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.