Turley Associates

The following article was published in Estates Gazette on Monday 29 April.

Claire Cope
Head of Local Engagement
0117 989 7000
[email protected]

The Government’s localism agenda requires that developers lead community consultation programmes before any planning application is submitted. But what does a good community engagement programme look like? Claire Cope of Turley Associates explains.

The Localism Act 2011 establishes a clear requirement for pre-application consultation to be carried out. The Act sets out that you must:

• Publicise the proposed application to bring it to the attention of the people who live in, or have an interest in, the affected area;
• Consult with those people to gain their feedback; and
• Acknowledge and incorporate the response to the consultation within the resulting proposals and provide feedback.

Failure to comply with the regulations could result in legal challenges on planning permissions through judicial review, adding significant cost and delay to a scheme.

It is important that each engagement strategy is planned carefully to help achieve a successful result. Each strategy must be bespoke and flexible; there is no one-size-fits-all engagement programme as the issues and complexities of a site and locality will vary each time.

Better engagement and working in partnership with local communities is vital in overcoming challenges and unlocking opportunities. Many clients reflect that, in the long run, good consultation saves them time and money, as well as creating better, more successful and sustainable developments.

Successful engagement requires the building of relationships with local people whose lives are going to be affected by a scheme. This demands honesty, integrity, commitment and patience on the part of the promoter and their team. Feedback is essential at all stages of this iterative process.

Engagement strategy

The engagement process should be considered at the earliest possible stage in the project and must be pre-application. A good engagement strategy should include the following:

• The role and objectives of community engagement
• Engagement methodology
• Stakeholder audit
• The engagement toolkit
• Timescale of engagement
• Reporting process.

Many local authorities have formal Statements of Community Involvement (SCI) and these should be consulted to inform the engagement strategy. SCIs were established as part of the Planning and Compulsory Act 2004 and are produced by Local Planning Authorities to explain to the general public how they will be involved in the preparation of Local Development Documents and the determination of planning applications. A key outcome of SCIs has been to encourage ‘front-loading’, meaning that consultation with the public should begin at the earliest possible stage. The approach to the preparation of an SCI, particularly in terms of the guidance related to how developers and landowners should engage with stakeholders and the community, tends to vary widely between each local authority.

Many Local Planning Authorities also have Community Umbrella Groups that connect and provide strong links with all local resident and community groups, including those that are considered ‘hard to reach’. Hard to reach groups will include young people, people with disabilities, certain ethnic groups and those living within rural communities. Early contact with such groups and the Local Planning Authority (LPA) will ensure that all of the relevant stakeholders are identified and included in the engagement process.

Audiences in a community engagement programme tend to be those directly affected by the proposals, for example, those residents living immediately adjacent to a development site boundary, or local residents’ groups and Parish or Town Councils that are well versed on the development and local plan processes. In terms of stakeholders, a good working definition is ‘those who are affected by, or significantly affect, an issue and those who possess information, resources and expertise’. It is worthwhile agreeing with the Local Planning Authority the list of stakeholders with whom you intend to engage and to record this within the Statement of Community Involvement.

Often, many people will consider themselves to be stakeholders in the process because they are interested in or have a view on the propose development. It is, therefore, important to be open and transparent about the overall approach to engagement and provide opportunities for the general public to obtain information and provide feedback. Public exhibitions or drop-in sessions and project websites and social media are good ways to engage the wider community.

Engagement toolkit

An engagement programme should be appropriate and proportionate to the nature and scale of the proposals. For a major development where there is likely to be a lot of interest, or where there are buildings of significance on or close to the site, or ecological concerns, a number of stages within the programme are recommended to provide an opportunity to consult, receive feedback and then report after each stage.

In these circumstances focus groups or design workshops are a good way of discussing a particular issue and obtaining feedback and ideas from people who know the site and the area first-hand. Place-check or walk-and-talk events held on site and within the locality can also result in useful information and ideas and are highly interactive. These types of events ensure inclusion in the project from the outset often resulting in buy-in and support later on.

Public exhibitions still have a role and are useful in ensuring inclusivity as they are open to all. They can also form a good starting point in making contacts and facilitating smaller workshops on a one-to-one basis.

Websites and social media certainly have a very strong role in an engagement programme, providing up-to-date and live information about a proposal. They allow anyone, and particularly younger people, to get involved. Social media is responsive and constantly adapting to its environment ensuring that the information that appears is up-to-date and accurate. It allows engagement in proactive discussion which has the potential to spread the right message and influence discussions. It provides developers and landowners with the ability to quickly address misconceptions circulating within the community. In addition, it is a powerful listening tool presenting an opportunity to clearly understand the thoughts and desires of local residents and interested parties.

Feedback from engagement activities should be reviewed, considered and reported. Feedback should be able to be given in person, at events, on-line, via email and by post. This reporting process is formalised through the Statement of Community Engagement that is submitted as part of the planning application - a document that is required on the LPAs validation checklist. This document must demonstrate how comments received have been considered and, where appropriate and viable, incorporated into the scheme.

Urban design and community engagement

Urban design and community engagement disciplines are intrinsically linked by their defining purpose - to help create well-considered, new places that improve or extend an existing community, whilst remain economically and cultural immersed in what may already exist.

Urban design can help to turn around negative perceptions by explaining the key principles and exploring all options before any proposed development is ‘fixed’. Coupled with an engagement strategy that involves a local community in the development process at this early stage can allow the design process to be fully transparent and help secure ‘buy-in’ from a local community.

Community engagement has to now be seen as more than just another box to tick – local planning authorities require it and local communities deserve it.

Turley Associates delivers bespoke engagement strategies through its dedicated Plan to Engage service. For further information contact Claire Cope, Associate Director and Head of Local Engagement at www.turleyassociates.co.uk.

Case study: MHPA – Milford Dock Master Plan, Pembrokeshire

Kevin Hobbs and Jeff Teague, Milford Haven Port Authority

Turley Associates provides strategy, general planning and stakeholder and community engagement advice to Milford Haven Port Authority (MHPA) on its proposals to regenerate and redevelop Milford Dock, Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire.

MHPA have commissioned a masterplan of Milford Dock to regenerate and improve the existing facilities as the port seeks to diversify and enhance its leisure and tourism offer. The planned regeneration will create a range of jobs and opportunities within the local community.

The Dock is thriving and the project seeks to build on that and help MHPA, one of the largest local employers, rationalise its operation. Traditionally a fishing port, Milford Dock has developed in recent years to incorporate a series of independent retail and leisure facilities and services. Its popular marina houses a range of leisure vessels that want to take advantage of the scenery around the Haven Waterway and the Pembrokeshire coastline.

MHPA is now looking for make further significant improvements to Milford Dock to create a ‘destination’ within Milford Haven. Turley Associates have been leading the masterplanning process which has encompassed a series of different design development stages. A key part of this process has been a four stage stakeholder and community engagement programme to ensure that the views of the local business and resident community are captured and incorporated into the masterplan.

The objective of the strategy for the Milford Dock masterplan has been to ensure active engagement with the local community (residents and businesses), Pembrokeshire County Council, and other key stakeholders and statutory consultees.

The key objectives for the engagement strategy are to:

• Understand the aspirations and concerns of the local community, general public, stakeholders, and officers;
• Identify clear lines of communication;
• Provide information and high quality material at the right time and as early as possible to enable meaningful engagement; and to
• Ensure effective consultation, a planning policy requirement.

As part of the ongoing process of engagement Turley Associates and MHPA have followed a comprehensive programme which has included:

• The creation of a project website and a social media programme;
• Information and exhibition invites to the local catchment – approximately 6,000 letters distributed;
• Workshops, focus groups, public drop-in sessions and public exhibitions were advertised within the local press;
• Public exhibitions were held in accessible locations to enable the emerging proposals to be viewed easily and for attendees to provide feedback at the exhibition, online or by post; and
• Meetings with individuals, local groups, local politicians.

Each of the four stages of the engagement programme encompassed a ‘visioning exercise’ where attendees were welcomed to post comments and suggestions on the visioning plan. After each session the plan was updated to incorporate the comments received. The visioning exercise was a key part of the evolution and development of the masterplan.

The public drop-in and exhibitions were well attended attracting 220 people in total. They showed that:

• 85% of people supported the MHPA proposals;
• 83% would use the new facilities; and
• 78% of attendees agreed that the proposals would be of benefit to the community.

All comments received at the consultation/engagement exercises and via the website are collated and reviewed by Turley Associates and MHPA and been fed into summary reports and a draft Statement of Community Involvement.

The consultation process will not stop once the application has been submitted. It continues in earnest until the decision has been made by Pembrokeshire County Council.

Kevin Hobbs is Short Sea Director and Jeff Teague is Director of Estates at Milford Haven Port Authority.