Buchan Local Community Plan 2016-2019

Buchan

Local Community Plan

2016-2019

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Cover photograph © William McNeil Photography.

Local Community Plan Buchan 2016 -2019

Contents

Foreword ...... 2

Executive Summary ...... 4

The Buchan Area ...... 6

‘What’s Changing’ ...... 9

Priority 1 Empowered Communities ...... 12

Priority 2 Healthier Communities ...... 14

Priority 3 Safer Communities ...... 16

Priority 4 Stronger Communities ...... 18

How are we doing? ...... 21

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Foreword

Welcome to the Buchan Community Plan 2016-19

The Plan brings together the key priorities and partnership actions that are proposed for the next three years, which will help the Buchan Community Planning Group to develop partnership actions working with local communities to help make a difference in Buchan.

The priorities and associated actions within the Plan have been developed through community engagement and by looking at evidence for the area to assess where needs lie and how partnership working can help to address these. All priorities have been considered by the Buchan Community Planning Group which includes development trusts - Buchan Development Partnership and Peterhead Projects Ltd, voluntary sector partners such as Buchan Community Safety Group, Modo and Aberdeenshire Voluntary Action, along with the statutory agencies of Police Scotland, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, NHS Grampian and Aberdeenshire Council, working in conjunction with local communities including community councils & associations. These actions will be delivered through us all working together, by pooling resources and sharing knowledge.

This Plan will support the delivery of a number of initiatives around Welfare Reform, Employability and Health, as well as supporting community facilities, events and activities. In addition to this we will work together using the results from recent community engagement work around “Choose Peterhead” and “Peterhead Your Voice Your Choice” Participatory Budgeting which has provided direction from the community on how they would like to see the Town Centre developed and the projects they would like to see taken forward to improve health and wellbeing in their communities.

We hope you enjoy reading the plan and that it informs you about what we are doing to improve Buchan. We also hope that you will let us have your ideas on any needs within your community and new priorities that should be considered for the future. If you wish to discuss any of the items please do get in touch by phone or email or by writing to the address on the back of the Plan. To ensure that the Plan is responsive to local needs and issues, the Buchan Community Planning Group are committed to updating the plan on-line, on a regular basis, to allow new actions to be added as they are developed and completed ones removed.

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In Buchan we are very fortunate to have a strong commitment from front-line staff and management in the Community Planning partner agencies, but also a tremendous contribution from communities and community organisations. We thank you for all you are already doing to improve the quality of life in this area and invite you to join us in achieving this Plan’s aims by working together for the good of everyone in Buchan.

Chris White

Buchan Area Manager

Chair of the Buchan Community Planning Group

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Board members of the Buchan Development Partnership. Executive Summary

This edition of the Buchan Community Plan 2016 – 2019 brings together input from a wide range of Community Planning Partners, Elected Members and most importantly local Communities. It outlines key actions to be taken forward working together in partnership to help meet local needs and priorities over a three year period and is therefore a key strategic document for the area. This Plan is committed to deliver outcomes on behalf of Buchan for the Aberdeenshire Single Outcome Agreement which represent a key component of strengthened community planning as set out in the joint Scottish Government/COSLA Statement of Ambition.

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In order to achieve the Community Planning Partners’ vision of the best quality of life for everyone in Buchan, this edition of the Buchan Community Plan focuses on the following set of long term priority outcomes to be delivered with and for local communities:

• Priority 1 – Empowered Communities • Priority 2 – Healthier Communities • Priority 3 – Safer Communities • Priority 4 – Stronger Communities

This Plan has been shaped and developed using engagement and consultation with local communities, from information and knowledge shared by organisations working within the area and from statistical information of the Buchan Strategic Assessment which has demonstrated current trends and emerging priorities. We have also considered changes which may affect the outcome of priorities in the future so that these may be incorporated within future planning and delivery of actions.

Working in partnership to deliver this Plan, we will also incorporate the legislation coming from the Community Empowerment Act (2015) and this will help to inform how we work with communities in the future to deliver our key priorities and their outcomes. We have already started this process through Participatory Budgeting which enables communities to have more say about the local services & initiatives they would like to see developed and through consultation methods such as Community Action Plans which engage and empower communities to help them identify priorities for their area.

Buchan Community Planning Partnership is committed to promoting equalities, and through the Single Outcome Agreement approach, all Community Planning Partners have committed to embedding equalities in their service delivery. Local outcomes will seek to promote equality of opportunity across Buchan and will contribute to the indicators that have been developed to monitor progress.

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Photograph © William McNeil Photography The Buchan Area

Overview The Buchan area comprises a mix of farms, villages and important industrial areas. Peterhead is the largest town in Aberdeenshire, the principal white fish landing port in Europe, and a major oil industry service centre. Peterhead is one of the UK’s most versatile ports, serving a broad range of industries including oil and gas, renewables, fishing and leisure. Equally important are the nearby gas terminal at St Fergus and the Peterhead Power Station.

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The future of the energy and engineering sectors remains vibrant and Peterhead’s role at the top of the Energetica corridor sets the tone for realising this future potential and has attracted a total of £260m in its first five years. Inland, the area is dependent upon agriculture. Whilst housing developments have continued, there has been a minor decline in rural services.

Population and Demographics With an estimated population of 40,300 people, the residents of Buchan make up 15.6% of Aberdeenshire’s total estimated population (257,740). Buchan’s population continues to increase and has risen gradually over the past decade. The population is estimated to have increased in size by 4.3% since 2002. The demographics of the population have shifted over the past decade:

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• The total working age population has been decreasing since 2010 • The number of children (15 and under) is 9.1% lower than in 2002 and continues to fall • The number of pensionable age individuals is 27.2% higher than in 2002 and continues to increase • There are now slightly higher levels of older people than children in Buchan. (Source: National Records of Scotland – Revised Mid-Year estimates 2002-2013)

Environment Buchan has a good quality of natural environment. The 48-kilometre coastline comprises of sandy bays, dunes and rocky foreshores of national significance. The Loch of Strathbeg and the Bullers of Buchan are internationally significant sites for bird life. The built heritage is rich and varied, including traditional croft houses, outstanding conservation areas in Strichen and the centre of Peterhead, and some fine examples of great country houses. There is earlier interest also, including Deer Abbey and several intact stone circles. Tourism is a relatively small contributor to the Buchan economy but the natural and built heritage of Buchan has a significant interest for both visitors and locals. Attractions include Aden Country Park, the Aberdeenshire Farming Museum, Slains Castle and Peterhead Marina.

Participatory Budgeting The Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2105 places formal duties on councils and other public bodies to allow communities to have a greater input on decision making. The aim is to enable local people to have greater influence on the nature of services in their area. In June 2016, Buchan was one of two pilot areas in Aberdeenshire to hold a ‘Your Voice, Your Choice’ participatory budgeting event. This led to positive and successful community engagement, during which, local people selected a number of projects to receive funding to assist with their local delivery. Given the success of the initial event, the participatory budgeting process will become a regular occurrence in the years ahead.

Participatory Budgeting Launch - Peterhead

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New homes in Peterhead ‘What’s Changing’

Engagement and consultation during 2015 with a number of local contacts has helped to identify a range of factors to be considered as part of planning and development for priorities and their actions within this Plan. In addition, a “Peterhead 2026” Locality Plan has been drawn up by Aberdeenshire Council outlining the key priority projects and initiatives for the Town. Considering the points below will enable Community Planning Partners and local Communities to minimise any impacts which they may have on service delivery and project outcomes:

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Political

• Political changes through referendums and elections • Austerity measures and Welfare Reform • Increasing expectations of service providers, communities and voluntary organisations Economic

• Reduced local and national budgets • Fluctuations in the oil and gas industry • Impact of Welfare Reform – Universal Credit, Benefit Cap, ‘Under Occupancy Tax’ • Ageing workforce • Rural and urban inequalities in connectivity (digital and transport) • Local skills gaps limiting economic development • Transport infrastructure including road, rail and public transport • Hywind development Social

• Increasing, ageing and migratory population • Welfare reform – changes for benefit claimants • Shift to online provision of information and services – gaps in digital skills • Shift towards prevention and early intervention • Poor transport links contributing to social isolation and limited opportunities • Opportunities from Catto Park Sporting and Community Hub development Technological

• Advances in the availability and prevalence of internet-based services • Increasing importance of social media • Use of technology in health and social care Environmental

• Construction of major infrastructure projects • Increased traffic volume • Transport infrastructure including road, rail and public transport • Protection of the biodiversity of the area • Littering and dog fouling affecting hygiene and aesthetics • Provision of allotment spaces in light of demand and the Community • Empowerment (Scotland) Act (2015) Legal

• Welfare Reform • Community Empowerment (Scotland) Bill and Community Asset • Transfers/Participation Requests • Health and Social Care Integration • Community Councils needing further support

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Organisational

• Role of Area Management Team • Health and Social Care Integration • Increased pressure on third sector organisations • Proposed new Police Station in Peterhead Town Centre

There has been rapid progress in building and upgrading street cabinets in Aberdeenshire to deliver fibre broadband

Broadband and Telecommunications There has been rapid progress in building and upgrading street cabinets in Aberdeenshire to deliver fibre broadband. Since April 2014, over 60,000 households have been able to access a fibre-based service for the first time. The uplift in download speeds, from an Aberdeenshire average of under 6Mbps to over 24Mbps in those premises with access to fibre, has been welcomed with above national average levels of uptake.

Work is progressing, but more slowly, in upgrading those subscribers served by Exchange Only lines or by Long Lines (over 1200 metres) from street cabinets and a start has been made to offering Ka band satellite installations to addresses which have no prospect of a fibre-service being delivered to them by the end of 2017.

It is hoped that proposals to build additional masts to improve mobile phone services and coverage will be announced during 2017. Providing planning permission is granted, these masts will allow residents in a number of Aberdeenshire’s coastal villages to access a mobile phone signal and provide coverage in areas currently without a signal in the hinterland of Aberdeenshire’s towns.

The UK Government has consulted on introducing a Universal Service Obligation in respect of broadband services – the feedback was mixed in terms of how this can be done and what level of service should be provided. The expectation that market forces will respond to demand pulls to deliver an affordable 10 Mbps service to rural areas is unlikely to be realised, given the costs involved, so without cross subsidisation between urban and rural services, it is likely that public money will be required to deliver on this aspiration.

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Aberdeen Foyer – working at Aden Caravan Site Priority 1 Empowered Communities

Successful, inclusive, resilient communities with the confidence, capability and capacity to tackle the things that matter to them

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Why is this a priority for Buchan? Communities in Buchan who provided input to the development of this Plan, informed Partners on a range of local needs and issues which they felt were important to them. From this Community Planning Partners have made a commitment to work in partnership to continue the support to community capacity building activities which has shown a general increase in both the short and long term trends. Support to highlighted initiatives such as Modo, the Aden Country Park Project, Community Halls & Play Park developments, as well as community consultation exercises will be supported through the actions identified and agreed. The introduction of the Community Empowerment Act introduced in 2015 will help empower community bodies through the ownership of land and buildings and by strengthening their voices in the decisions that matter to them. We will ensure that the Communities of Buchan are fully informed, equipped and supported to realise the full potential of the Act.

What do we hope to achieve? The Plan aims to deliver on the following key priorities:

• Support the delivery of Community Action Plans • Support for Community Councils & Community Groups • Support for social regeneration activities • Support for Funding Opportunities

What’s happening now? Community planning partners including Aberdeenshire Council, Modo, Aberdeenshire Voluntary Action and Buchan Development Partnership are working with young people, adults and community groups to improve their confidence and to help them to develop new skills as part of developing outcomes from this plan. These positive changes can open up a greater range of opportunities for individuals to allow them to improve their quality of life and allow groups to operate more effectively in the community. Individuals within Buchan are increasingly engaged in the democratic process, most recently with ‘Your Voice Your Choice’ which has engaged with local communities to help them identify the projects and initiatives they would like to see be funded and delivered in the future and ‘Choose Peterhead’ which has provided communities of Peterhead with a way to directly engage with and influence the future development for regeneration of Peterhead Town Centre. A number of communities in Buchan have, or are in the process of developing Community Action Plans. Community Planning Partners are committed to supporting the development of actions which will help to address local needs.

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Hatton Gala 2016 Priority 2 Healthier Communities

Reductions in inequalities in health outcomes between communities and across Aberdeenshire

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Why is this a priority for Buchan? Consultation and development of this Plan has raised a number of Health and Wellbeing Priorities required to be addressed including:

• Across Buchan, the life expectancy of the majority of communities is above the Scottish average, however, parts of Peterhead have significantly lower life expectancy for both males and females and increased mortality rates. • The number of people using Aberdeenshire Council’s swimming pools and indoor sports and leisure facilities in Buchan dropped in 2014/15 compared to the previous year. • Buchan in general compares favourably to the national average for the number of alcohol related hospital admissions, and a number of communities are significantly better than the Scottish average with, the exception of most parts of Peterhead where alcohol related admissions are significantly above the national average however statistics would suggest that this is on the decrease. • Citizens’ Panel responses would indicate that Buchan is the area most likely to experience to witness underage drinking than other area of Aberdeenshire (although this is still a relatively low percentage). There are also indications of a high prevalence of drug use in Buchan compared to elsewhere in Aberdeenshire. • National data suggests that children become less active as they get older and with proportions of children meeting recommended activity levels (60 mins, 7 days a week) reduces with age. This priority will support the development of sports hubs and other fitness initiatives and encourage the promotion of active lifestyles.

What do we hope to achieve?

• Support for a number of local projects and initiatives which will support local people to eat well, be active and mentally flourish • Support improved outcomes which will contribute to tackling health & inequalities for Children & Young People • Support the development of Health & Social Care Integration in this area

What’s happening now? A partnership is being developed to establish GIRFEC - ‘Getting it right for every child’ (GIRFEC) to ensure that we have improved outcomes for this area for our children & young people. The development of the Buchan Feel Good Festival has been be supported by a wide range of partners, who have worked together to encourage participation by communities in a programme of activities which promote mental and physical wellbeing. Health & Social Care development in this area is working towards establishing strong partnership links to supporting services from the voluntary and public sectors to provide health and wellbeing services which provide the ‘right and care and support’ for residents in Buchan.

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Priority 3 Safer Communities

Aberdeenshire is the safest place in Scotland

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Why is this a priority for Buchan? Buchan is a relatively safe area in the contexts of Scotland and recorded crime levels. However there is variation in crime levels across Buchan and the majority of crimes are confined to specific areas. Buchan residents perceive Aberdeenshire to be a safe or very safe place to live. However, residents in this area are more likely to consider crime and antisocial behaviour a problem and are more likely to report that fear of crime has a major or moderate impact on how they lead their lives. Given their apparent experience of such crime and anti-social behaviour by Buchan residents, it is perhaps not surprising that individuals in this area are more likely to feel unsafe in their neighbourhood or local town centre after dark and concerns for safety were given as a significant reason for not venturing outside at this time. Statistics collected for Road Safety from April 2014 to March 2015 report that Buchan had the highest number of fatalities of anywhere in Aberdeenshire since 2011 (seven). This is not in keeping with the usual trend in this area which typically sees fewer than three fatalities a year. The 16-25 year age group tends to accrue the greatest proportion of casualties. Indeed, since 2011, 31% of the area's total casualties belonged to this age group, which is the highest proportion in the Aberdeenshire. Road safety is a key issue in the foreseeable future. With the ageing population, the issue of older drivers may be more of an issue going forward than it perhaps was in the past. However, we cannot discount the younger road user given that they tend to account for the greatest proportion of casualties over any given year, more so than is the case in other areas of Aberdeenshire.

What do we hope to achieve?

• Improved outcomes around alcohol and drugs misuse • Improvements to public safety • Improved road safety measures

What’s happening now? A Road Safety event has been developed and held in Macbi in Mintlaw to help address a range of road safety solutions with local communities. This event was supported by a range of local services who also helped to promote strong road safety messages along with providing interactive ‘booths’ for a Brake Reaction Tester, Drink-Drive Goggles, First Aid/CPR, Stay Safe/Stay Legal, car seats and children, medication and driving, self-test eye test, hazard perception and bike safety. The ‘ Oot and Aboot’ project was developed by third sector partner MODO in response to concerns about antisocial behaviour and youth annoyance incidents and has delivered a programme designed to re-engage with the young people of Peterhead. Support from Police Scotland, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and Community Safety ensured that the programme delivered targeted interventions in ‘Hot Spot” areas, to engage the young people who were causing the issues, and direct them towards social, positive activities as a route towards a more positive lifestyle. This has led to residents feeling safer in their local community and to use their open spaces more.

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Priority 4 Stronger Communities

Aberdeenshire will be recognised as a great place to live, work, invest with opportunity for all

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Why is this a priority for Buchan? The recent downturn in the oil and gas industry has resulted in significant changes to the lives of many of our residents and the subsequent ripple effect it has created affects many of the communities across Buchan. Community Planning Partners are committed to mitigating this impact along with those impacts resulting from the introduction of welfare reforms which has had and will continue to have significant financial and social implications for those on lower incomes, their families and their communities. Key considerations to be addressed include:

• The Welfare Reform Act has brought a number of changes to administration of benefits including the Benefit Cap, Universal Credit and ‘Under Occupancy’ Tax’, Personal Independence Payments and Council Tax Reduction Scheme • Child poverty estimates in Buchan are amongst the highest in Aberdeenshire. • Average gross annual household incomes in towns across Buchan are amongst the lowest in Aberdeenshire, behind Banff & Buchan, but are consistent across the main towns in the area (Peterhead £30,582, Mintlaw £30,068). These high averages are reflective of the oil and gas industry, however, not everyone in Buchan is in the same financial position. • Buchan has the second largest proportion of benefit claimants across Aberdeenshire. • In terms of the energy efficiency and affordability of housing costs in Buchan, the area has the second highest estimates of fuel poverty in Aberdeenshire, with some areas estimated to have high or very high levels.

What do we hope to achieve? The recent downturn in the oil and gas industry has resulted in significant changes to the lives of many of our residents and the subsequent ripple effect it has created affects many of the communities across Buchan. Community Planning Partners are committed to mitigating this impact along with those impacts resulting from the introduction of welfare reforms which has had and will continue to have significant financial and social implications for those on lower incomes, their families and their communities. Key considerations to be addressed include:

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What’s happening now? The Buchan Welfare Reform Group has developed a programme of outreach services, training and events to help communities with a range of local needs.

Voluntary sector partners provide a range of local services working with young people & adults that are helping to develop life and employability skills which are enabling their service users to progress onto more positive destinations.

The Gift Tree Project which has been developed and supported by an extensive range of services across public and voluntary sectors has delivered vital provisions to vulnerable children, adults and families over the festive period over recent years. Partners are planning for delivery of the project again this year.

Peterhead Development Partnership has been established to oversee the delivery of ‘Peterhead 2026’, a plan which brings together future key regeneration initiatives for the town.

Inspiring Aberdeenshire Winner 2016 – Modo and ‘Oot and Aboot’ Youth Project

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How are we doing?

Our Community Planning Partners have pledged to work together to develop, support and progress actions from this plan to improve the quality of life for people living in Buchan.

As part of this pledge, partners will provide regular updates on the progress of its priority actions and will endeavour to promote these with local communities.

Information can be accessed through our website: www.aberdeenshire.org.uk/buchan .

For more information about this Plan or to find out more about community planning in Buchan, please contact us using the details below:

Steph Swales or Maureen Stephen Community Planning Officer Buchan House St Peter Street Peterhead Tel: (01779) 483242 / 483201 E-mail: [email protected] or [email protected]

Useful Websites:

www.ouraberdeenshire.org.uk www.aberdeenshire.org.uk/buchan www.scotland.police.uk www.firescotland.gov.uk www.nhsgrampian.org www.avashire.org.uk www.aberdeenshirecommunitysafety.org.uk

Design: jonodesign.co.uk