Our Place Standard approach
The places where we spend our time have an important effect on our lives and our well-being. Lots of different factors go into making a great neighbourhood. And if improvements need to be made, lots of different people need to work together to understand the problem and solve it together. That’s why we’ve adopted the Place Standard approach to making great neighbourhoods.
The Place Standard is a tool that communities and public sector organisations can use to assess a place, identify what is working well and where things could work better. The Standard asks people to rate:
Work and local economy | Housing and community |
Facilities and amenities | Play and recreation |
Streets and spaces | Natural space |
Public transport | Traffic and parking |
Moving around | Social contact |
Identity and sense of belonging | Feeling safe |
Care and maintenance | Influence and sense of control |
The results are plotted on a chart. Communities and support organisations can then use this to plan what action needs to be taken to make the place a better one for everyone.

How we’re using this approach in Ryedale
We’re holding engagement events where communities can come together with the Council and other organisations to explore the Place Standard for the place where they live, work and play.
We’ve already held an event in Pickering called “How good’s your Pickering?”. The event provided lots of valuable information about how people feel about Pickering as a place, including what could be improved. This information will form the basis of a community plan that everyone can work together to deliver.
We will be rolling out similar events in other key places across Ryedale.