3.0 Community Consultation

The importance of ensuring that the local community can effectively participate in the design and the decision-making process is widely recognised as essential in creating developments that foster a sense of community and engender ownership. Designing with communities rather than for communities is the only approach to building the new neighbourhoods of the future.

Consultation with the community forms a major component in the
design development, particularly on large sites. Peterborough City
Council encourages a “Partnership Approach” between the planning
department, developer/landowner, architect and the community. The
Council will give guidance on the level of consultation required for each
site and the appropriate time. The landowner and/or developer must
liaise early in the development process with the Council, to
discuss and agree the preferred approach to consulting with the
community

Community-consultation should be based upon four key principles:

• Informing the community of all relevant factors influencing the
  design;
• Listening to the community’s priorities and preferences;
  
• Enabling the community to participate effectively in the design
  process; and
  
• Synthesising from the interactive design process an effective
  design solution that responds directly to the needs of the
  community and reconciles these with all other parameters.

Underlying all of these is the principle of communication, which must
be open, honest and mutual.

The approach to community consultation will vary depending on
factors such as the size, location and sensitivity of the site.