Welcome to the web site of the Gibraltar Development Plan, 2009.

The Gibraltar Development Plan was approved by the Chief Minister of Gibraltar, the Hon P Caruana, on 25 September 2009. This Plan replaces the previous 1991 Plan.

The Plan has been produced following two rounds of public consultation. The first took place in August 2007 when the Consultation Draft Plan was published. As a result of comments received during this consultation period the Draft Plan was amended and a second consultation exercise took place in April 2009 in relation to the proposed amendments. These comments were considered by the Development and Planning Commission prior to submitting the amended Plan to the Chief Minister for approval as required by statute.

The new Plan comprises a suite of inter-related documents:

• Parts I and II:
  - Part 1 - General policies - sets out planning policy in relation to variety of topics;
  - Part II - area specific policies and proposals - Gibraltar has been divided into nine land use zones and specific policies and proposals formulated for each of these.
• The Old Town Plan - although one of the above-mentioned zones, the importance and complexities of the old Town require a specific area plan. In the future other specific area plans may be produced for other zones where this is considered necessary.
• The Old Town Design Guide - provides detailed policy guidance on design within the Old Town.

To view the Plan click here.

A new feature in the plan-making process has been the carrying out of an assessment, by independent consultants, on the likely environmental effects of the Plan at a strategic level. This is known as Strategic Environmental Assessment and resulted in the publication of a Draft Environmental Report that assessed the policies and proposals contained in the Draft Plan. Subsequently, the independent consultant reviewed the Draft Environmental Report in the light of the final approved Plan. The outcome of this process was the publication of the Final Environmental Report.

Click here to view the Final Environmental Report.

In addition to the above a Post Adoption SEA Statement has been prepared that summarises how the SEA process has influenced the preparation of the Plan.

Click here to view the Statement.

The new Plan places much emphasis on improving the standard of design in all new development, whether small or large scale. It also encourages a more sustainable approach to development through energy-efficient design and use of micro-renewable energy generation, although this has to be balanced against aesthetic considerations and potential impact on surrounding users.

The new Plan also encourages the improvement of public access to the waterfront wherever the opportunity arises. In particular, development proposals on the waterfront will be required to provide waterfront promenades.

Sites throughout Gibraltar are identified for various types of development. In some cases, proposals for development of these sites is relatively well advanced and are likely to come forward early on in the life of the Plan. In other cases, development proposals have not been formulated and these sites are more likely to come on stream later in the life of the Plan.

Copies of the Gibraltar Development Plan are available for purchase from the Town Planning Division, Suite 631, Europort, Gibraltar, at a cost of £50 per copy. Alternatively, an electronic version is available on CD at a cost of £10.

Town Planning Division, Department of Enterprise and Development, Suite 631, Europort, Gibraltar. Tel: 20075483 Fax: 20074086