The City of London Corporation’s Planning and Transportation Committee will ask people for their views on a new Statement of Community Involvement setting out how engagement and consultation will take place with the Square Mile’s communities on planning applications and planning policy matters.
The revised Statement of Community Involvement replaces one previously agreed in July 2016.
It incorporates consultation and engagement lessons learned during the pandemic, when new and innovative ways to communicate with stakeholders were introduced effectively.
This includes making provision for online and hybrid meetings and consultation events, the use of new presentational techniques such as 3D modelling and the use of QR codes. These will be utilised alongside more traditional methods to increase engagement in planning matters.
The City Corporation continues to encourage developers to consult with local communities ahead of taking their proposals forward by submitting a formal planning application.
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To ensure this is done well, draft guidance for developers on the City Corporation’s expectations has also been prepared for consultation.
Both the Statement of Community Involvement and the developer engagement guidance will be issued for public consultation for a period of six weeks. After this period, they will be brought back to the Planning and Transportation Committee for further consideration and formal approval.
Chairman of the City of London Corporation’s Planning and Transportation Committee, Shravan Joshi, said: “This new Statement of Community Involvement will play a key role in shaping how we will engage with all the City’s stakeholders, including businesses, residents and developers.
“The City is home to a diverse range of communities, and it is vital that we engage appropriately with them during the planning process.
“Importantly, it embeds the lessons we have learned during the pandemic by encouraging innovative forms of engagement and consultation that can be more effective at reaching certain groups.
“I encourage all of the City’s stakeholders to take part in this consultation so that we can ensure it reflects the needs of all those involved.”
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