“Regeneration is not just about changes to the buildings and environment around us but improving the lives of people in the borough. It is important that everyone has a voice and is able to influence change and our approach to the way we invest in the borough.”
What is the Development Consultation Charter?
The Development Consultation Charter is a guide setting out the consultation requirements to be carried out by developers for proposed development, now being used in the validation of pre-application requests and planning applications for major and strategic applications. It was approved at Cabinet on 30 April 2019.
The guide forms part of the Statement of Community Involvement (SCI), which is a legal requirement that compels the council to hold a fair and effective consultation approach as well as have an agreed way of working with both developers and the community.
What is expected of the Developers?
In order for a development to be approved, developers must illustrate that they have engage with the community on a number of levels. These include:
- A census of the local area, showing demographics, businesses, community groups, etc.
- Surveys, workshops, and roundtables
- Meetings with local residents, stakeholders, and councillors
- Public exhibitions
- Digital and print material
- Design reviews based on the information gathered
They must show:
- Who and how many residents, councillors and stakeholders attended meetings
- Dates and times of meetings
- What feedback they received and how they are incorporating this into their proposal, and if not, why not
- That they are being compliant with local policy and legal obligations
