Mobilising the silent majority

Forty Shillings recently hosted a breakfast seminar with Nathaniel Lichfield & Partners (NLP) and Com Res on how developers can mobilise the silent majority on major planning applications.

At the seminar, we revealed some opinion research that had been carried out by ComRes exclusively for this event.  The research showed that:

• 75% of Councillors believe that the silent majority is overlooked in planning decisions
• 82% of Councillors believe consultation only capture the views of the most vocal people
• 64% believe there is a lack of robust evidence of public opinion
• 46% are likely to more swayed by the opinions of local constituents than national or local planning policy
• 52% believe the National Planning Policy Framework means local authorities will have less say in local planning decisions
• 46% believe the National Planning Policy Framework will be adopted similar to its current form.

In the age of localism, developers need to stop treating consultation as a tick boxing exercise or a fluffy extra, but as an essential part of building public support through the planning process. 

A report of the seminar, including the ComRes findings is available at http://nlpplanning.com/uploads/ffiles/2011/10/411102.pdf