Consultation response to Local living and 20 minute neighbourhoods draft planning guidance – July 2023

The CLD Standards Council has responded to the Scottish Government’s consultation on Local living and 20 minute neighbourhoods: draft planning guidance. This guidance is intended to assist and support local authorities, communities, and all others who have an interest in local living and 20 minute neighbourhoods.

The Local Living and 20 minute neighbourhood concepts aim to create places where people can meet the majority of their daily needs within a reasonable distance of their home, by walking, wheeling or cycling. They can also help communities develop into the healthy, sustainable and resilient places required to support a good quality of life and balance our environmental impact.

This guidance is a significant and welcomed positive development for Scotland’s communities and economy, however it was felt there were a substantial number of areas in which it could be further developed to fully support meaningful engagement with our communities across Scotland. Among others things it needs to recognise the weighty investment that will be required, as well as instruct and inform policy regarding the significant role that CLD as a sector, a profession and a practice will take for the successful roll out of these approaches. We know CLD offers the learning and development opportunities to ensure communities that are inclusive, empowered, resilient and safe, to tackling poverty by sharing opportunities, wealth and power more equally, and we are working collaboratively to make Scotland’s National Outcomes a reality, however it is clearly not recognised or acknowledged and we are asking for this to be changed.

Please read our full response which was compiled following consultation with members of the CLD Standards Council, the staff team and partner organisations.