Planning Aid Scotland

16/06/2026

During her recent visit to Shetland, our Projects & Training Officer Diane Cassidy met with 10 community groups actively preparing their Local Place Plans.

Travelling by campervan across Mainland Shetland, Yell, Unst and Fetlar, Diane spent time with each group to hear about their progress and provide practical support shaped around their needs.

A great deal of volunteer time, local knowledge and practical skill lie behind this work. Local groups are leading conversations, gathering views, identifying priorities and thinking carefully about what they want their places to be like in the future.

In the photo, Lucy Cummings from Fetlar Community Council takes part in a discussion about Fetlar’s Local Place Plan.

We are delivering this capacity-building programme alongside Shetland Islands Council, helping communities develop plans that reflect their aspirations.

Read our blog about Diane’s visit and the work taking place across Shetland: https://www.pas.org.uk/news/local-place-plans-in-shetland/

12/06/2026

Last week, a group of our volunteers came together to explore community engagement – what works, what doesn’t, and the principles that underpin good practice.

What did participants take away from the session?

✔️An understanding of power dynamics within groups and how to manage them
✔️How to deal with conflicting voices
✔️The skills a facilitator needs to run a successful community engagement event
✔️Learning how to lead the conversation
✔️Building confidence for the future
✔️Community engagement from a planning perspective

"It was great to see how much everyone was reflecting on their own experiences and contributions, learning from each other just as much as they were learning from us.”

A huge thank you to everyone who joined us!

This year, to mark Volunteers’ Week, we hosted an in-person workshop focussed on an area volunteers often tell us they want to develop: community engagement

10/06/2026

Heritage is often spoken about as historic, fixed or belonging to the past. For many communities, it is also part of the present, found in the buildings, landscapes, streets, paths and landmarks that shape everyday life.

Today, our Chief Executive Cherie Morgan is speaking at Scotland’s Historic Environment Forum about how communities can have a more meaningful say in the future of the historic places and assets they value.

04/06/2026

This , join us in getting to know some of the people at the heart of Planning Aid Scotland, our volunteers!

Meet Graham, Arushee, David and Eric who have supported us across many projects:

⭐ Giving planning advice
⭐ Supporting community engagement activities
⭐ Developing content for our Graduate Training Scheme
⭐ Helping to organise our Digital Mapping Hackathon
⭐ And much more!

Read their stories and find out more about volunteering with Planning Aid Scotland: https://bit.ly/MeetVolBlog

02/06/2026

To celebrate , we hosted a training event for Planning Aid Scotland volunteers.

The event focused on facilitation and community engagement skills, giving volunteers a chance to come together, network, and build practical skills to support both their volunteer roles and wider professional practice.

"We wanted to organise something that would not only celebrate our volunteers but also provide something extra to support their professional development. Community engagement skills is a topic that often comes up, so we focused on exploring some of the underlying principles and skills to build confidence when working with communities.

At the end of the day, our volunteers are integral to our work and we wanted to express our gratitude for their support."

— Jo Elston, Volunteer Coordinator

Thank you to everyone who joined us and to all our volunteers across Scotland! 🙌

01/06/2026

From 1 June 2025 to now, nearly 70 Planning Aid Scotland volunteers have collectively given over 430 hours of their time and completed over 200 hours of training.

Our volunteers have:

➡️Supported our Advice Service by answering enquiries and mentoring licentiate planners

➡️Delivered training sessions

➡️Offered ongoing support to community groups developing Local Place Plans, active travel plans, and more

➡️Helped review the status of Local Place Plans across Scotland

All of this represents work we simply couldn't have done without you – so thank you for helping us reach and support more people across Scotland.

27/05/2026

Only two weeks to go until our Community Engagement Skills Training in Inverness. A few places are still available for this practical, in-person workshop with Planning Aid Scotland.

Inverness: 10 June 2026
Full-day workshop
Cost: £275
Book your place: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/community-engagement-skills-training-inverness-tickets-1981584551737?aff=oddtdtcreator

The session is designed for people who plan, deliver or support engagement as part of their work.

You will explore how to:
• Plan, deliver and evaluate engagement activities
• Work with local communities
• Make participation more inclusive and meaningful
• Use the SP=EED framework to shape engagement at different levels
• Apply facilitation techniques in practice

Upcoming sessions:

Glasgow: 30 September 2026
Book here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/community-engagement-skills-training-glasgow-tickets-1981585078312?aff=oddtdtcreator

Edinburgh: 10 March 2027
Book here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/community-engagement-skills-training-edinburgh-tickets-1990391194643?aff=oddtdtcreator

21/05/2026

We recently attended the Homebuilding & Renovating Show in Glasgow, where our staff and volunteers offered free one-to-one planning advice to visitors.

People asked about self-build projects, extensions, conversions and planning permission. These short conversations helped them better understand their options and feel more confident about what to do next.

Find out more and take a look at more photos from the day: https://www.pas.org.uk/news/planning-advice-homebuilding-renovating-show-glasgow/

20/05/2026

The spring issue of the RTPI Scotland Scottish Planner features an update from our Chief Executive Cherie Morgan on P8.

"What has been genuinely inspiring is hearing about the work happening in communities across Scotland. I’ve heard about passionate people who are bringing their community together to inspire change."

You can read the full article online: www.rtpi.org.uk/media/423dpeof/204_sp_spring26_final.pdf

20/05/2026

⭐FREE interactive workshop on facilitation and community engagement skills⭐

To celebrate we are inviting our volunteers to a free in-person training and networking session on Monday 1 June in Edinburgh.

This is a chance to come together, meet other volunteers and build practical skills that can support you in your volunteering role and wider professional practice.

- Learn facilitation and community engagement skills
- Explore best practice and get practical tips
- Build confidence for working with communities
- This session can be counted towards your CPD

We look forward to seeing you there! Please check your emails or contact [email protected] for more information and the registration link.