Our Programme worked in Dunoon from 2022 until June 2024. Here you can find information about the Project Town, all the work we carried out and the documents we created.
The final document we produced is our Project Town Closing Summary which brings together all of this information.
About our Dunoon Project Town
Dunoon settlement is on the west coast of the Cowal peninsular in Argyll and Bute and incorporates the intermediate zones of Dunoon and Hunters Quay. With two areas within the Dunoon intermediate zone in the top 10% of areas in Scotland identified as deprived by the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) and work underway through the SURF Alliance for Action Project, it met our programme criteria for support.
Dunoon’s Steering Group was made up mostly of members from NHS Highland, Argyll and Bute Council, Argyll and Bute Third Sector Interface, Police Scotland and Argyll and Bute Health and Social Care and met monthly from January 2022.
Becky Hothersall, former Community Link Lead for Dunoon, finished on the Programme in March 2024. Alex Wilde finished working with Dunoon Project Town at the end of June 2024.
What has been the impact of the Shaping Places for Wellbeing Programme in Dunoon?
Read our Impact Stories for Dunoon below.
- How did our Programme help to develop plans for an Active Travel Hub at Castle Gate Lodge, a historic building in the centre of Dunoon? Find out more Dunoon: An Impact Story
- How has positive engagement between our Programme and Police Scotland opened up space for discussion about the contribution of local policing work to a place? Read Dunoon: Impact of Local Policing Work
- How did our Programme promote creative partnership approaches to enable people to walk, wheel and cycle more easily around Dunoon. Read Getting Moving in Dunoon: An Impact Story
In September 2023, our Programme Lead Irene Beautyman sat down with Pippa Milne, Chief Executive of Argyll and Bute Council, in a podcast to discuss the aim of the Programme, the need for place-based collaborative working and how data drives the Programme’s approach.
Dunoon's Data Journey
The support from the Shaping Places for Wellbeing Programme began with our quantitative data exercise to identify the population groups of Dunoon experiencing the most inequality, carried out with support from the Public Health Scotland Local Intelligence System Team (LIST). This was captured in a Quantitative Data Profile of the findings that allowed us to identify four main areas of impact around:
- Poverty
- Reduced life expectancy
- High levels of deprivation
- Substance use
We shared our findings through:
- Quantitative data profile
- Quantitative data infographic, highlighting key areas of inequality
To understand residents’ experiences of the places they live, work and relax, our Community Link Leads aimed to bring this quantitative data to life by undertaking a qualitative data gathering exercise which was informal in its approach, and prioritised building relationships with third sector organisations and community groups, combined with desk-based searches. We shared our findings through:
Read more about our data journey here.
Place and Wellbeing Outcome Briefings: Impact on Dunoon's Community
Each Project Town created Place and Wellbeing Outcome Briefings, which explored the impact of the Place and Wellbeing Outcomes on communities, organisations and practitioners within our Project Towns. Read Dunoon’s Place and Wellbeing Outcome Briefings under the themes of Movement and Resources below.
Movement
Resources
Dunoon's Place and Wellbeing Assessments
Dunoon also undertook a number of Place and Wellbeing Assessments:
- Western Seaboard Marine Gateways, Dunoon Waterfront proposal, submitted as part of the UK Levelling Up Fund application
- Active Travel Hub
- Argyll and Bute Health and Social Care Partnership Strategic Plan
- Local Police Plan
- Argyll and Bute Economic Strategy
Following each Place and Wellbeing Assessment a report was produced recommending how a more place-based approach could be taken. If you’re interested in our approach, read Dunoon’s Place and Wellbeing Assessment reports in full.
-
Planning for Place Programme
The Planning for Place Programme supports councils and their partners to collaborate around place, seeking to encourage place-based approaches to joint planning, resourcing and delivery of places that enable all communities to flourish.
-
National Planning Improvement Programme
The National Planning Improvement Champion is responsible for monitoring the performance of planning authorities and providing advice to them (and others) on what steps might be taken to improve their performance.
-
Planning Skills
The Planning Skills Programme co-ordinates training events for public sector planning officers, with the aim to develop the skills required to deliver better places.
-
Digital Planning
The Digital Planning team at the Improvement Service collaborates with local government to enhance and unify data related to planning and building standards. This work aims to develop a cohesive national data landscape, fostering insights and supporting informed decision-making.
-
Shaping Places for Wellbeing Programme
The Shaping Places for Wellbeing Programme is a joint delivery partnership between the Improvement Service and Public Health Scotland. This forum is for those interested in our work supporting the role of place to reduce inequality and improve the wellbeing of people and planet.
-
Place Network
For those interested in the importance of place as a working approach to delivering national outcomes around improved wellbeing and inclusive growth.