A planning appraisal will be made of each village and smaller settlement. This appraisal will enable the identification of the limits of development considered appropriate for the period of the plan. It is important to facilitate development by providing a choice of sites to overcome land availability or infrastructure problems. The limit of development may therefore enclose more land than is likely to be required to meet demand. The appraisal will also highlight any opportunities for regeneration and enhancement - see policy SP4. In certain circumstances sites or areas will be reserved for purposes such as industry and open space.

Generally, land will not be zoned throughout these settlements, since experience has shown that zoning can be an inflexible approach to planning small settlements where development pressure may be low. While the amount of land required to meet the estimated needs of the community may be small, there may be several locations where development would be acceptable and no certainty that any particular site would be made available for building.

District Councils and community groups have often prepared their own village studies and these have been helpful in focusing attention on the opportunities for community development. Such studies are valuable and the information gathered will be taken into account by the Department.