Place design advisory service set up for Dalkeith

THE Midlothian town of Dalkeith has become the seventh town to join an advisory programme, aiming to influence how it is designed in the future, in a way that improves people’s sense of wellbeing and reduces inequality.

The Shaping Places for Wellbeing programme is operated by the Improvement Service, an independent body (funded primarily by the Scottish Government) that assists local authorities with policy ideas and research data.

Dalkeith (pictured) joins Scots towns Alloa, Ayr, Clydebank, Dunoon, Fraserburgh and Rutherglen. The programme requires buy-in from the local authority and Public Health Scotland.

A project lead has been specifically appointed (as reported, here) for the town: Susan Rintoul, previously a project officer at the Improvement Service.

Her task will be to help improve the quality of decision-making, as it applies to place design in the town, not least in the context of recent, more national policy positions such as ’20-minute neighbourhoods’ and town centre action plans.

The Shaping Places for Wellbeing programme runs until March next year.

Picture credit: Place Design Scotland

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