Enabling community opportunity from Local Place Plans
Given our long history of community engagement in planning and co-design, KMA has supported the evolution of Local Place Plans in Scotland and provided advice as the initiative developed. Most recently we have been supporting this new mechanism in Cupar, where the output from our youth engagement is feeding into Cupar Development Trust’s forthcoming Local Place Plan. We are now supporting other local bodies such as Community Councils and Development Trusts in taking their plans forward.
Local Place Plans were introduced in the Planning (Scotland) Act 2019 and, although relatively few were progressed during the Covid 19 pandemic, more local communities are now looking to progress them in both urban and rural areas. LPPs are a mechanism for communities to propose how land should be used in their area, including highlighting places, such as buildings or spaces, that the community considers to be of particular significance. The plans can identify areas of potential change, promote enhancements and prioritise areas of vacant or derelict land for new uses and activities.
Although derived from traditional planning with its focus on land, their flexibility means they can usefully adopt a more holistic approach to embrace the local economy, social considerations and health outcomes. All these community aspirations can be captured and expressed in an appropriate spatial illustration.
Although they are to be developed in partnership with local authorities, LPPs should be community–led, with many community bodies now being actively encouraged to do so by their Councils. One of the key advantages of LPPs compared with the past is that once a plan has been registered by the local council, it becomes a material consideration in their development management, including the determination of planning applications.
There are criteria that Place Plans need to fulfil including: compliance with legal requirements; belonging to the community; expressing a clear vision for the future; incorporating a spatial plan and action points; promoting proposals that are realistic and deliverable; supporting community empowerment and reflecting local community boundaries.
Plans will undoubtedly vary from community to community, reflecting the features and issues of each place and the people who live and work there. While the focus for LPPs is on community–led change, there is also scope to include aspirational projects which may require input from the public, private and third sectors. Some communities already have existing strategies that they can revisit and update, while for others it is a chance to set out fresh visions and priorities. Developing an LPP allows communities to think and plan together, then formally feed their visions into the local authority’s planning framework.
At KMA we have been reviewing how we can best support community organisations to deliver Local Place Plans (LPPs) that properly reflect communities’ aspirations. We can offer assistance in the creation of LPPs through:
Help in understanding what Local Place Plans offer, whether they are right for individual communities, and a route map to deliver them.
Support identifying and applying for funding to develop Local Place Plans
Policy research and the gathering of baseline data
In person and online community engagement through the process, to ensure that the output accurately reflects the vision of the people who live there
Planning and urban design expertise, including mapping and website design
Action and delivery planning, including looking at funding and organisational capacity
KMA are happy to offer assistance in the preparation of funding submissions, and to support organisations looking to source match funding, if required. If your community organisation is interested in exploring opportunities around Local Place Plans, please contact us here.