SPATIAL PLANNING Key Instrument for Development and Effective Governance

6. ENGAGING STAKEHOLDERS AND PROTECTING
RIGHTS
This chapter considers various processes for engaging stakeholders in the spatial planning process. It
also briefly outlines how spatial planning can protect and strengthen the public’s rights.
6.1 Engaging stakeholders
Successful delivery of development and regeneration strategies depends on building support and
ownership for spatial strategies and plans among all stakeholders. Engaging stakeholders provides an
exchange of knowledge and information that improves the process of spatial planning and makes it
more responsive. It can also help foster understanding between stakeholders and increase support for
policies. All mature spatial planning systems incorporate procedures to ensure that stakeholders can be
involved throughout the process and that there is consistency in the general approach by allowing
opportunities for:
• Participation – where the decision-making authority is open about the way forward and may wish
to collect views on options;
• Consultation – where the decision-making body has a preferred option or even draft proposals
which it can present to others for review and refinement;
• Representation – where those affected by proposals are permitted to make a formal objection to
the authority;
• Appeal – where those in opposition to the decision have the ability to appeal to a higher
administrative authority and/or the courts on specific grounds.
There are many techniques are available to involve and engage stakeholders (see, for example, UK
Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, 2003). Most techniques are open to adaptation and variation. All
techniques have their own strengths and weaknesses, so their success depends on the way in which
they are used. The choice of technique should be determined by clarifying what the main reason or
anticipated goal of the meeting as well as the number of stakeholders involved. Regardless of which
technique is used, it is likely to place new demands on the education, training and support of spatial
planners.
Identifying and engaging the whole range of stakeholders is crucial. Stakeholders can include those
directly involved in the decision making process, such as local authorities (politicians and civil
servants) and other tiers of government, the development industry and investors, as well as others who
can productively contribute to the decision-making process such as community representatives and
NGOs. Further stakeholders may be more difficult to identify, but the effort to do so and invite them
to participate, as a means of being socially inclusive, is often a necessary measure to redress the
balance of public involvement and to hear the views of people and groups that have been traditionally
underrepresented.
Participation
In the early stages of preparing and reviewing spatial strategies and plans before the planning
authority is committed to a particular solution, it may be advantageous to engage a wide range of
stakeholders in discussing the issues and formulating proposals. As part of the survey or information
gathering process, the distribution of “issues” papers or monitoring reports on previous plans is a
valuable tool for stimulating interest. Early participation will help to generate more creative solutions
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