Advice for council on sensitive land issue

We’ve provided an English local authority with the first phase of communications support for a contentious land project.

The southwest-based borough council is exploring the idea of disposing of a large area of open land. Its plan is to sell the land to a developer which would create hundreds of new homes as well as community facilities, roads and commercial premises. While providing homes for many local people, the proposals are also likely to provoke controversy, with some ...


Community engagement for London affordable homes scheme

We’re happy to have completed the first phase of community consultation work for property developer Apex Airspace and Shian Housing Association - for a residential scheme in the London Borough of Islington.

The early-stage project is exploring the potential to extend a four-storey block of 28 flats upwards to develop more affordable homes, while making improvements to the existing building.

With an acute shortage of affordable housing in ....


Reputation project completed for Berkshire council

We’ve now completed the main phase of our brand reputation initiative for Wokingham Borough Council.

The objective of this wide-ranging exercise for the Berkshire local authority has been to analyse its reputation – especially amongst its 175,000 residents – and recommend ways to improve it through communications and marketing. The Council said it selected us based on our experience in advising local government bodies as well as private sector businesses, and the clarity of our proposed approach.

Our project links closely with the local authority's ...


Communications advice for Council culture project

We’re supporting Mid Sussex District Council with communications advice for an important community project.

The local authority is running a £100,000 initiative to explore investment options to create a sustainable cultural facility on a large site in the centre of Haywards Heath. The options to be assessed will take account of ....


Fibre Optics

Marketing drive for digital transformation of Sussex

We’re delivering an extensive communications campaign to support a pioneering initiative to create one of the most digitally advanced areas of the country.

Mid Sussex District Council is leading the programme - as part of its wider economic development strategy - to get businesses, residents and public bodies connected to the latest digital technology. It’s laying an underground fibre optic ‘spine’ between Crawley and Brighton, and around Burgess Hill, with branches from this set to connect every part of the district to full fibre broadband in the near future. Innovatively, the Council is ...


Public consultation for 144 Birmingham homes

We’re pleased to be running a community consultation exercise for MIA Property Group, one of Birmingham’s most established family-owned developers.

MIA is planning to redevelop the rundown site of a disused community centre in the Ladywood district, close to Birmingham city centre. The company is proposing 144 one, two and three bedroom apartments to breathe new life into the area, in line with Birmingham City Council’s policy – given the scarcity of vacant land - to build ...


All change for community engagement?

The recently-published white paper – Planning for the Future – sets out the government’s plans to overhaul town planning, with implications for how local councils and property developers will need to consult communities.

There’s a strong emphasis on the need for local authorities “radically and profoundly to re-invent the ambition, depth and breadth with which they engage communities as they consult on Local Plans,” giving them “an earlier ...


Community engagement advice for innovative London developer

We’ve just delivered a project to advise innovative residential property developer Apex Airspace on community engagement for a housing scheme in the London Borough of Southwark. Apex specialises in developing high-quality ‘airspace’ homes on top of existing buildings, addressing the problem of severely limited land supply in built-up cities. The company hired us to support its proposals to develop 30 affordable homes by extending two large 1950s blocks of flats in London's Bermondsey area. We've advised Apex on ...


Place marketing: how inspirational is your location brand?

I wrote a little while ago about how there’s been a recent resurgence in location marketing and why UK towns and cities are right to grasp the nettle. I said I’d come back to how relevant bodies can undertake smart marketing to boost their area's economic ...


Place branding: the time to start is now

It’s funny how certain fields of marketing demonstrate sudden surges in interest. One field showing this lately is place marketing. By this I mean the ...


Public consultation Tip 10: Always report back

The final of my Top 10 Consultation Tips is always report back to consultees at the end of your exercise - in a clear, honest and timely way.


Public consultation Tip 9: Be transparent!

The ninth of my Top 10 Consultation Tips is to be as open and transparent as possible. It will help you win trust and support. And, in any case, you don’t have anything to hide.


Public consultation tip 8: Genuinely listen!

The eighth in my Top 10 Consultation Tips series is genuinely to listen to people’s feedback - and see how this can improve your scheme.


Public consultation tip 7: Be ready to be grilled!

The latest post in my Top 10 Consultation Tips series is about being mindful that, unless your proposals are extremely straight forward, you’ll not just be collating people’s views but answering their questions too.


Public consultation tip 6: Set your boundaries

This next post in my Top 10 Consultation Tips series deals with the importance of being clear from the outset about the boundaries of your consultation.


Consultation for factory development

TK Associates is managing a community consultation for the development of a new factory in St Leonards, East Sussex.


Consultation for new Bexhill regeneration scheme

We are delivering a public consultation exercise around proposals for a multi-million pound road to open up extensive development land near Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex.


Public consultation Tip 5: Be accessible!

As the latest in my Top 10 Consultation Tips series, my fifth tip is: be as accessible as possible to your consultees.


Public consultation Tip 4: Be clear!

As the next in my Top Ten Tips series, my fourth maxim for running a great consultation is to be clear. An obvious one, right? But it’s where so many consultations fall down.


Public consultation Tip 3: Be inclusive – within limits

As the latest post in my series of top 10 tips for running an effective public consultation – many of them learnt the hard way - here’s Tip 3: Be inclusive – within limits.