Council on shortlist at planning awards night

West Lothian Council’s partnership centre approach to providing services has put it in line for a national award.

The Scottish Awards for Quality in Planning will take place on November 20 in Edinburgh and the council has also been shortlisted for its work on air quality consideration and planning for major housing development.

The council said its programme of partnership centres in new-build and renovated buildings is a success story for the provision of shared services, including the NHS and police.

Community groups are consulted on the services they would like to see represented and they are involved in running the centres.

The council’s planning guidance on air quality has been shortlisted for an award in the plans category.

The guidance was prepared in support of the West Lothian local development plan. It advises developers on how the council will process and assess planning applications with regard to air quality matters.

The council’s unlocking key development sites policy has been shortlisted for an award in the partnership category.

The council plans to support the delivery of over 20,000 new homes in the next 15 to 20 years.

These can only be realised if there is significant investment in infrastructure, especially in education capacity.

The development of new schools in Winchburgh has come about because of the partnership in the

City Region Deal.