How can community panels and local design guides be used to effectively engage local communities? Case studies from Southgate and Abergavenny.

There is a range of tools that can be used to effectively engage local communities throughout the plan-making and planning application process, including: community panels or forums. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/design

Planning policies can set out the design outcomes that development should pursue as well as the tools and processes that are expected to be used to embed good design. Appropriate policies can be included within:

• a plan’s vision, objectives, and overarching strategic policies
• non-strategic policies in local or neighbourhood plans
• supplementary planning documents, such as local design guides, masterplans or design codes, which provide further detail on specific design matters

This webinar will hear how Southgate District Civic Voice organised a Community Panel in June 2019 to consider the Southgate Office Village site and how Abergavenny District Civic Society produced a Community Led Design Guide.

Southgate

Over 130 people attended the community weekend event and 240 completed an online survey, contributing to the Community Planning Event held at St Andrew’s Church, Southgate to discuss the proposed Southgate Office Village proposal.

Residents, community groups and political representatives - including MP for Southgate Bambos Charalambous; Deputy Mayor, Joanne McCartney and Cllrs Derek Levy, Cllr Edward Smith and Cllr Claire Stewart attended the event, which was advertised locally and through social media and open to all members of the community.

Hosted by Southgate District Civic Trust, the day enabled visitors to take part in facilitated workshops and hands-on activities, view an exhibition of the proposed Southgate Office Village site, meet members of the local community and share local knowledge.

Abergavenny

As a follow up to their own urban characterisation study, Abergavenny District Civic Society decided to prepare the Design Statement that set out our ambitions for the area. The aim was to produce something comparatively simple that developers of all sizes and their consultants (but especially the smaller firms) might actually read, thereby learning what the Society is looking for. We had a retired planner prepare it with an academic architect. Read the Abergavenny Design Guide here.

Join this webinar with Ian Harvey, Jane Maggs and Dick Cole to consider how other civic societies can replicate these ideas elsewhere.