Our Programme worked in Fraserburgh from early 2023 supporting them to take a place-based approach. From January 2025 the Planning for Place Programme will continue to work closely with Fraserburgh and the wider Aberdeenshire area.
Here you can find information about the Project Town, all the work we carried out and the documents created.
About our Fraserburgh Project Town
Fraserburgh is situated in the far northeast corner of Aberdeenshire and was our sixth Project Town to be added. It is different to the other six Project Towns in the Programme, as the Project Lead position is employed by the local authority, Aberdeenshire Council, rather than the Improvement Service. This has meant a wider awareness and investment from the Aberdeenshire local authority from the start of the work in Fraserburgh.
Whilst Fraserburgh was recently recognised for its regeneration work (Most Improved Place in Scotland 2021: SURF Awards), it currently has the lowest ranking of the Aberdeenshire intermediate zones based on the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD), with one zone falling into the 10% most deprived in Scotland, (Fraserburgh Harbour and Broadsea) and so it therefore met our programme criteria for support.
Fraserburgh’s Steering Group is made up mostly of members from Aberdeenshire Council, NHS Grampian Public Health Team, Police Scotland, Aberdeenshire Health and Social Care Partnership, Fraserburgh Academy and NHS Grampian Alcohol and Drug Partnership and has met monthly since April 2023.
What has been the impact of the Shaping Places for Wellbeing Programme in Fraserburgh?
How has our Programme helped to strengthen the development of work in Fraserburgh? Read Fraserburgh: An Impact Story
Fraserburgh's Data Journey
The support from the Shaping Places for Wellbeing Programme began with our quantitative data exercise to identify the population groups of Fraserburgh experiencing the most inequality, carried out with support from the Public Health Scotland Local Intelligence System Team (LIST). This is captured in a Quantitative Data Profile of the findings that allowed us to identify four main areas of impact around:
- Mental health
- Poverty
- Substance use
- Police interventions
- Access to services
We have 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 have shared our findings through:
- Community Link Lead report
- Visual summary of key insight from the report
- Assets and Opportunities Report
Read more about our data journey here.
Place and Wellbeing Outcome Briefings: Impact on Fraserburgh’s Community
We have put together a series of useful Briefing documents which explore the impact of the Place and Wellbeing Outcomes on the Fraserburgh community. Take a look at our Briefings below, which sit under the Place and Wellbeing Outcome Themes, and highlight the evidence behind each of the Place and Wellbeing Outcomes, exploring how this affects communities, organisations and practitioners in Fraserburgh.
Movement
- Active Travel: Impact on Fraserburgh's Community Briefing
- Public Transport: Impact on Fraserburgh's Community Briefing
Fraserburgh's Place and Wellbeing Assessments
Fraserburgh has also undertaken a number of Place and Wellbeing Assessments:
- Beachfront Masterplan
- Aberdeenshire Health and Social Care Partnership Strategic Plan
- Fraserburgh Primary School Merger
- Harbour Masterplan
Following each Place and Wellbeing Assessment a report is produced recommending how a more place based approach can be taken. If you’re interested in our approach, read Fraserburgh’s Place and Wellbeing Assessment reports and reports that have been completed for the wider Aberdeenshire Council area.
Extending the reach of the programme across Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire Council agreed in June 2023 to adopt a place-based approach through their ‘Our Place Strategy’ and supporting ‘Place Policy’ which will initially see the development of 17 Place Plans across Aberdeenshire, underpinned by the Place and Wellbeing Outcomes. Following this Full Council agreement, elements of the Shaping Places for Wellbeing place-based approach have been adopted by various teams and services within Aberdeenshire Council, most notably by the council’s Learning Estates Team. Having recognised the value of the Place and Wellbeing Assessment undertaken on the Fraserburgh School Merger proposal, the team have been utilising the Place & Wellbeing Assessments to help guide and inform a variety of plans relating to the school estate across Aberdeenshire. Details of the completed assessments, undertaken by the Learning Estates Team across Aberdeenshire, can be found below:
- Foveran and Tipperty School Merger Proposal
- Clatt Primary School
More are expected to take place in 2025.
Watch this video from Public Health Scotland to learn how our Programme has been implemented within Alloa and Fraserburgh, two of the Project Towns the Programme is working in.
If the Shaping Places for Wellbeing place-based approach sounds like something you would like to know more about, please contact Irene Beautyman, Place and Wellbeing Partnership Lead, below. Alternatively, follow us on LinkedIn - Planning and Place-Based Approaches, to keep up to date with the Planning and Place-Based Programmes from within the Improvement Service, and X @place4wellbeing to recap on the Shaping Places for Wellbeing Programme’s journey.
Irene Beautyman - Place and Wellbeing Partnership Lead
Phone: 07908 930763
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Shaping Places for Wellbeing Place-based Approach
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.
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Place Network
For those interested in the importance of place as a working approach to delivering national outcomes around improved wellbeing and inclusive growth.