| Middleport and Burslem Masterplan – Stoke, North Staffordshire |
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| Client: | BDP Urbanism |
| Project: | Working as part of the masterplanning team, FSquared has developed and is delivering appropriate community engagement processes. The results and findings of our community engagement are now informing the final masterplan. |
| Location: | Stoke |
| Value: | Not available |
| Status: | In Progress |
Outcomes
The Need
Local authorities across the United Kingdom are tasked with the facilitation of sustainable communities. Amongst other things, the development of sustainable communities relies on successful engagement with local people, groups and key stakeholders. FSquared recognises that if community engagement is to facilitate sustainable communities then the following needs to occur:
By understanding the needs and concerns of groups in specific areas of the Masterplan we have ensured that the right members of the team are involved in different engagement activities e.g. ensuring that the Transport Consultant is present at residents meetings for the area with proposed road changes.
Our role in the masterplanning process focuses on ensuring real and meaningful community participation and involvement in the process. This work is aimed at ensuring that the masterplan reflects local aspirations for the area and local needs and has within it recommendations about how stakeholder and community aspirations and needs should be kept alive through the development process. Our community engagement activity on this masterplan has brought multiple benefits for the communities of Middleport and Burslem. We have ensured that:
The Need
Local authorities across the United Kingdom are tasked with the facilitation of sustainable communities. Amongst other things, the development of sustainable communities relies on successful engagement with local people, groups and key stakeholders. FSquared recognises that if community engagement is to facilitate sustainable communities then the following needs to occur:
- Communities need to know how they can get involved in the masterplanning of their area
- Masterplanning teams must build on previous consultation exercises that have taken place in an area
- Communities need to have access to the relevant professionals and council officers throughout a masterplanning process
- Masterplans must successfully collect and analyse community views and must ensure that community needs and aspirations inform the final masterplan
- Masterplanning teams must make sure that they meet wider objectives around equality, cohesion and empowerment – in particular teams must make sure that they identify and engage with hard-to-reach groups
- Masterplanning teams must leave a legacy and should look to build the capacity and confidence of communities so that communities members continue to influence development in the future
Our Response
We have developed a Communications Plan which helps local residents understand:
- the purpose of the masterplan
- the information they should expect to see in a Masterplan
- the approach to community engagement
- the aims of the consultation activity
- the different types of engagement activity proposed
Working with the local resident group we have developed and are delivering consultation and engagement which:
- builds on existing engagement work to date
- identifies target groups within the community and existing barriers to their involvement
- complements existing consultation frameworks and initiatives
- ensures that all sections of the community are targeted
By understanding the needs and concerns of groups in specific areas of the Masterplan we have ensured that the right members of the team are involved in different engagement activities e.g. ensuring that the Transport Consultant is present at residents meetings for the area with proposed road changes.
We are now in the process of analysing the feedback given by communities on three options for the masterplan. The findings of this analysis will inform the development of the final masterplan.
The Benefits
Our role in the masterplanning process focuses on ensuring real and meaningful community participation and involvement in the process. This work is aimed at ensuring that the masterplan reflects local aspirations for the area and local needs and has within it recommendations about how stakeholder and community aspirations and needs should be kept alive through the development process. Our community engagement activity on this masterplan has brought multiple benefits for the communities of Middleport and Burslem. We have ensured that:
- communities are involved in the masterplanning process throughout and are empowered to make a difference. In particular we have ensured that community members are given the opportunity to give feedback on the options for the masterplan
- hard-to-reach groups are identified and special measures put in place to ensure that they are engaged with
- community feedback on masterplan options is properly analysed and the that the results are then used to inform the development of the masterplan
By ensuring that the resultant masterplan is informed by real and meaningful community participation, the overarching benefit of our work is that the resultant masterplan will encourage development that is inkeeping with community aspirations and leads to wider social, economic and environmental benefits for the area.