Effective community engagement in local development planning: guidance

Acronyms/Glossary/Key Words

Glossary / Key Words

The definitions in the glossary are not intended to be the only ones available but are written for the likely users of this guidance and for the meaning intended within this guidance.

A

• Adopted – for a local development plan, being ‘adopted’ means it has completed the process for the making of a plan. The Adopted Plan is the final agreed version and forms part of the legal development plan for decision making purposes. Before adoption the plan is called a ‘Proposed Plan’ and is not part of the statutory development plan.

B

• Balanced and objective information – information that is not one-sided, where other views have been considered, and where personal feelings are set aside.

C

• Community bodies – established community councils and bodies which must have a written constitution but may not necessarily be incorporated. Further information in the Local Place Plans guidance.
• Community engagement – an umbrella term for all levels of participation.
• Consultation fatigue – experienced by communities being asked about, or engaging on, similar matters many times. This can be prevalent where communities do not see positive change happening as a result. This can make people less willing to take part in future engagement.

D

• Discrimination/discriminated – where the enjoyment of people’s rights, freedoms and protected characteristics are not respected. Detailed within the ECHR Article 14.

E

• Elected members – Councillors who are directly elected by the residents of the areas they represent. Further information about Councillors’ roles, conduct and pay.
• Equality – the state of being equal, especially in status, rights, opportunities, or outcomes. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) states that: “Equality is about ensuring that every individual has an equal opportunity to make the most of their lives and talents, and believing that no one should have poorer life chances because of where, what or whom they were born, or because of other characteristics. Equality recognises that historically, certain groups of people with particular characteristics e.g. those of certain races, disabled people, women and gays and lesbians, have experienced discrimination”.

H

• Human Rights - the basic rights and freedoms that belong to every person in the world, from birth until death. They apply regardless of where you are from, what you believe, or how you choose to live your life. In Britain, our human rights are protected by the Human Rights Act 1998. The Scottish Government is committed to promoting and protecting human rights.

I

• Impact assessments – for local development plans, this is work undertaken to understand and minimise or enhance the likely effects of the plan.
• Implementation – delivery, the actions taken to make a policy or proposal happen.

K

• Key agencies – set out in regulations, these are organisations who are required to be involved in different aspects of the planning system. Further information in Planning: Key Agencies Group.

L

• Local Authority – Councils across Scotland responsible for local public services. For this guidance also including National Park Authorities, which have planning system responsibilities as well.
• Local development plan – a plan in which it is set out, for land in the part of the district to which it relates:
  • a spatial strategy, being a detailed statement of the planning authority's policies and proposals as to the development and use of the land
  • such other matters as may be prescribed
  • any other matter which the planning authority consider it appropriate to include.

It forms part of the statutory development plan. Further information in the Local development planning guidance.

• Local Place Plan – Community-led plans setting out proposals for the development and use of land. Further information in the Local Place Plans guidance.

M

• Mediation – This is a method of exploring, resolving, or reducing disagreement between people. Further information in Circular 2/2021 Guidance on the Promotion and Use of Mediation in the Scottish Planning System.

N

• National Standards for Community Engagement – good-practice principles designed to improve and guide the process of community engagement, prepared by the Scottish Community Development Centre.

P

• Participate – when people are involved in and contribute to engagement.
• Participant – a person who takes part in engagement.
• Place Principle – a formal agreement between the Scottish Government and COSLA that sets out a way of working to encourage better collaboration and community involvement, and to improve the impact of combined energy, resources, and investment. Based on a shared understanding of place, this approach promotes working together to achieve better results for people and communities. Further information in the Place Principle: introduction.
• Planning authority – Every council / local authority in Scotland and National Park Authority is also a planning authority, which means that they have legal responsibilities relevant to planning. The planning powers of the National Park Authorities are slightly different to each other, and to the planning authorities which are also local authorities.
• Planning Law – The Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 is the main law relating to planning. There are other planning laws and regulations, but this guidance is not about them.
• Practitioner – someone working to provide benefits of a profession or topic area, for example a health practitioner could be a nurse and a place practitioner could be a town planner or urban designer.
• Protected Characteristics – The Equality Act 2010 contains a general duty requiring all relevant public authorities to have regard to eliminating discrimination, harassment, and victimisation; advancing equality of opportunity; and fostering good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not. There are nine protected characteristics. These are:
  • age
  • disability
  • gender reassignment
  • marriage or civil partnership
  • pregnancy and maternity
  • race
  • religion or belief
  • sex
  • sexual orientation.
• Public sector equalities duties – the Equality Act 2010 Section 149 puts a duty on listed public authorities, and other persons when exercising public functions, to have due regard to the need to:
  • eliminate discrimination, harassment and victimisation and any other conduct that is prohibited under the act
  • advance equality of opportunity between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and those who do not
  • foster good relations between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and those who do not.

Q

• Quick reference – the information is not intended to be detailed.

S

• Seldom heard – people and groups that can’t, aren’t, or don’t usually get involved in engagement.
• Spectrum of Participation – a registered framework for engagement.
• Stakeholders – communities, people and organisations who are interested in the local development plan or topics that may be included in it. Further information available from the International Association for Public Engagement.