"We have a unique approach to managing difficult projects in that we are driven by results and objectives and not actions for their own sake"
Part of College Public Policy,
a College Hill Company
Community Consultations
Working with communities to deliver planning permissions
“There have been some considerable changes over the last few years in how the planning process is delivered within England with a move away from an often adversarial, reactive and conflict based system towards a more pro-active, inclusive and creative approach. The engagement of local councillors as leaders and representatives of the local community is vital in the delivery of positive outcomes from the planning process”
Iain Wright MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, DCLG
Paul Bettison, Environment Board Chairman, Local Government Association
(Foreword from ‘Positive Engagement: a guide for planning councillors’, July 2008)
Working in partnership with communities
Consultation is a key element of the government's policy development and implementation agenda and plays a central role in the planning system. Pre-application consultation is compulsory for virtually all developments. A Community Engagement Review that explains how a developer communicated with the local community stands alongside the Traffic Impact Assessment and the Environmental Impact Assessment as an essential part of the process.
Public consultation obviously plays a key role in pre-application consultation. However, we must never lose sight of the fact that is ultimately councillors who will be the decision makers on planning applications. It is essential that their views are sought and an effective dialogue established.
The approach of Green Issues to consultation, therefore, is always to engage with the elected representatives of the community and directly with members of the public. This strategy brings positive results and time savings for developers and local authorities alike. It also helps deliver development schemes best suited to meeting the needs of local communities.
The methodology we employ on all our projects is to:
- Create a detailed understanding of the community, key stakeholders and local representatives: this will help ensure the development of effective key messages
- Brief elected representatives and key stakeholders early in the communication process: their comments and views can add real impetus and value to the proposed planning application.
- Engage the wider community in an open and transparent way.
We employ a range of techniques for effectively engaging with communities. The methods and tactics we deploy include:
- Public exhibitions
- Roadshow displays
- Stakeholder and citizens forums
- Community workshops
- Public opinion poll research
- Interactive websites
- Market stalls
- Telephone & door-to-door surveys
- Youth panels
- Steering groups
- Mailshots & posters
- Newsletters
- Telephone helplines
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