erf planning.indd - Hampshire County Council

DetailIn preparing the planning applications, considerable effort was made in addressingall the concerns arising from extensive consultations with the communities involved.As well as the attention given to the design of the plantsin recognition of their signifi cant visual impact, thisincluded commissioning of baseline studies on traffi c,air quality, ground contamination, health and otherissues, and assessments of how the plants would affectthese issues. As a result, the planning applications werecomprehensively detailed and models for this type ofdevelopment were produced. This helped the planningauthorities process the applications effi ciently, and haveconfi dence that the recommendations had adequateevidential support.ConsultationA major feature of the story was the degree of consultation involved. The strategy wasborne out of extensive engagement of community interests. The preparation of theplanning framework invited public participation and was subject to the scrutiny of apublic enquiry. The preparation of the planning applications involved local intereststhrough contact groups. Finally, the planning authorities arranged meetings and allowedpeople to speak at the meetings where the planning decision was made. Overall, thewhole process was very transparent and particular effort was made by all concerned toensure that there were no gaps in procedure that would expose the decision-makingprocess to successful legal challenge.CommunicationsA proactive, rather than reactive, approach to media communications was undertaken.Key opinion formers and media editors were thoroughly briefed and positive storieswere released. The effectiveness of this approach became evident when the newspaperthat led the campaign against the original “Portsmouth Burner” became supportive ofthe strategy and the proposed ERF for Portsmouth.By the same token the development of local liaison groups also helped facilitate theapproval process. The fact that proposals were subject to discussion and there wassome element of community involvement made an important contribution to makingthem more acceptable (or less unacceptable) to local people.Obtaining planning permission for energy recovery facilities