LOCAL PLACE PLANNING

What IS A LOCAL PLACE PLAN?

Local Place Plans give local communities more influence over what happens in their area.  Their most important feature is that they are prepared by the community itself.

A Local Place Plan for Kinlochleven is our opportunity to express our ambitions for the future of our village.  

Local Place Plans are part of new planning legislation that enables communities to identify their local priorities and develop a plan to tackle them.  You can find out more about Local Place Plans on this government webpage.

More and more communities around the Highlands have started to produce Local Place Plans over the last year, like the three examples below.  Click on the images to find out more about each one; they’re all different. 

cover of Ardgour Local Place Plan - click to visit website

Ardgour

cover of Stratherrick and Foyers Local Place Plan - click to visit websitelogo for the Black Isle Local Place Plan - click on the image for more information

Stratherrick & Foyers

cover of Black Isle Local Place Plan - click to view the documente

The Black Isle

Each of those three examples is different because each of those communities has different needs. What do you think ours are?

Our Local Place Plan will cover what Kinlochleven needs. That could include housing, childcare, getting about, job opportunities, community facilities, things for younger and older people, how we organise ourselves – or other things. We don’t know yet.  It’s up to us. 

WHY BOTHER?

Now more than ever, we have the opportunity to move things forward for Kinlochleven.

If you feel like you’ve heard that before, this time is different. Why? Because this time the plan will be led by local residents, with the Council there to support us if we need them.

Although Local Place Plans are new, many communities have used similar community-led plans to good effect.  You can see what some other communities have achieved in the three examples below.

local people at the opening of Crianlarich path network

Crianlarich into Action

Crianlarich’s 2011 community action plan led to an immediate grant of £15,000 to upgrade the public toilets, a long lease of the derelict station yard in the village centre by the Council to the community for a park, picnic tables and car parking, and - after a few years of hard work - a £200,000 path network next to the village on forestry land for locals and visitors.

buildings being renovated on the town square

Huntly: Room to Thrive

The community’s 2018 plan resulted in 6 months rent free lease of a closed RBS bank on the town square as a community space. That then led to community purchase of the bank and two vacant shops on the square a year later, and their refurbishment and reopening as business premises.

Langholm Community Plan

Langholm’s 10-year Community Plan, produced in 2020, led immediately to funding for two community workers who put together the successful community buyout of the local estate from the local landowner, Buccleuch, a year later.

Generally, other communities have found that preparing a Local Place Plan can:

  • within the community and with the public and private sectors, helping things to get done rather than stuck in debate

  • for example, helping community projects to get funding

  • influencing services like ducation, health, transport and planning

Preparing a Local Place Plan takes time and effort, and there is no guarantee that everything in the Plan will happen.  But we know from the Local Place Plans being produced elsewhere in the Highlands that we have an opportunity to shape our future and expect support.  The Council is willing to listen and engage on our terms, and they are paying for our Local Place Plan to be produced.