LDP Evidence Report Local Living and 20-minute Neighbourhoods

This survey has now closed

This survey has been prepared to assist with the formulation of the Aberdeenshire Local Development Plan Evidence Report.

This questionnaire focuses on questions associated with the Local Living and 20-minute Neighbourhoods Topic Paper.

This topic paper is structured in response to National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) Policy 15. The policy intent of NPF4 Policy 15 is to encourage, promote and facilitate the application of the Place Principle and create connected and compact neighbourhoods where people can meet the majority of their daily needs within a reasonable distance of their home, preferably by walking, wheeling or cycling or using sustainable transport options. Centred on supporting people to 'live well locally', NPF4 identifies outcomes to ensure places are planned to improve local living in a way that reflects local circumstances. Successful local living delivers a network of high-quality, accessible, mixed-use neighbourhoods which support health and wellbeing, reduce inequalities and are resilient to the effects of climate change. In achieving this, new and existing communities are planned together with homes and the key local infrastructure including schools, community centres, local shops, greenspaces, health and social care, digital and sustainable transport links.

This topic paper examines the baseline evidence of relevance to Local Living and 20-minute neighbourhoods in Aberdeenshire’s forthcoming Local Development Plan (LDP) 2029. The paper provides an understanding of our context, challenges and areas where improvements are required to support Local Living, or where appropriate 20-minute neighbourhoods. It also provides an overview of datasets used to identify areas within Aberdeenshire where the 20-minute neighbourhoods concept has potential to be delivered owing to existing clusters of core facilities that support local living, and illustrates how this could be used to assess the suitability of site allocations.

It is likely that this paper will be of particular interest to communities across Aberdeenshire, and developers and landowners who may wish to consider development.

If there are matters that you do not agree with relating to the information that we have looked at, then these are termed as "disputes". While most disputes made will be resolvable by modification of the topic paper, some will persist. If you make a dispute to this paper, and we cannot agree a solution then the dispute will be referred to a Reporter in the Scottish Government Directorate of Planning and Environmental Appeals in the Spring of 2025. Otherwise comments that you may make to this paper will be analysed and where possible resolution sought before consideration by Aberdeenshire Council, probably in January 2025.

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WHILE WE DO NOT INTEND TO PUBLISH THE INDIVIDUAL SUBMISSIONS MADE, THEY WILL BECOME PART OF THE PUBLIC RECORD. ALL UNRESOLVED DISPUTES WILL BE PUBLISHED ON THE INTERNET AS PART OF THE GATECHECK EXAMINATION.