We recently celebrated the submission of a client’s planning application for a Midlands-based mixed-use scheme. Public consultation had taken place, local members had been informed and the plans had evolved as a result of the comms work we carried out for and with the client team.

Great work all round, positive proactive local engagement as it should be!

Now the plans are in and validated, stakeholders have been updated, statutory consultation is underway and a committee date to determine the outcome will be confirmed in due course.

So comms can wind down for a while, yes?

No.

Now is the time to double all efforts because reduced engagement at this stage can cause serious issues and major financial losses.

Problems can include opposition campaigns that swell through misinformation, leading to significant objections. If left unchecked, anti-sentiment will fill the void left by a lack of proactive ongoing engagement – and this can completely derail your scheme.

Another related issue comes from assuming your updates to stakeholders are fully received, read and even understood. You may be immersed in every aspect of your development application, but not all local councillors will be and Officers can only do so much. Good communications will keep stakeholders informed. Great communications will make sure they aren’t misinformed!

Our recent validation triggered a round of proactive updates to neighbours, stakeholders and politicians, but we didn’t stop there. We pushed for face-to-face briefings to ensure the client’s information had been received, understood and shared accordingly.

In doing so on this particular occasion, we’re delighted to be able to say we collectively caught and corrected a major misgiving from a senior politician based on an incorrect assumption and then went on to secure the addition of two significant voices in support of the plans.

The moral of the story – don’t make assumptions about members’ understanding of your plans. Keep listening. And always remain active in the local conversations.

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