Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council
Communications and Engagement Strategy for the regeneration of the Coatham Enclosure
1.0 Introduction and background
Effective communication, engagement and consultation are central to the plans to regenerate the Coatham Enclosure.
The Council has already undertaken significant consultation on its proposals to re-develop the Coatham Enclosure. This includes:
· a newsletter being sent to all homes in Redcar
· regular press releases
· regular articles in River, Coast and Country
· public meetings
· presentations to local and special interest groups; including local residents and businesses
· regular information on the website; including regular responses to questions from members of the public and other key stakeholders.
· articles in Tees Pride
· public exhibitions, including a showreel
· independent market research
· information through ward councillor newsletters
· responses to queries raised with ward councillors
· regular briefings with Lead Cabinet member and Coatham ward councillors
The Council’s intention to regenerate the Coatham Enclosure was initially set out, and has already been consulted upon at a number of stages of its development:
· Redcar City Challenge in 1991
· Local Plan between 1993 and 1999
· Development brief - February 2003
· First masterplan between October – December 2003
· Latest masterplan in February 2005
First masterplan
The first masterplan was produced by Persimmon Homes and involved a display at Redcar Central Library staffed at specific times. Comment forms were available at the library, the Council offices at Belmont House and online through the Council’s website. The exhibition was advertised through posters across Redcar, letters sent to key stakeholders, including all households adjoining the site. A press release was issued to publicise the exhibition. A public meeting took place and individual presentations to local and special interest groups, as well as a petitioners meeting held in February 2004. Project leaflets were available in Council offices, at public meetings and presentations. The comments made were fed into the development of the latest masterplan following a Cabinet resolution in March 2004.
Latest masterplan
The more recent masterplan was presented and consulted upon at a public exhibition in Redcar (Coatham) Bowl during the week beginning 14 February 2005. It was advertised in the local press, via press releases, letters to Coatham residents, special interest groups, posters across Redcar, website. The exhibition showed the main issues raised in previous consultations and how they had been taken into account in the development of the latest masterplan. It was staffed at specific times with a leaflet, copy of the latest masterplan, details of issues raised in previous consultations and how they’d been addressed. A showreel was also produced for the exhibition. People were encouraged to give feedback on comments cards, via the website/email or letter. Staff presentations were also organised. Separate market research also took place on Redcar High Street and Redcar promenade. The results are currently being analysed and will be contained within a consultation report and presented to Cabinet as part of a request for approval of the final masterplan.
This Draft Communications and Engagement Strategy builds on the work undertaken to date. It will also need to take on board the comments made and research undertaken in this latest phase of consultation.
The regeneration of Coatham is a very complex process. The project itself needs to be self-financing, with funding being sought from a number of organisations through grants. The capital receipt from selling land for a housing development is necessary to help fund the project. Ensuring the land is suitable for what is being proposed is also a necessity with a number of tests required. These take time to complete and can appear publicly as though nothing is happening.
The development has recently attracted some negative publicity with a degree of misinformation circulating. It is not unusual for regeneration projects to receive some negative publicity due to the complexities and understandable concerns from local residents, especially from residents who's seaviews would be affected by new buildings.
It is important that the Council is seen as the authoritative source of information about the development and sets the agenda through effective communications. The Council also needs to demonstrate that it listens to concerns and takes them on board wherever possible. The Council needs to counteract any misinformation and take a planned approach to ensuring that local residents, business and other key stakeholders are:
· aware of the proposals for regeneration
· have the facts about the development
· are kept up to date on developments
· are consulted and engaged with
· recognise that the proposals have been shaped as a result of their views
In December 2004 the Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee reported on its investigation into the Council’s processes for the regeneration of the Coatham Enclosure following public criticism of the Council’s communications and consultation. It recommended that a Steering Group be set up, with Councillors and key stakeholders, to progress the Council’s Communications and Engagement Strategy for the regeneration of Coatham. The Group will also approve any publications as well as ensure that the Council’s communications and consultation reaches a wider audience.
This document sets out the draft Council’s Communications and Engagement Strategy for the Council’s regeneration of Coatham Enclosure. The draft strategy complements the Council’s Communications and Engagement Strategy which has the following principles:
· effective communication is essential to the way the Council functions and delivers services
· all communication should be clear, easily understood, appropriate for the intended audience, accurate, timely and up to date
· communication must recognise and respond positively to the diverse needs, aspirations and expectations of different groups and communities
· good communication is everyone’s responsibility
· the Council will always seek to adopt methods of engagement which are fit for purpose
· communication will be open, honest, fair and realistic
· communication will involve listening to, learning from and responding to the views of stakeholders
The Draft Communications and Engagement Strategy for Coatham will need to be approved by the Coatham Communications Steering Group and re-visited. The strategy includes a Draft Communications and Engagement Plan which also needs to be regularly updated.
2.0 The Strategy
The draft strategy sets out the Council’s target audiences, key messages, objectives, communications mechanisms, consultation protocols, resources, evaluation, conclusion and recommendation.
3.0 Target Audiences
The Council touches the lives of everyone in the Borough. It also has relationships with many other individuals and organisations; these are known as the Council’s target audiences. They are divided below according to whether they are within the Council or external to the Council. The list is not in any priority order. All target audiences are important to the Council and need to be communicated and consulted with as part of the regeneration project to a greater and lesser extent during the entire process. The Draft Communications and Engagement Plan (Appendix A) shows how the Council plans to communicate and engage with the various target audiences.
Internal
Council
Cabinet
Corporate Management Team
Departmental Management Teams
Senior Management/Heads of Department
Middle Managers
Frontline staff e.g librarians
Tourist information staff
Other Council staff
Strategic partners providing a service within the Council i.e. LIBERATA staff especially ’front of house’ staff i.e. Call Centre/Switchboard, One-Stop Shop staff and receptionists/staff
Internal communications are vital to the success of the project. Many Council staff live in the Borough and will be asked for information about, and their opinions of, the project by friends and relatives as Council employees. Frontline staff in particular will receive enquiries about the project. This includes switchboard/call centre staff, receptionists, library staff, refuse staff etc.
Our staff are our greatest resource and our greatest ambassadors. It is vital that they are made aware of the proposals, its benefits and kept up to date about the plans. Not only will they feel informed and knowledgeable about the plans when asked about them by friends and relatives, but they can become champions in the local community, helping to spread the key messages and the benefits of the project.
External
Coatham residents
Redcar residents
All residents in the Borough
Other members of the public – including hard to reach groups such as ethnic minorities
Local businesses, business organisations and possible partners e.g. Mungle Jungle
Developers, Persimmon Homes
Suppliers and their staff
Sub contractors and their staff, especially Coast and Country, Tees Valley Leisure Ltd (esp. the staff currently working at the Redcar Coatham Bowl), Jarvis,
Local voluntary organisations, community/resident and special interest groups, e.g GRASP, including national specialist interest groups such as Extreme Sports groups
User groups of existing Coatham leisure facilities and potential new user groups based on the facilities to be provided
Funding and sponsorship organisations
Organisations interested in franchising elements to be included in the leisure development
Media – trade, national, regional and local
Local MPs/MEPs
Neighbouring Local Authorities
Local Strategic Partners e.g. health, police, education
Government/public sector organisations/QUANGOs/funding organisations
Office of Deputy Prime Minister
4.0 Objectives
The objectives of the Council’s Draft Communications and Engagement Strategy for the regeneration of Coatham Enclosure are to:
· Increase awareness amongst its target audiences of the proposals to regenerate Coatham Enclosure, as well as the reasons why and the benefits.
· Truly engage with local people about the proposals and ensure that local people feel that they have had an opportunity to make their views known that the Council has taken them on board as part of the consultation/engagement elements.
· Increase support for the plans to regenerate the Coatham Enclosure amongst key target audiences.
5.0 Key Messages
The key messages that the Council wishes to convey to its target audiences as part of the Draft Communications and Engagement Strategy are:
· The regeneration project will hugely benefit the lives of local people; making it an even better place to live, work, visit and have fun.
· It will result in new and much needed leisure facilities, housing, increased tourism, new jobs and a much improved environment.
· The Council is engaging with, listening to, and taking on board the views of local people.
6.0 Communications Mechanisms
The Draft Communications and Engagement Strategy will include awareness raising about what is being proposed/planned, as well as resulting in genuine consultation and engagement and ongoing communication. It will need to be regularly updated and a more detailed Communications and Engagement Plan produced should the project receive planning permission. A Marketing Strategy will also be required for the new leisure and tourism facilities.
Appendix A is a Communications and Engagement Plan setting out how the Council will meet its objectives. The activities contained are classified as high, medium and low priority in order for resourcing issues to be taken into account. They are also timed around the key milestones:
· Cabinet in late May – results of consultation on the latest masterplan and public open space. Decision required on public open space, and approval of final master plan
· July/August - further Cabinet resolution to sign up to development
· July/August - submission of application for outline planning permission
· Decision on outline planning application
· Commencement of construction
· Various stages of construction
· Completion of construction and official opening
The timescales within the Plan may be impacted upon by the Village Green application, achieving funding for delivery, the limitations of existing resources internally and within Persimmon Homes our development partner. The situation is complex and it is not yet clear whether the two processes may proceed in parallel.
7.0 Consultation
In any development project it is crucial that there is effective consultation and engagement with local people, communities, businesses and other key stakeholders. The Redcar and Cleveland Partnership, and the Council have endorsed a consultation protocol for the whole of the Borough. The Council’s Communications and Engagement Strategy sets out the protocol, which establishes a set of principles, standards and practices in community engagement.
Effective consultation is much more than communicating what the project is about but truly working with local communities almost as equal partners to gain the best solution. Though it is important in doing so that:
· expectations are not raised
· the Council does listen to and seriously consider the outcome of consultation
· takes on board, wherever possible, the results of consultation, working with consultees
The resource this entails should not be underestimated, particularly where there is opposition to a project.
ResourcesEffective communication and consultation is one of a number of key aspects affecting the success of the Council’s proposal to regenerate the Coatham Enclosure and it is important it is properly resourced.
Staffing Implications
The Coatham development is led by a project manager 0.8 Full Time Equivalent (F.T.E) and the support of two existing part time support officers amounting to 1..1 F.T.E’s, giving a total available resource of 1.9 F.T.E’s to deliver all aspects of the project.
The Council has recently appointed a new projects officer to progress the delivery of the proposed Visitor Centre. It is expected that this post will be fully utilised in the development of the Centre during the next financial year.
Recent events have shown not just the value of effective communication and engagement but also how resource intensive the process can be. The impact will be felt across the Council, but in particular on the Coatham Team, (which is already working at capacity), the Council’s communications team and the wider communications function within the Council
The key players will be the Coatham Team, without whom meaningful communication about Coatham could not take place, and the Council’sCorporate Communications Team, who will play a major role in supporting the delivery of communications and marketing activities. However, it is important to recognise that there is potential to draw in other communications expertise from other areas of the Council to support this project. The Council’s Policy and Research Team has expertise in consultation and is also supporting the project Further support may also be available through the developers, Permission Homes.
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Funding Implications