Lochaber Area Place Plan public sessions begin
The Highland Council is set to hold public drop-in sessions over four days at the end of the September and into early October 2024, to help inform the creation of an Area Place Plan for the Lochaber area. These sessions will allow the public to contribute, have their say and leave comments.
Members of the public are invited to attend the engagement drop in events which will take place as follows:
Monday 30 Sept – Fort William Library 4-7pm
Tuesday 1 October – Fort William Library 11am-4pm
Thursday 3 October – Mallaig Library 5-8pm
Tuesday 8 October – Ardnamurchan Library 12-4pm
In attendance on the day will be members of the Community Support and Engagement Team who will be on hand to greet people as they arrive and ensure their opinions are captured and reflected within the data gathered.
An online survey and ideas board will go live on Monday 30 September and will remain live until 31 October 2024. The survey will be available from the following link here (external link)
Lochaber Area Committee Chair, Cllr Kate Willis said: “Area Place Plans (APP) are important for Lochaber as they are community led plans, offering the opportunity to shape the vision, ambition and key priorities for both people and place across Lochaber. They help to target resources, service delivery and with clear area specific plans, assist in attracting investment.
“I encourage as many local residents as possible across Lochaber to take the opportunity to drop in on one of these sessions, have a chat with the team facilitating the event, learn more about the process and leave comments for consideration in the wider APP.”
In Highland, sub-regional Area Place Plans are being developed to bring together an overview of existing strategies and projects, and making sure that a clear vision is captured of what the community aspirations are for their area.
The Plans will help The Highland Council, partners, and communities to secure funding by evidencing the impact of every pound spent and the actions associated will provide clarity and manage expectation around how and where resources are prioritised. They will also provide a stronger framework for communities to prepare plans for their own community, empowering them to drive and deliver change.
Community engagement will build a shared understanding of how ‘Place’ underpins development, service delivery and how organisations and communities work together. These plans will be a future guide to get the best impact for people living in an area, based on a shared understanding of local need.