Highland Local Development Plan
Local living in Highland
Local living aims to provide people with the opportunity to meet the majority of their daily needs within a reasonable distance of their home.
We have developed a local living tool to help judge how well Highland places meet the principles of local living. The tool plots the location of a variety of services for example shops, parks, leisure and learning and the accessibility to these services within a ten minute walking distance.
The places included are Highland's largest settlements that have boundaries in our existing area local development plans (LDPs) and some smaller settlements, known as 'growing settlements' in our LDPs. Consideration is being given to how the tool could be used for more rural areas of Highland.
This tool forms an important part of the evidence base for the future Highland Local Development Plan. It is also a material consideration in the determination of planning applications.
The development of the tool included a public consultation that took place in summer 2024. The tool was updated in November 2024 to take account of the outcomes of the consultation.
Read the notes on the development of the tool.
Contact the Development Plans Team if any assistance is required.