Areas of focus
Heating, energy, energy efficiency, fuel poverty, net zero, transportation, residential buildings, commercial buildings, public buildings, heat networks.
Overview
Energy Masterplans are written by one or more local authority and usually have a greater scope than an LHEES. They may include additional areas such as transportation and renewable energy generation. They are not required by the Scottish Government and so they often vary depending on a local authority’s priorities. Sometimes, they can involve several local authorities. For example, the Ayrshire Energy Masterplan includes North, East, and South Ayrshire.
Energy Masterplans & Local Energy Plans
Local Energy Plans can help inform how a local authority prioritises funding and projects in an energy masterplan for issues such as energy and transport. You should contact your local authority to find out if it has an energy masterplan. If so, you should contact the designated person and find out how your Local Energy Plan can be incorporated.
Table 1 gives an overview of the information available from an Energy Masterplan to inform your Local Energy Plan.
Other plans
Local authorities will also have Local Development Plans that will indicate energy and transport priorities for the area. You should review these documents to check if their priorities overlap with your Local Energy Plan. Local Development Plans are renewed at least every 10 years. The process of preparing Local Development Plans includes compiling an Evidence Report, and local authorities must engage with the public in this. Engagement in the Evidence Report, and consultation on the Proposed Local Development Plan itself, are opportunities for communities to use their Local Energy Plan to influence local authority plans. See Table 1 for more information.
Local transport strategies set out local transport or traffic authority’s transport policies and plans, and align with Scottish national and regional strategies. There is no general statutory requirement for a local authority to have a Local Transport Strategy in place. The draft Local Development Plan Regulations and Guidance says that regard must be given to any Local Transport Strategies relating to the area where a Plan is to be prepared. Engagement on the Local Development Plan could also be relevant to the Local Transport Strategy.
