Place at the Table
Paul Ede (MRTPI) is founder and principal at Place at the Table.
He has significant experience in
- community engagement
- project management
- development management
- community development.
Place at the Table
Why Place at the Table?
Place at the Table undertakes all forms of community engagement work for community, public sector and commercial bodies.
Place at the Table specialises in project management and delivery of Community Action Plans and Local Place Plans alongside community groups.
Training programmes for communities and public sector bodies in community-led Local Place Plan and Community Action Plans production are available. We are skilled in interpersonal mediation, group facilitation, and planning policy.
Paul has 25 years’ experience as a volunteer community leader, planning case officer in a local authority, trainer (including academia), community engagement and project management.
Videos
The free-to-access training videos below open up insights into the process of developing a Local Place Plan - feel free to make the best use of them you can!
Introduction to Local Place Plans 1:
What is a Local Place Plan and how is it different from a Community Action Plan?
Introduction to Local Place Plans 2:
The Who, When, Why and How of Local Place Plans.
Liam Coyle, Kintyre
Testimonials
"Good planning is about navigating through competing interests - and my experience with Paul over several years is that he is totally committed to ensuring that local communities get their place at the table. And because he has solid experience in both local authority planning and community development, he's the ideal person to help communities make the most of that opportunity."
Nick Wright
Nick Wright Planning
"Paul engaged with the Struan Community over a 9-month period to assist in the creation of our Community Action Plan, throughout the process Paul provided invaluable insights, brought his specialist planning skills, refined technical knowledge, community action background and unstinting enthusiasm to the Project.
Having Paul on board throughout the process of creating the Community Action Plan was invaluable, from his advice and assistance in creating the initial Community Survey, to arranging and being on site at each and every Community Event, to the numerous phone calls and online meetings he took part in with the steering group made the difference in the community being able to create an excellent Action Plan to guide the Community over the next 10 years.
On a personal note, it was a pleasure to have had the opportunity to work with Paul on the Action Plan, to experience first-hand his commitment to our Community and the Project we were undertaking. Mòran Taing."
Alasdair Morrison
Secretary, Struan Community Council
"Cupar Development Trust were recently faced with the daunting task of developing a Local Place Plan for our large area of operation.
Through the Rural Fife LPP Training & Mentoring Program, we were assigned Paul as our mentor. He provided clear and concise training, guiding us gently through every step of the process and offering a wide range of insights and practical advice.
Paul also organised regular mentoring advice sessions, where local Community Councils and Development Trusts were able to meet to discuss the preparation of our Local Place Plans.
These proved to be an invaluable source of support for all of us; providing inspiration where we encountered problems and facilitating a great deal of networking between local organisations. Paul's specialist knowledge and experience made the whole process much easier, and his enthusiasm for his subject is clear from the outset.
Without Paul, we would not have been able to produce such a comprehensive plan. We will definitely continue to work with Paul for all our future Community Engagement needs."
Anja Armstrong
Development, Cupar Development Trust
"Paul brings a unique blend of attributes to community led planning. He has expert facilitation skills combined with technical planning knowledge and honed project management experience.
Engaging Paul as a partner enabled us in Morvern to be ambitious, tease out what is important through a variety of techniques including online and local events in the area. He identified and harnessed the knowledge and aspirations of local residents which resulted in a vision for the future and an action plan that has been embraced by everyone.
His work with us was recognised as overall winner in the Scottish Government 2023 Planning Innovation awards. Paul came as a partner to Morvern and left as a friend..."
Annie Tordoff
Former Chair of Morvern Community Council
"Thank you for your inspiring presentation on Community Mapping Scotland last Thursday as part of A&B Council's first webinar on Local Place Planning. You made it all look so easy."
Jane Metcalfe
Coll Community Council Secretary
Get in touch
193 Randolph Street, Buckhaven, Fife, KY8 1AX