localplans
• the 1982 Development Plan (where no Area or Local Plan applies) – see www.gov.im/1982DP

Further information about the documents that make up the Development Plan, including which plans relate to which areas, is available at www.gov.im/developmentplan

the Preliminary Publicity for the Area Plan for the North and West came to a close on the 10 December 2021. Cabinet Office is committed to publishing the Draft Plan in 2022. For more information please see Area Plan for the North and West.

Planning Policy Statements and Circulars

Work is ongoing to produce Planning Policy Statements (PPS) for further information please see the PPS section of the website www.gov.im/PPS. Currently one PPS has been adopted and is available to download below.

Heritage PPS

In addition, the circulars set out below remain in-force:

• 4/89 - Bulk Liquefied Petrolium Gas Installations
• 7/89 - Shop Fronts
• 8/89 - Low Density Housing in Parkland
• 3/91 – Guide to the Design of Residential Development in the Countryside
• 1/92 - Manx Hedges
• 1/93 - Landscape Guidance Notes
• 1/98 - The Alteration and Replacement of Windows

Development Orders

Very occasionally the Department will determine that there is a need to release land for development ahead of the preparation of an Area Plan.  In order to do this a Development Order is prepared. The DOs which are in force are available from the the Planning & Building Control Legislation page. 

Other Policy Work

In addition to the above, the following have been published and remain in-force.

• Interim Policy Guidance for Key Town Centre Sites in Douglas 2014
• Victoria Road Devlopment Brief 2014
• Peel East Quay Design Guide 2006

Further to the Interim Policy Guidance, which was adopted at a Departmental Level, the more recent and more detailed Douglas Town Centre Masterplan was produced. This later document builds on the guidance and has been adopted by Tynwald. 

From time-to-time Evidence Base is published, please see www.gov.im/evidencebase.