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02 COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN PLANNING - WHAT IT IS AND WHY IT IS IMPORTANT
EFFECTIVE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT MEANS ENSURING THAT PEOPLE ARE MADE AWARE OF PROPOSALS THAT AFFECT THEM AS EARLY IN THE PROCESS AS IS POSSIBLE, THAT THEY HAVE THE FACTS TO ALLOW THEM TO MAKE A CONTRIBUTION, THAT THEY HAVE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO ENGAGE AND THAT HAVING MADE THEIR VIEWS KNOWN, THEY GET CLEARER EXPLANATIONS OF HOW AND WHY DECISIONS WERE MADE.
07 There are different degrees to which people will choose to engage with the planning system. Sometimes, very active participation is called for, especially on controversial issues or very local matters. Whatever the circumstances, it is important that all stakeholders know the degree to which they can expect to become involved, bearing in mind the practical limits of the process and the constraints within which it will operate.
08 Effective community engagement means ensuring that people are made aware of proposals that affect them as early in the process as is possible, that they have the facts to allow them to make a contribution, that they have had the opportunity to engage and that having made their views known, they get clearer explanations of how and why decisions were made. However, the new measures alone will not achieve better community engagement. Organisational and cultural changes are also needed. Everyone involved, from members of the public, community councils and community groups, to elected members, political activists, planning officers, businesses, housing associations and developers must examine their respective roles in the planning system and contribute towards this culture change.
09 Defining 'community' in relation to planning is very challenging. It can mean different things to different people and will be applied differently depending on the level of engagement. For example, development planning will include a wide community - potentially people from across the whole planning authority area and its key stakeholders. Development management, or planning applications, might include people in the immediate neighbourhood, statutory consultees, key agencies and local community groups such as Community Councils, Residents Associations, Tenants Groups, special interest groups and voluntary organisations, requiring a different level of engagement proportionate to the nature and scale of the development proposal and its likely impact.
10 The 'community' can be based on location - those who live, work and otherwise use the area during the course of their everyday lives whether for business, education or accessing public services or leisure facilities. It could also be a group of people who share common interests, values or backgrounds such as members of sports clubs, heritage and cultural groups, the business community, young people, minority ethnic groups and disabled people. Each community will have different wants and needs that may have to be balanced against the needs of other communities.
11 This PAN does not propose hard and fast definitions 2of terms such as consultation, engagement, involvement and participation. However, in this document where we use the term 'consultation' we mean the dynamic process of dialogue between individuals or groups, based on a genuine exchange of views and, normally, with the objective of influencing decisions, policies or programmes of action. The terms 'engagement' and 'involvement' in this document are generally interchangeable and are taken to mean the establishment of effective relationships with individuals or groups to encourage substantive deliberation in the community. Participation is everything that enables people to influence the decisions and get involved in the actions that affect their lives. In the context of this document engagement is, in effect, giving people a genuine opportunity to have a say on a development plan or proposal which affects them; listening to what they say and reaching a decision in an open and transparent way taking account of all views expressed. By ensuring transparency and inclusivity, even difficult decisions may be easier to accept by all parties involved.
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