Local living and 20 minute neighbourhoods: draft planning guidance - Page 1 of 5 - Scottish Government

Questions

The fourth National Planning Framework (NPF4) sets out a clear commitment to think differently about our places, putting climate and nature at the forefront, tackling long standing challenges and inequalities, and leading the transition to stronger, greener, fairer and healthier communities across Scotland.

A key element of this agenda is the need to plan, design and deliver places that support local living and 20 minute neighbourhoods, where people can meet the majority of their daily needs within a reasonable distance of their home.

Local living can support our health and wellbeing, tackle inequality, increase climate resilience and deliver vibrant local economies. Providing better access to more of the services and facilities that people need on a daily basis can reduce the need to travel unsustainably, increase opportunities for social connections and help to build a positive sense of belonging and community resilience.

Delivering local living and 20 minute neighbourhoods requires an understanding of the specific context of a place. Whatever the context - cities, town, village, rural and island communities - the views and interests of local people must be at the forefront of the decisions made about a place. Local living and the 20 minute neighbourhood concept should respond to the assets, opportunities and needs of a place. It is a flexible approach rather than a template and does not restrict movement or impose boundaries, but rather is a way of supporting communities to have more of their daily needs met locally, enabling healthy and sustainable lifestyles.

The guidance document provides further detail to support the NPF4 policy framework on Local Living and 20 minute neighbourhoods. It aims to encourage, promote and facilitate the application of the Place Principle and create connected and compact neighbourhoods which prioritise environmental, social and economic sustainability.

The guidance is intended to assist and support planning authorities, communities and others with an interest in local living and 20 minute neighbourhoods. It is expected to be of particular relevance in the preparation of Local Development Plans (LDPs), Local Place Plans (LPPs) and to support planning decision making. Planning authorities are expected to consider how the guidance can be applied in a proportionate and place-based way and to use their discretion in deciding which components of the advice are relevant to their processes.

This guidance sets out:

the benefits and context for local living and 20 minute neighbourhoods
what local living looks like - the key considerations of local living and 20 minute neighbourhoods
ways to support the delivery of local living and 20 minute neighbourhoods, including case studies

'local living' and '20 minute neighbourhood' definitions 'local living' and '20 minute neighbourhood' definitions

Local Living

Local living provides people with the opportunity to meet the majority of their daily needs within a reasonable distance of their home.

20 minute neighbourhoods

The 20 minute neighbourhood concept is one method of supporting local living.

The 20 minute neighbourhoods concept aims to provide access to the majority of daily needs within a 20 minute walk, wheel or cycle.

1. How helpful is part 1 of the guidance in furthering the understanding of local living and 20 minute neighbourhoods in a Scottish context?

Part 1 - Local living, the benefits of local living and 20 minute neighbourhoods. Part 1 - Local living, the benefits of local living and 20 minute neighbourhoods.

Part 1 of the guidance explains that local living and 20 minute neighbourhoods in Scotland have the potential to contribute to global, national as well as local goals around climate action, decreased health inequalities, improved local economy and improved liveability/quality of life.

It explains how local living and 20 minute neighbourhoods can be a means of tackling the interrelated environmental, social and economic challenges we face in Scotland through the alignment with policy context, the place context and the rural and island contexts.

More information can be found in part 1 of the guidance document

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2. How helpful is the framework diagram in encouraging flexible, place-based approaches to support local living?

Chart, sunburst chart The Framework sets out 14 key themes, derived from the Place Standard tool, grouped into 5 overarching categories as the key considerations for local living. The categories are; Movement; Space; Resources; Civic, Stewardship.

Part 2 of draft guidance - local living framework diagram Part 2 of draft guidance - local living framework diagram

20 minute neighbourhoods are one method of achieving 'local Living' and the benefits that flow from it. The way in which 'local living' works will vary from place to place and should evolve, over time as a result of place-based activity with communities and across sectors.

The local living framework diagram was developed to support and encourage the type of flexible, place-based approach when considering the daily needs in a place that supports local living - whilst avoiding tick box approaches.

More information can be found in part 2 of the guidance document.

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3. Looking at part 2 of the draft guidance: how helpful are the 'categories' and ‘key considerations for local living’ that are captured within this part of the document?

Part 2: Categories and key considerations Part 2: Categories and key considerations

The categories - Movement, Space, Resources, Civic, and Stewardship and the related key considerations support the local living framework and are detailed in part 2 of the guidance. They provide detail on the important issues that should be considered and where appropriate, addressed for successful local living.

More information can be found in part 2 of the guidance document.

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4. How helpful is the proposed 'structured approach' for use?

A structured approach to delivering local living. A structured approach to delivering local living.

Part 3 of the draft guidance offers a structured approach that can assist with delivering local living. Three 'key steps' are detailed that can be repeated for incremental change. These are:

understand context - understanding the context of the place through the use of quantitative and qualitative information
collaborate, plan, design- developing collaborative models of working to inform place-based planning and design processes
implement and review - aligning investment, developing delivery capacity and supporting new ways of working

More information can be found in part 3 of the guidance document.

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5. Does part 3 of the guidance clearly communicate the importance of both qualitative and quantitative data in establishing a baseline for a place?

Part 3 - Ways to support local living and 20 minute neighbourhoods; key step 1 - understand the context Part 3 - Ways to support local living and 20 minute neighbourhoods; key step 1 - understand the context

Part 3 of the draft guidance offers a structured approach to support local living. Three 'key steps' are detailed that can be repeated for incremental change.

Key step 1: Understand context - understanding the context of the place through the use of quantitative and qualitative information.

This step explains that gaining a full understanding of the context of a place, at the outset, is critical for forming a baseline and for understanding a place.

This part of the guidance aims to communicate and emphasise that while quantitative data is important in this regard, the gathering of qualitative information and the way in which this informs action is equally as critical.

More information can be found in part 3 of the guidance document.

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6. How helpful is the 'collaborate, plan, design' section of part 3 in supporting collaborative practices?

Part 3 - Ways to support local living and 20 minute neighbourhoods - key step 2 - collaborate, plan, design Part 3 - Ways to support local living and 20 minute neighbourhoods - key step 2 - collaborate, plan, design

This section explains the context for the delivery of local living and 20 minute neighbourhoods beyond planning mechanisms. .

Local living requires input from a broad range of stakeholders and a cross sector commitment to collaborative working, informing place based planning and design. It involves coordination across investment plans and opportunities and the bringing together of the knowledge and skills of different organisations and sectors.

More information can be found in part 3 of the guidance document.

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7. How helpful is the 'implement and review' section of part 3 in assisting the delivery of collaborative approaches to support local living?

Part 3 - Ways to support local living and 20 minute neighbourhoods - key step 3 - implement and review Part 3 - Ways to support local living and 20 minute neighbourhoods - key step 3 - implement and review

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

This is the stage at which the action identified in the previous steps could be taken forward or planned for.

This section of the guidance explains that while a number of cross government policies, strategies and investments are aligned to support local living and 20 minute neighbourhoods, there needs to be a cross sectoral alignment of knowledge, skills and resources, local knowledge, insights and capacity to maximise the benefits of local living.

The 'trip chain' diagrams in this section demonstrate the issues that can arise for local services when decisions about key infrastructure are made and local living is not prioritised.

More information can be found in part 3 of the guidance document.

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8. Looking at part 4 of the draft guidance: do the case studies provide a useful and appropriate range of examples of good practice?

More information More information

The case studies in part 4 of the document are included to demonstrate real place-based action being undertaken that helps support local living and 20 minute neighbourhood principles.

More information can be found in part 4 of the guidance document.

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9. Looking at the impact assessment update report: do you have any views about the initial conclusions of the impact assessment update report that accompany and inform this guidance?

More information More information

The impact assessment report update relates to the draft guidance on local living and 20 minute neighbourhoods, produced to support the fourth National Planning Framework (NPF4).

Local living and 20 minute neighbourhoods are included within the policy framework of NPF4, adopted by Scottish Ministers on 13th February. The concept of local living and 20 minute neighbourhoods is intended to support places where people can meet the majority of their daily needs within a reasonable distance of their home, preferably through active travel modes or by public transport.

NPF4 was the subject of extensive consultation and parliamentary scrutiny and an Integrated Impact Assessment (IIA), involving a number of statutory and non-statutory assessments, was prepared for NPF4 and is available on the Transforming Planning website.

The policy intent and outcomes for local living and 20 minute neighbourhoods were included within this assessment process. Therefore, the impact of the policy has already been assessed and this updated report summarises key content relevant to local living and 20 minute neighbourhoods gathered as part of the previous impact assessment process. Additional content on the impacts of the draft guidance has been added where relevant or necessary.

Read the impact assessment update report.

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10. Additional information: please provide any further comments on the draft guidance document.

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