On 15 May, many of our volunteers, partners, and supporters gathered in the Scottish Parliament to celebrate Planning Aid Scotland’s remarkable 30-year journey. The event was kindly sponsored and hosted by Sarah Boyack MSP and included an address by the new Minister for Public Finance, Ivan McKee.

The highlight of the event was a presentation by the Minister of the Scottish Planning Innovation Awards, with Planning Aid Scotland winning the Sustainable category as well as being named overall winner.

Top photo (left to right): Paul Ede (Planning Aid Scotland) and Annie Tordoff (formerly of Morvern Community Council) receive the award from Minister for Public Finance, Ivan McKee.

Bottom photo (left to right): Paul Ede, Annie Tordoff, John Bury (Chair, Planning Aid Scotland), Johanna Boyd (Chief Executive, Planning Aid Scotland) and the Minister, Ivan McKee.

Watch the 3-minute video above to find out more about the project

The award-winning initiative, Live Life Morvern, is a Community Vision and Action Plan created in collaboration with the Morvern peninsula community. This community-led plan was constructed with sustainability and climate resilience at its core.

Much of the project’s success can be attributed to the synergy of local leadership and external support through Planning Aid Scotland, including the strategic hiring of a local resident as a delivery associate, which further leveraged community expertise and promoted community wealth building during the consultation phase itself.

During the project, we trialled new approaches to community visioning workshops, offering a fresh take on scenario planning to tackle climate issues and to inspire participants to imagine thriving futures for Morvern. The outcome was a preferred vision that showcased sustainable land and sea-use strategies, focusing on carbon capture and environmental stewardship.

The community is now in the early stages of turning their Community Action Plan into a Local Place Plan, and we are pleased to support them in taking that next step.

Read more about Live, Life, Morvern: