A team of 5 planners, 1 technician, a transport policy officer and an information systems officer prepare the plans and policies that guide the future use of land and buildings: for example, where and how many new houses should be built, what development should be allowed in the countryside, where new employment land should be, and so on. The team’s responsibilities include planning policy (structure and local plans and emerging strategic development plans), conservation, environmental improvement, town scheme grants and townscape heritage initiatives, transport stategy, development frameworks and briefs, statistics and information, mapping services, maintaining and developing a corporate address gazetteer and the development and application of a geographic information system. 

In addition a team of 2 landscape architects and an engineer design environmental improvement works, play areas, hard and soft landscaping schemes, etc., and give advice on tree work, particularly on protected trees and trees within conservation areas and the landscaping requirements of development proposals.

The Policy & Projects Team's key objectives are to -

• prepare and keep up to date the Development Plan for East Lothian, as required by the Town & Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 and the Planning etc. (Scotland) Act 2006
• contribute to the improvement of East Lothian's built and natural environment
• promote the integration of land use and transportation
• promote sustainable communities and help deliver the Council's 20:20 Vision
• provide an information and Corporate Address Gazeteer mapping service

The Policy & Projects Team main responibilities are to

• undertake the Council's statutory responsibilities under the Town & Country Planning (Scotland) Act, Part 2
• facilitate beneficial sustainable development across East Lothian
• provide a landscape design service that is responsive to the needs of the planning process
• provide a mapping, information and corporate address gazetteer service
• prepare the Council's Local Transport Strategy and respond to transport policy issues