A Moray town is pioneering a new community planning tool that will be used to get small or large groups of residents involved in having a say about issues faced on their own back yards.
Planning for Real (PfR®) is a highly participative community planning tool that uses eye-catching 3-D modelling to assist people to work alongside service providers and key stakeholders to develop a joint action plan.
A core group of interested individuals is already meeting on a regular basis in Dufftown to bring together their own 3-D map of the town. It is a process that, over several stages, allows the drawing up of maps and organising public events that ensures people are as well informed as it can be on what is being planned in their community.
Eleanor Candy explains the concepts in an article for the next edition of the Dufftown Speirins, the town’s local newsletter: “Dufftown could benefit greatly from a community plan, a plan in which everyone in the community has the opportunity to feed into, bring ideas and projects into one place.
“This doesn’t mean current projects will be taken over by someone else – it’s more knowing what’s going on or being planned and how they can complement each other whilst also identifying issues and opportunities for Dufftown.
“By the end of the Planning for Real® process, Dufftown will have a Community Action Plan which reflects what the wider community sees Dufftown looking like in the future. This will include issues and opportunities and who could address them.”
The core group is currently meeting every Monday from 7pm to 90m in the Dufftown Community Centre and would welcome anyone interested in the project and wishes to attend.
Further information on the Planning for Real (PfR®) concepts can be found online.