‘Local living’ aims to provide people the ability to meet the majority of their daily needs within a reasonable distance to their home.

The tool, being developed by the Highland Council, works by plotting the location of a variety of services including shops, greenspace, leisure, and learning. It then measures the accessibility to these services within a ten-minute walking distance and presents the findings in an easy-to-use interactive map. Local input is important to help the council refine the method that the tool uses to assess local living and the tool’s accuracy, as well as informing the council on potential approaches taken to rural areas.

Take part now here. The consultation will close on 16 August 2024.

This consultation is being run alongside the Highland Place Standard Survey consultation which has been ongoing since 20 March 2024. The Place Standard survey is gathering feedback on people’s lived experiences of Highland and what makes for a good place to live, work, play and visit. The Place Standard and Local Living consultations are complementary to each other.

Responses to the consultation will help finalise the Local Living tool for publication. The tool will then form an important part of the evidence base for the new Highland Local Development Plan.