Local Place Planning

Local Place Planning

Overview

Helping communities shape the future of the places they know best.

Local Place Plans provide communities with an opportunity to influence how their places evolve and develop. They bring together local knowledge, aspirations and evidence to create a shared vision that can help inform future planning decisions.

As an independent Community Engagement Consultant, I support communities through the Local Place Planning process, designing and facilitating creative engagement that encourages participation, captures local knowledge and helps communities articulate their vision for the future.

My role is to make complex planning conversations accessible, inclusive and engaging, ensuring that the final Local Place Plan reflects the voices of the community it represents.

Representative Projects

I have supported communities and Community Councils in the development of Local Place Plans across Aberdeenshire, working alongside local residents, community organisations and local authority partners to explore how places can evolve while retaining the qualities that make them unique.

Representative projects include:

  • Westhill & Elrick
  • Bennachie Area
  • Garioch Place Plan Support

Each Local Place Plan reflects the character of its community, bringing together local knowledge with planning policy to create a shared vision for the future.

The Challenge

Planning can often feel complicated and inaccessible.

Local Place Plans provide communities with an opportunity to influence the future of their places, but developing a meaningful plan requires more than completing a document. It requires creative engagement, collaboration and the ability to translate local aspirations into a clear and evidence-based vision.




My Approach

Every Local Place Plan begins by understanding place.

👂 Listen
Understanding how people experience their community and what matters most to them.

🗺️ Explore
Creating opportunities for people to share ideas, identify opportunities and discuss local priorities through creative engagement.

✏️ Thinking Made Visible
Helping communities make sense of complex issues by capturing ideas, identifying themes and building a shared vision.

📄 Deliver
Producing an engaging Local Place Plan that clearly communicates the community's aspirations and supports future dialogue with planning authorities.

Outcomes

A successful Local Place Plan helps communities to:

  • Develop a shared vision for the future.
  • Capture local knowledge and lived experience.
  • Identify priorities and opportunities.
  • Strengthen community involvement.
  • Create evidence that can inform future planning decisions.
  • Build stronger relationships between communities and partner organisations.

Every Local Place Plan is designed to support ongoing conversations about the future of a place, helping communities become active participants in shaping where they live.

Interested in discussing a similar project?

Whether your community is preparing its first Local Place Plan or looking for independent support to engage local people, I'd be delighted to discuss how I can help create a collaborative and creative engagement process.

Let's start with a conversation.