Background

Introduced through the Planning (Scotland) Act 2019, Local Place Plans (LPPs) give communities a formal route to propose ideas for how land should be used and developed in their area.

Shetland’s LPP Capacity Building Programme began in September 2024 with a series of in-person and online events. These sessions introduced Local Place Plans and brought together people from different communities.

A survey was used to gather information on the best ways to provide support, leading to a mix of training and mentoring sessions and a dedicated newsletter.

Next steps

The team have visited Shetland three times so far. Our most recent visit was in May 2026 when Projects & Training Officer, Diane Cassidy, spent 10 days travelling across the islands to meet with the community groups and support the next stages of plan preparation.

Our volunteers are also helping the communities to analyse engagement data, develop maps and link proposals to planning policy.

We will continue to provide support as the groups work towards the submission deadline at the end of October 2026.

Click here to read more about the Shetland project.