Elected Member Briefing - Local Development Plan 3: The Big Place Conversation

About this briefing note

Report by: David Littlejohn, Head of Planning & Development, Communities

Date: 4 November 2022

Subject: Local Development Plan 3: The Big Place Conversation

Responsible Officer: Robert Wills, Planning Officer, Planning & Housing Strategy

Publication

This Briefing Note has been published on the Council's website following circulation to Councillors. Its contents may be disclosed or shared outwith the Council.

Details

Purpose

This briefing note is to raise awareness of the plan for up front engagement to inform the next Local Development Plan (LDP3). This is a wide-ranging engagement on place across the Planning Authority area. Councillors may be asked about the engagement and the programme will benefit from Elected Members supporting and raising awareness of engagement opportunities in their wards.

Briefing Information

Introduction: As previously highlighted in the Development Plan Scheme in November 2021, work on the new Local Development Plan (LDP3) has begun. The Planning Act 2019 has introduced a greater element of up front engagement with communities to inform the drafting of the Proposed Plan and to create a more inclusive LDP3. The intention is for a Plan that is co-created with communities and to encourage community groups to lead on engagement themselves in line with the Perth and Kinross Offer. Specific engagement will be carried out with children and young people, disabled people, minorities, older people, and Gypsy/Travellers.

Further details on the programme for engagement will be provided in the Development Plan Scheme update to the Environment, Infrastructure and Economic Development Committee on 16 November. This briefing note is to highlight the methods of engagement and to seek your support in raising awareness.

The Place Standard: The Scottish Government recommended method for early engagement is via the Place Standard tool. This consists of 14 questions covering a wide range of subject areas about a place including cultural aspects and is designed to stimulate conversation. The output is a score, comments on what is good or bad about a place and suggested improvements. It has been used by the Council widely in a broad range of engagements and by communities developing community action plans. The Place Standard will form the basis of the engagement that we will take forward in 2023 to inform LDP3.

Co-ordination: Evidence gathering for LDP3 is one of a number of engagements currently in progress or upcoming, many of which already deal with the land use aspects of place. These include the Perth People Place programme and the Mobility Strategy. Other recent engagements such as the sport and culture consultations will also inform LDP3 especially where they have used the Place Standard.

We will co-ordinate with these other engagement programmes to avoid over consulting and collaborate with other teams and communities across Perth and Kinross to tailor engagement to address consultation gaps. Information will be shared across teams and services to help inform their own strategies. A report for each place will also be publicly available which will help groups wishing to take forward their own Community Action Plans or Local Place Plans.

Local Place Plans are localised plans for the development and use of land produced by community bodies themselves. As LDP3 must take account of these, they are a valuable vehicle for communities to have a real influence on place. Information on Local Place Plans will be available on Council webpages shortly.

The Big Place Conversation: Engagement activities will consist of in-person Place Standard workshops, drop-in sessions, online workshops and we are also hoping to train community councils and representative groups wishing to carry out their own workshops with our help. An online survey version of the Place Standard will be on consultation hub which we will encourage individuals, businesses, organisations, or groups of friends to complete. LDP3 will be a ten-year plan so the engagement needs to be comprehensive. The programme has therefore been entitled The Big Place Conversation.

We are looking to bring other relevant place discussions under that umbrella and provide an easy one stop shop for viewing the consultation calendar as events are added. The first events will start in Perth in mid-January and we would seek your support in encouraging your constituents to attend events and/or complete the consultation hub survey during the programme. We will run a few workshops for Elected Members in November-December following the Development Plan Scheme update to answer any questions.