Town Centre Review

Aberdeenshire Council’s Town Centre First Policy has been embedded through the decision-making process for 5 years. Views are now being sought as to how we can build on the policy and support our town centres through our decisions. Full details of the policy review can be found on Arcadia in the Town Centre First section.

The Town Centre First Policy was approved in December 2016 and allows consideration of both positive and negative implications when making decisions that impact on our town centres. Now part of the online impact assessment tool, the Town Centre Impact Assessment (TCIA) allows officers in all services to identify both the positive and negative effects that budget cuts, road closures and decisions around the removal of assets or services cause on our key town centres and how mitigating actions are put in place. Each department in the council can have an impact on the health of a town centre through the decisions they take.

Town Centres have always been at the front of Aberdeenshire Council’s priorities, Town Centres have been greatly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and at no other time has the importance of the Town Centre First Principle been as it is now. It is important to ensure that all services are working together to support our businesses, infrastructure, footfall in any policy changes or projects that are carried out.

In order to build on and shape the Town Centre First Principle for the next five years all staff are invited to share their feedback on the policy in the annual Town Centre First Principle survey on Town Centre Review | Engage Aberdeenshire. The deadline for all responses is Tuesday 31st August.