Local Place Plans
In the last few months, New Practice have been busy supporting a variety of community groups and local authorities in Scotland, both in urban and rural locations, in the planning and delivery of Local Place Plans for their areas.
Local Place Plans were introduced by the Planning (Scotland) Act 2019 with aims to increase community participation in the new Scottish planning system; they give communities the opportunity to have their say on what development within their local area could look like.
Developing a Local Place Plan is a process that encourages communities within an area to work together, understanding their priorities while supporting the building of a collective identity. The final document communicates the community’s aspirations for their area, made for and with local people. Every Local Place Plan is different, and can include specific proposals for the development and use of land, to a more general set of principles and aims for an area’s future, alongside recommendations for changes to local planning policy.
In our supporting role, we work closely with local groups to plan and deliver engagement programmes which aim at facilitating conversations with communities, stakeholders and duty-bearers, to understand the different needs and desires across the local population. A key focus for a robust Place Plan lies in efforts to bring less-heard voices into the process, ensuring a vision that goes beyond ‘usual suspects’ and incorporates the desires and needs of a diverse and rich cross section of its respective community.
We look forward to continuing our work in this rewarding process, and to ‘handing over’ a number of these Local Place Plans to their communities!
Whithorn Place Plan // credit: New Practice and Page\Park
Who is involved in the making of Local Place Plans?
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This refers to everyone who lives and works in, or visits, the area. With this term, we also consider individuals who are not part of any wider group, and who have no representative speaking on their behalf about their needs and visions for the future of their town or neighbourhood.
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This refers to anyone that has an interest in the future development of their area, from the point of view of any organisation they represent. For instance, this could be local businesses, development trusts or associations. They hold the interest of the group or business they belong to.
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This refers to key actors and partners who have the obligation or statutory duty to cater for the community they serve, for instance elected members or officers from national government, the local authority and arms-length organisations (ALEOs).
List of current clients:
Dumfries and Galloway Council
Peebles Placemaking Team
Broomhill Community Council
A Plan for Peebles // credit: New Practice