PLACECHECK AND Engagement.

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PLACECHECK AND Engagement.

• Warren Lever Urban Designer

Why its fun, exciting and inspiring!
Borough of Poole
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Placecheck and Engagement.

• A reduced presentation.
• A conversation
• How does a community express or discover its
  aspirations?
• Where to start.
• Key points to carrying one out.
• Examples of Community Initiatives.
• Questions?

What is the city but the people? William
Shakespeare. We tend to think the way we see
the world is the way everyone sees it! Anon
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Who Am I?

• 12 years community engagement experience with
  Cabe, Creating Excellence and Urban Design Group
• Community projects in Gloucester, Devon, North
  Wiltshire, Southampton and Purbeck.
• Worked inside and outside Local Authority.
• Worked on Parish Plans, Community Plans,
  Conservation Area Appraisals, Neighbourhood
  Plans, Community Strategies, Neighbourhood
  Renewal Projects and Placechecks

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Placecheck AND ENGAGEMENT THE BASICS

• This is only a guide
• Its a Community document.
• Hints on how to make the Placecheck effective.
• What is it called?
• Parish Plans, Community Plans, Neighbourhood
  Plans, Community Strategies, etc.
• All similar and deal with aspects of uses and
  place.

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• PERCEPTIONS

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Independent examination into soundness!

• How To Engage?
• People never engage until the planning
  application is in!

Proposed a schedule of main modifications!
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What makes us engage?
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What would people respond to?

• We are planning your town it may result in places
  like this!
• What do you think?

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The 3 Key Questions

1. What do you like about this place?
2. What do you dislike about it?
3. What needs to be changed or improved?

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Placecheck Where to Start

• Needs community impetus
• Setting up a focus/steering group.
• Make the group inclusive and representative.
• Decide on group responsibilities/roles.
• Build Capacity.
• Consider other community neighbourhoods nearby.
• Organise creative events.
• Church hall, empty shop, park, garden, school,
  etc.
• Ask your Local Authority to help/guide not
  Control.

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Place Check Events - Gaining Meaningful Feedback

• Consult as wide as possible.
• All parts of the community -young to old - hard
  to reach groups.
• Residents, Schools, Businesses, Trades, Creative
  Industries, etc.
• Low tech high engagement
• Advertise widely as possible.
• Accessible to all -venue and time.
• Type of event - allow all to have a voice.
• Make it fun.

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Things to think about.

• Who needs to be involved in changing the place
  for the better?
• What resources are available locally to help
  people get involved?
• Are grants and lottery funding available.
• What other initiatives might you use to develop
  ideas about how to improve the place?
• How do we make the most of other programmes and
  resources?
• Think beyond the Local Authority to other
  stakeholders.

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What is important?

• Important local services
• Uses in neighbourhood.
• Maintenance Issues.
• Community facilities
• Analysis of Character
• Important local features or landmarks.
• Trees and landscape.
• History of Area.
• Connections and routes.
• About more than buildings.
• Avoid Jargon!

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What are the LOCAL issues?

• Key community aims not always planning focused.
• Community Barriers e.g. busy roads/junctions.
• Community Threats e.g. speeding cars.
• Noise and air pollution.
• Lighting.
• Safety and crime.
• Safer routes to school.
• Helping local shops.
• Functions and Events
• Empty/untidy buildings and sites.

The Dings, Bristol
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Character and Urban Design Analysis.

• Layout - Urban Structure and Grain
• Landscape - hard and soft
• Density and Mix
• Scale -Height and Massing
• Appearance -Details and Materials

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THE Local Authority!

• A consistent consultation strategy at present?
• A clear route map into the authority?
• How might groups access funding, help, support
  other groups?
• Can it react to large community aspirations?
• Honest about its capacity to deliver not all
  authorities have big resources.
• If small then can the community or other
  stakeholder assist in delivery?
• Always try to help in some form.
• More communities are facilitating improvements
  themselves.

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Examples of initiatives

• Green Infrastructure
• Portas Pilots
• Economic Projects
• Transition Towns
• Local Produce
• Play space
• Roads and Shared Space
• Sustainability
• Public Realm

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Ideas?

• Turning a place from one you cant wait to get
  through to one you never want to leave.

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Chichester Canal Basin.
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LOVE LISKARD
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DIY Streets
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Neilston Community Engagement
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PLACECHECK or NP A Summary BEYOND THE REGS!

• A neighbourhood plan is successful when.
• A dedicated community comes together to improve
  the neighbourhood.
• A local authority and local stakeholders are
  committed to adopting and supporting
  neighbourhood plans.
• Support is available to help the community plan
  and realise its goals.
• Living Document

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Questions?