Local Place Plans are a way for local communities to think about how to make their place better, to agree priorities, and to take action (often working with others) to make change happen. They are community-led, and identify proposals for the development or use of land and buildings in the local area. The Highland Council has been encouraging communities throughout the Highlands to consider a Local Place Plan, prioritising what they would like to see happen in their communities in the future. This allows The Highland Council and other agencies to understand the opportunities for investment, and requirements for land use, and budget spend throughout the area.
The Community Councils of Arisaig, Morar and Mallaig have agreed to work together on producing a Local Place Plan; recognising the relationship between the three communities, and the shared services such as the High School, Leisure Facilities, the Mackintosh Centre etc.
A ‘notification of intent’ to produce a Local Place Plan has now been submitted, with the Road to the Isles Facilities Group, as the organisation which covers all three communities, as the lead applicant.
In addition to identifying requirements for land use, a Local Place Plan for Arisaig, Morar and Mallaig could also:
- Identify opportunities for Community Groups to work towards shared goals, including projects independent of Highland Council involvement.
- Reduce duplication and improve efficiency through greater collaboration between groups.
- Clearly define the roles and responsibilities of each group.
- Use the community engagement process to identify small-scale projects that can be delivered quickly and easily.
- Explore the potential for creating a Development Officer role to support project delivery
However, WE NEED YOUR HELP to make a Local Place Plan for the area relevant. Over the next few weeks, we will be putting together a community engagement plan. This will include public events about the Local Place Plan, and also individual sessions with various groups and organisations. What do you want to see happen locally in the short, medium and longer term? Do we need more housing; more business space; better travel connections? Can we make better use of some of the existing buildings or facilities in the area?
As communities, we have already achieved a huge amount, with massive volunteer effort over a long number of years. This is evident in Mallaig Pool and Leisure; Morar Games Field; Arisaig Community Trust’s new housing project; Mallaig and Morar Community Centre; Mallaig Heritage Centre; the Land, Sea and Islands Centre; and community ownership of all the public toilets locally. Even West Word is a community venture, set up 30 years ago to connect our West Lochaber communities. A Local Place Plan will identify what the next major projects are, but also what the little things are that would make life better in Arisaig, Morar and Mallaig, and could be achieved quickly and with a relatively small budget.
Please get involved; encourage any groups that you are part of to engage with the process, and contribute individually. We hope to start the process by having information at both the Arisaig and Mallaig and Morar Highland Games, before setting out a timetable for engagement from August onwards.
If you would like to know more about the process, there is lots of information on The Highland Council website, www.highland.gov.uk/localplaceplans. We have also set up a dedicated email address mallaig.morar.arisaig@gmail.com so please feel free to email any queries, offers of support, or requests for us to come and engage with your group.