Originally published 20 December 2005. This article is retained from the tCI archive. Law, policy or practice may have changed since publication.
Twenty years ago, when the Quality Management movement was at its height, its big rallying cry was the need to get it right first time. The argument was that poor quality in the design or manufacturing stages not only tarnished a product’s reputation; it also cost enormous sums of money in re-work, rectification, repairs and after-sales service.
In short, taking greater care during the early stages of a process can result in serious savings later on.
The same idea seems to have influenced those who framed the new legislation for Planning. The 2004 Planning & Compulsory Purchase Act, and the promised new law for Scotland is an attempt, inter alia, to speed up the notoriously delay-prone planning process. Part of this requires Local Authorities to prepare a Statement of Community Involvement (SCIs) and to invest significantly in greater public engagement, and to consult more widely at the beginning. It’s called front-loading. But experienced planners know that doing it properly costs money, and takes time. How, therefore, will this speed up a process already considered too long-winded? Sceptics also point out that it is a pipedream to imagine that involving the public earlier will remove fundamental conflicts of interest which ultimately have to be settled in a quasi-judicial process, or by political decisions.
And yet there is evidence that good consultation can remove misunderstandings and eliminate some – though not all – objections to plans or proposals. There may not always be scope for consensus, but it is far easier to obtain compromise. Too often, stakeholders fail to grasp the true significance of proposals that affect them until quite late in the decision-cycle, and by that time, positions are entrenched and securing agreement is so much more difficult…and time-consuming.
Getting involved early, when more options are possible, and where minds may not be made up – is the ideal. It does not solve all problems. But it does provide a better opportunity to address issues with everyone’s cards on the table. For this to happen, consultation and information tools need to be well-chosen and well-deployed. Then it’s possible to save time …..
Trigger points
- Identify key issues where the front-loading of consultation in extended decision-making processes can accelerate the end-to-end timetable
- Ensure that SCIs are prepared with a focus on finding ways to reduce controversy through earlier consultation
- Consider attending the forthcoming Consultation – Before & After training course.
This is the 39th Tuesday Topic; a full list of subjects covered is available for Institute members and is a valuable resource covering so many aspects of consultation and engagement