Shetland Islands Council, in co-operation with the wider Shetland Partnership, is again asking local residents for their views on a range of local topics as part of the ‘Our Place – Your Say’ project.
Last carried out in 2016, the project aims to gather opinions on 15 themed topics, including transport, housing, community safety and local facilities and services. The new survey, using the Place Standard Tool, will refresh the previous information and aims to capture a new dataset that will support future planning of public services by the Council and other public bodies.
The Place Standard Tool is a simple framework recognised nationally as a way of assessing places, including the physical and social elements of any locality. The 2016 survey in Shetland received responses from over 900 people, with nearly 5000 separate comments gathered. Data captured then helped to inform future planning by the Council, NHS Shetland, ZetTrans and other members of the Shetland Partnership.
Around two dozen communities across Shetland are also currently working on a Local Place Plan – community-led plans that set out their proposals for local development and land use. Data captured through the ‘Our Place’ project will assist in developing these and future plans.
Emma Macdonald – Leader, Shetland Islands Council, said: “We’re keen to hear from residents on their views of their local community and on all the elements of the place where they live. The Place Standard tool allows us to capture really valuable details, which will help the Council to better plan improvements in local areas. We’re keen to make sure that the local community have their say on how we prioritise the delivery of public services and also keen to refresh the previous data to assess progress.”
The survey is now available here and is open until Friday 7th March 2025.
Notes for Editors
- In June and July 2016, responses were received from over 900 people from all areas of Shetland, with almost 5,000 individual comments. The findings of the Place Standard project were shared with communities and stakeholders and have informed a range of key policies and strategies. The 2016 Place Standard final report can be found here - www.shetland.gov.uk/downloads/file/1100/shetland-place-plan
- For more details on the Place Standard tool, please look up: www.ourplace.scot/tool
- For more details on The Shetland Partnership, please look up: www.shetland.gov.uk/community/shetland-partnership