Prolonged periods of lockdown during the pandemic transformed the way many people lived, with one key change being a new-found appreciation for services within local communities. So the focus on the ‘20-minute neighbourhood’ within the latest iteration of the Scottish Government’s National Planning Framework is well timed.
However, while Savills is broadly supportive of the concept, it is vitally important that planning authorities apply a place-based approach and this is perhaps particularly pertinent in more rural areas.
20-minute neighbourhoods have been adopted successfully in cities across the world, including Melbourne, Paris and Barcelona, but Scotland is the first nation to adopt it as part of a countrywide approach to spatial planning. Definitions of what a 20-minute neighbourhood looks like vary but, to date, the concept has been defined as a people-centred approach to urban design and planning. At its simplest, a 20-minute neighbourhood would allow residents to meet the vast majority of their day-to-day needs, including shopping, leisure activities, schools, healthcare and access to green space within a 20-minute walk or cycle from their home.
NPF4 sets out ambitious targets for Scotland in 2050 based upon four aims: net zero emissions; a wellbeing economy; better, greener places; and resilient communities which incorporate the concept of 20-minute neighbourhoods. The Scottish Government believes that 20-minute neighbourhoods would help to promote an infrastructure-first approach to community development, while improving health and wellbeing and helping the country to achieve zero carbon living.
Given the geography and scale of Scotland, it is unrealistic to expect rural areas to deliver all services to all people. And if we are to achieve the repopulation of some of Scotland’s rural areas, we must ensure that current and future residents can reasonably easily access services, without adversely affecting the viability of development sites: placing inappropriate burdens on rural development proposals risks the impact of slowing down much needed housing delivery.
For example, in more remote locations, central service provision based in the closest village could feed into outlying housing clusters, reflecting a typical Scottish settlement pattern. This would support a longer-term aim of repopulating rural areas.
In June last year, an in-depth report demonstrated how three simple adjustments could be made to tailor the policy for the Highlands and Islands: embracing sustainable transport rather than simply walking and cycling; treating 20 minutes as a target rather than a requirement; and ensuring the language and tone of the policy encompasses rural as well as urban Scotland.
One topical example of a 20-minute neighbourhood success story in Scotland is Tornagrain, developed by Moray Estates. Described as ‘an enduring and sustainable town that builds on the architectural and planning traditions of Scotland and the Highlands’, it has been designed with quality of life as its primary consideration.
‘Smart Clachans’ are another solution that respond to depopulation and climate change. Based on the traditional Scottish clachan of a close-knit community with shared barns and vegetable-growing areas, the Smart Clachan combines the built form of a traditional rural settlement with affordable housing and shared facilities, such as heating, electric vehicles, cooperative growing spaces and a community work hub.
Meanwhile Rural Housing Scotland is currently looking into its development in Uist and at Comrie Croft. The aim is for these developments to utilise community-led, cooperative housing models such as co-housing or collective self-build.
These examples demonstrate what can be achieved through a rural interpretation of the 20-minute neighbourhood concept. If we want to encourage people to live more locally, then rural estates are well placed to play their part through, for example, the provision of rural homes, connecting paths and cycle routes, shared community facilities and the sale of local produce. They are frequently at the heart of their communities. The application of NPF4 through local planning policy will need to provide for the co-ordination of developments to help estates play ever more positive roles in delivering sustainable economic growth in rural Scotland.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)