Public engagement in the planning process has increased in importance throughout the UK.

The Government is committed to ensuring that the views of the local community are taken into account in the decision making process. This is particularly important where major development proposals have a direct impact on a community.

For the promoters of such projects the challenge will be to ensure that they have a community engagement strategy that is fit for purpose as well as representing value for money. This applies to both public and private promoters, who need to be clear about the purpose of each stage in their consultation exercise if they are to manage the expectations of the public and other key stakeholders and capture the information necessary to assist with decision making. Feedback from such exercises needs to be captured and reported in a way that is fit for decision making purposes by public authorities.

Our team has experience of major public engagement exercises for public and private sector clients and we can assist with scoping your engagement strategy, reviewing public responses, drafting reports on community engagement or auditing your own report before its submission to the planning authority. The objective will always be to record the outcomes of the community engagement exercise in a way that is fit for decision making purposes to minimise any risk of legal challenge to that decision.