Local living and 20 minute neighbourhoods: planning guidance

Part 3 – ways to support local living and 20 minute neighbourhoods

Structuring the approach

In delivering local living, whether through the planning system or more broadly, three key steps are recommended:

1. understand context - understanding the context of the place through the use of quantitative and qualitative information

2. collaborate, plan, design - developing collaborative models of working to inform place based planning and design processes

3. implement and review - aligning investment, developing delivery capacity, and supporting new ways of working

Delivering local living will most often be part of an incremental approach aimed at achieving a long-term vision for a place. Good places evolve over time and the above steps may be repeated as part of an ongoing, iterative process.

Understand context

To improve, develop and change a place, or in the design and delivery of new places, gaining a thorough understanding of the context is the starting point.

This can be developed through the study of the unique circumstances and characteristics of a place, including but not limited to:

• the settlement patterns
• the density and scale
• connectedness or remoteness
• population increase or decline
• historical, natural, physical, and social assets
• existing resources, services, and facilities
• where gaps are and improvements needed
• any changes that are planned

Much of this information is gathered as part of the LDP process. Planning authorities are required to prepare an Evidence Report that forms the foundations of the LDP, its quality and effectiveness. The Local Development Planning Guidance details the process and legislative requirements, including expectations around engagement to inform the evidence report, with a step-by-step guide and evidence tables prepared for each policy area, including local living and 20 minute neighbourhoods.

Once gathered, this information can be used to develop proposals at different levels that support local living, including informing:

• the preparation of LDPs
• the development of strategic briefs for masterplans
• the project briefs for individual development proposals

Data can help us to understand the context of our places. Both quantitative and qualitative data will be useful, so that local views can be considered alongside mapping, statistics, and numbers. This is more likely to allow inequalities issues to be highlighted and considered.

This guidance suggests the use of digital mapping, GIS, and the Place Standard tool but a variety of other tools can be used. These include multiple data sources that can be layered and cross referenced to offer valuable information about a place, enhancing the range and depth of information and furthering understanding of community perspectives.

The following types of data can be utilised to build the picture of a place and in the measure of progress:

Quantitative data

Quantitative data gathering in relation to local living is a way of identifying and mapping what already exists to meet people's daily needs sustainably by assessing existing, previous, and future land uses, transport connections and patterns of behaviour. This often involves spatial mapping and digital resources such as GIS (Geographic Information Systems) and includes:

• whether there is provision of facilities, services, and amenities required for daily life
• whether they can be accessed within reasonable distance using active and sustainable travel modes, and at times that are convenient

Some of the facilities, services, and amenities will be buildings or places that people visit and can therefore be located precisely using GIS mapping, for example, schools, play parks, allotments, food shops, and GP surgeries. Other quantitative data important to consider in delivering local living includes:

• access to work: local employment opportunities can take many forms including working for locally based businesses and industries, working from home, utilising local office and workshop space, co-working space, and business support functions
• access to housing: the availability of a range of housing mix, including different sizes, types, and tenures in an area is an important consideration for supporting local living. Good data on existing housing stock, housing needs and demands supports planning in the delivery of good quality housing of appropriate types, and at appropriate scales and densities. In rural and island areas, ensuring access to housing can help tackle rural depopulation, and enable people to remain in their community as they grow older
• access to digital services: with digital technology advancement, the provision of services using digital methods and means is increasing and becoming increasingly vital in supporting remote/home working and wider businesses. Whilst digital service provision has benefits for communities and service providers, it can also exclude some people. It is therefore important to think about not only what service provision is available digitally but who has access and how this affects access to opportunities or reinforces inequalities
• access to transport and connectivity: mapping can provide data on the location, type, and frequency of sustainable transport options, walking, wheeling, and cycling distances to key destinations, and patterns of car use. It is a good way to support analysis on transport provision and connectivity of a place within and outwards to adjoining places, and can help to identify gaps in connections, or plan future transport links
• access to, and quantity of, green and blue infrastructure, open space and play opportunities, recreation, and sport facilities: Open space strategy and play sufficiency assessment work undertaken by planning authorities is likely to provide useful data in relation to these matters
• Consideration of climate risks, particularly flooding: mapping can be used to fully inform how our places could evolve over time in response to the changing climate, and the risk this poses at a local scale
• Population health including physical activity, life expectancy; weight, cardiovascular and respiratory-related diseases, and mental health

Digital mapping can also be used alongside other datasets such as Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD), Census data and many other national and local spatial datasets to form a more holistic understanding of the context of a place.

It is important to remember to apply the 20 minute journey time proportionately according to local context and circumstances. Some communities will be more suited to a closer application of the 20 minute journey time than others. What matters more is identifying appropriate options alongside local people for enabling local liveability by improving convenience and sustainable access.

The realities of longer travel times and distances in rural and island locations, and expectations of accessibility, may differ from more densely populated areas. Digital mapping can be useful in providing various scenarios to help inform and engage communities about access to daily needs and support local living.

Qualitative data

Qualitative data includes gathering the views of the local community, businesses, and service providers in an area. This can provide an important picture of the experience of people living within an area and their views on the quality of the local environment and accessibility of local facilities, services, and amenities. Tools such as the Place Standard and other community engagement processes are particularly important and useful in helping to harness qualitative data, and to capture the picture of lived experience in a place.

Qualitative research into previous land uses on vacant or proposed sites can enhance the understanding of the history of a place, including past uses with any historical or cultural significance related to the heritage of a place. It can help with managing expectations for a site based on the possible condition of the land, helping to inform site briefs, masterplanning, development planning and design references.

When considering local living, it is important not only to capture information on the range, diversity, and access to daily needs within an area, but also to understand how good they are, including the extent to which services meet local needs and the experience involved in accessing them.

For example:

• there may be shops, but are they affordable and providing for daily needs?
• Services and facilities may be accessible, but are the routes to them safe and attractive? Does the quality of the environment encourage people to walk, wheel, or cycle?
• are services inclusive and accessible to all members of the community? Are the services of a quality that meets the needs of the community? Are there hidden barriers that prevent some people accessing their needs?
• are the active travel routes from proposed or existing communities to anchor institutions, services or amenities severed by railway lines, the trunk road network, motorways, or other features; natural, planned, or existing. How does this impact local living principles?
• how well can places manage the effects of climate change and how readily can communities recover from extreme weather events, particularly in areas experiencing deprivation?
• has remote and flexible working helped to support local services, local enterprise, and community organisations?
• are some population groups in the community experiencing isolation or feeling well-integrated?

Qualitative information can help assess how well people's daily needs are met. Qualitative data may be more complex to gather, but it can draw out crucial information about the things in a place that are important and are contributing to the ability of a community to live well locally. Issues such as sense of pride, identity and belonging, history and culture, community aspirations, feeling safe, and having opportunities to participate effectively in community life and decision making are all important considerations in supporting local living.

Qualitative information from previous community engagement

Many communities are likely to have participated in or undertaken their own community engagement relating to the future of their places. This might be through:

• community action plans
• locality plans and other community planning exercises
• local place plans
• LDP consultations
• regeneration plans such as town centre action plans, area masterplans and community-led design processes such as charrettes
• community development initiatives
• pre-application consultation of major development proposals
• Place Standard conversations

The outputs from previous engagement exercises like these can form a helpful starting point for gathering qualitative information on the general quality of local living including people's access to daily needs, thus minimising duplication of effort and cost, and demonstrating to the community that their previous engagement was productive.

The Place Standard tool can be used to explore in more depth issues raised through previous engagement exercises or to gather and review qualitative data and information completed by individuals online or through conversations in facilitated workshops.

Qualitative data and information gathered through these sources is an essential complement to the quantitative data to create a good understanding of the place and support evidence-led, joined-up planning and design processes. This is crucial to the successful delivery of places that support local living.

Collaborate, plan, design -informed decision making and integrated processes

Collaboration

Responsibility for meeting the daily needs of people in a place they live, work or play does not fit neatly within one service, department, or sector. Local living requires input from a broad range of stakeholders and cross-sector commitment to collaborative working, maximising the use of the following:

• applying the Place Principle, eradicating silo working, aligning investment, developing delivery capacity and resources
• undertaking meaningful community engagement and participation that aligns with the National Standards for Community Engagement, to understand and shape local priorities to deliver the benefits of local living
• building an overall vision, across sectors, between local communities, local authorities, community planning partners, businesses, service providers, relevant organisations, and public sector partners, including key agencies
• embracing partnership working as a route to generating better decisions, which can help avoid unintended consequences and make effective use of limited resources
• considering long term planning for funding, maintenance and management and the role of social enterprises and local organisations to ensure decision making around funding is representative of the wider and long-term local living ambitions of the community, particularly, where funding has a short timescale spend demand

By aligning the strategies and plans of stakeholders and ensuring that place is fully embedded, this can help create a consistent approach across local plans.

Collaborative working across sectors, organisations and local authority departments during plan and design stages can also maximise opportunities for coordinating and combining investment to improve outcomes through locational choices within a plan, for example:

• climate adaptation work in a place may provide opportunities to improve active travel or deliver multifunctional greenspace and biodiversity benefits
• the location of new public buildings such as schools or local authority offices may support town centre regeneration and increase footfall for local businesses
• the clustering and concentrating of services by adjacency or co-location may reduce overall travel distances, costs, and times in accessing services, as well as delivering capital cost efficiency
• the appropriate location and density of new housing closer to existing infrastructure to improve the viability of local centres, utilising local services as well as meeting local housing needs

Particular techniques and approaches may need to be used to enable people to participate effectively in engagement activity. Careful planning and considerations given to venue choice, engagement methodology, appropriate digital support etc, will help to ensure engagement events are as inclusive as possible for everyone, including people with protected characteristics.

The Place Standard tool Inclusive Communication Toolkit and Children's and Young People's versions are designed to support inclusion and can be used to facilitate discussions about place with different population groups.

Community Learning and Development teams within local authorities already have strong links with the community within a place. Taking a corporate approach, local authorities should make use of the knowledge, experience, and contacts with groups that Community Learning and Development teams will already have to enable community level collaboration. This may also help identification of funding opportunities for community groups and can build their knowledge about the planning system.

Plan

LDPs are a fundamental tool for embedding local living and 20 minute neighbourhood principles in our places. Policy 15 of NPF4 sets out an expectation for LDPs to support local living, including 20 minute neighbourhoods within settlements.

Planning authorities are ideally placed to gather the quantitative and qualitative data that is essential to plan and deliver places that support quality local living as part of the Evidence Gathering stage of local development planning process. Such quantitative and qualitative data should be referenced by the Evidence Report, providing a sound baseline to inform the onward preparation of the LDP, thus helping to focus investment on the delivery of infrastructure, buildings and services that support sustainable places and healthy communities. This information can then help to inform the development of the appropriate spatial strategy and associated allocations of land for development, at the Proposed Plan stage.

In developing the proposed plan, options and alternatives could be used to explore how best to achieve local living in a way that responds appropriately to the context and characteristics of the plan area.

Proposal Design

LDPs should provide clear expectations for design and quality of place, taking account of the local context, characteristics, and connectivity of the area.

At masterplan and development planning level, alongside the principles of NPF4 including local living and 20 minute neighbourhoods, development proposals should be prepared in line with LDP expectations for the area. Masterplans and design proposals for individual developments should also be prepared, as appropriate, with reference to Scottish Government's Creating Places policy statement.

Development proposals should be designed with consideration of the impacts on local living overall and take action to address negative impacts that may otherwise happen.

To assist this, development proposers should be prepared to demonstrate how local living can be supported, how proposals respond to context including the existing settlement pattern, and the level and quality of interconnectivity of the proposed development with the surrounding area. NPF4 Policy 15 also sets out a list of considerations to help establish this, but it is recognised that their relevance will vary between applications and contexts.

Over time, local living will be embedded within LDPs, providing a further steer on expectations for proposals.

Local place plans

The principles of local living and 20 minute neighbourhoods will be important considerations in community-led placemaking initiatives including preparing local place plans.

The introduction of local place plans into the planning system is intended to further empower communities across Scotland to take a proactive role in influencing the decisions about their places.

Local place plans are a way for communities to achieve change in their local area by proactively feeding into development planning. Local place plans can help to communicate community aspirations for local living and means of achieving it in the local context. Planning authorities must take registered local place plans into account when preparing the LDP.

Leadership

Strong and well-informed leadership for local living will help to drive the vision for a place and the aspirations of its community to deliver improved liveability and long-term wellbeing and resilience. As evidenced in many of the recent examples of successful roll out of similar approaches across the world and detailed within the aforementioned ClimateXChange research on 20 Minute Neighbourhoods in a Scottish Context.^[11]

Implement and Review

Implement

As well as understanding context and planning accordingly, delivering local living and 20 minute neighbourhoods involves coordination across investment plans, opportunities, and organisations.

The Scottish Government has aligned its relevant policies towards supporting local living in policy areas such as Planning, Regeneration, Housing, Sustainable Transport, Community Empowerment, Climate Change, and their strategies and investment programmes that support local delivery.

Different organisations and sectors have knowledge, skills, expertise, resource, and capacity that others may not have. Some organisations, such as local authorities or regulatory bodies, also have specific statutory powers, responsibilities, or regulatory roles with regards to operation and maintenance of services and facilities.

The effective implementation is for all partners and stakeholders to come together, pool their resources, and discharge their respective responsibilities. They can work collectively to deliver the necessary services and facilities for the place and run them efficiently to support local community to live well locally. The implementation of local living provides opportunities to support community wealth building. Everyone involved in making decisions about a place should ensure that actions are informed by considering the wider impacts and capturing co-benefits.

Review

Review of data about local living may be triggered by:

• LDP preparation cycles
• significant changes in the local context
• social, economic, or environmental factors
• changes to key infrastructure provision

Review of the data will help understanding of where further action is required and allows listening and responding to feedback. Review involves revisiting and updating the assessment of context and quantitative and qualitative data, as well as taking into account emerging community plans and activity. It may mean a proportionate revisiting of the Local Living Framework (as set out in part 2 of this guidance) where it is appropriate to do so.

At planning application stage, a review may be necessary to consider whether there are any significant changes in local context as a result of a proposal. This presents opportunity to assess the need to enhance services to support local living and meet any increased demand or mitigate any negative impacts of the proposal.

For service providers it is important to ensure there is an effective review and feedback framework in order to maintain services and where necessary to adjust to meet changing needs of the community over time. The community and community organisations are central to that feedback and review given their local knowledge, insights, and relationships on the ground. It is always helpful if type and quality of provision form part of ongoing the discussion between providers and users.

Monitoring

The Local Living Framework can assist with monitoring processes for the LDP, in particular for information about the characteristics of the area. More detail on monitoring LDPs can be found in the Local Development Planning Guidance.

Whether a good standard of local living has been achieved is something to be determined locally with the people in the place. The Local Living Framework can be used to initiate fresh discussions locally about the qualities of their place which can be supported by onward discussion in more detail using the Place Standard tool and other engagement tools and methods. Revisiting these conversations with communities over time may identify where positive aspects about their place have been maintained and weaker aspects strengthened, or further actions are required to better support local living.