nick wright planning

planning, community engagement and regeneration

community engagement

Much has been written and said about community engagement. I believe that the basic principles are very simple:

Local communities are vast repositories of knowledge, enthusiasm and expertise.

Engaging with local communities at the right time in the planning and development process can produce better plans and projects, and can build support rather than resentment.

It’s essential to be clear on the objectives of community engagement for each project.
A thoughtful, tailored approach to each and every project is very important.

Communication is vital: discussing, talking, writing and - most important of all - listening. Silence breeds mistrust.

Respect, openness, honesty, sensitivity and mutual understanding are critical. Any professionals who think otherwise do so at their peril.

It’s easy to say all these things. In my case, the words are backed up by many years of personal commitment to the cause of community engagement in planning and development. This stems back to a period in the mid 1990s when I worked full-time in Indonesia with a community-based housing association, followed by more than 10 years now as a Director of Planning Aid for Scotland with responsibility for community capacity-building programmes, as well as other paid and unpaid roles in community engagement.

My experience of working closely with local communities and voluntary sector organisations can bring a valuable new perspective to multi-disciplinary teams and partnerships, for example in masterplanning projects. I do not have a naive belief that local communities should always get the physical change that they want: but I do believe that local communities have a right to be listened to and respected, and that they always have something to offer when there is meaningful engagement.

Here are some examples of my experience:

Design and delivery of community engagement and facilitation including events, exhibitions, leaflets and websites for consultation and awareness-raising to facilitate community involvement in planning projects. Recent examples include town centre improvements in Aberdeenshire, Dawlish and Alexandria, and the regeneration of a large former munitions site near Glasgow.

Community capacity-building including design and delivery of a range of award-winning training programmes for local communities on engaging with the planning system, including the CLEAR and Planning for People^TM training programmes for Planning Aid for Scotland, and Local Development Plan training for community groups for Wrexham County Borough Council (see project page). I have also given evidence to the Scottish Parliament’s Communities Committee on community engagement in planning, and delivered training for local elected members on planning with TPS Planning on behalf of the Scottish Executive’s Improvement Service (see project page).

Research on community aspirations and resources including identifying local community groups’ aspirations and resources for delivering component projects as part of overall masterplans in Keswick (see project page), Dawlish and Hartlepool.

For more information on selected jobs that I’ve worked on, go to projects pages.

Nick Wright Planning | 276 Main Road, Elderslie, Johnstone, Scotland, PA5 9EF | t/f 01505 352147 | contact form

All text and images are the original work of Nick Wright Planning unless otherwise stated and are covered by this Creative Commons Licence

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