We use the fully inclusive and highly flexible "Participatory Appraisal" approach in much of our work. This ensures that all sections of the community are consulted including those groups that are marginalised and difficult or impossible to reach by more traditional or less flexible methods such as "Planning for Real".

Our "street work" ensures that we go everywhere within the community and work with the people we meet directly on their own terms in an informal way, as well as organising "events" at fixed venues.

By consultation you will meet real needs and demands, developing or adjusting plans to take account of local opinion. The very act of involvement that comes with the consultation process engenders support.

Thorough consultation dramatically increases the credibility of your project and the likelihood of it attracting funding.

Project examples

Easington Community Consultation -- recommendations for change

This community consultation, using Participatory Appraisal techniques, was undertaken to inform the future management of an urban fringe coastal recreation amenity. Major aims of the consultation, which was undertaken both on and off site, were to identify the community’s perception of the area, to determine what deterred people from using the site, what local people liked about it and what changes they would like to see. Recommendations were made to the Heritage Coast Partnership based on results of the consultation.

A1 Community Works Ltd in Catterick Village commissioned the consultation to obtain a village wide view and consensus for the environmental improvements required. These involved not only areas of open space around and in the village but also extended to improvements such as lighting, street furniture and traffic calming. Countryside Management Services (UK) Ltd undertook the community consultation element with results being used to create a master plan by the landscape architects, Leeming Associates.