Spatial planning considers economic, environmental and sociological factors using a land use framework for new developments.
Land use consultations are key to this approach. By gathering feedback from key stakeholders and communities, policy-makers can make data-driven decisions about land use and national infrastructure strategy.
What is Spatial Planning?
Spatial planning can be defined as a strategic approach to managing the development and organisation of land. Spatial planning helps to shape the function and character of spaces. It differs from the more traditional term ‘land use planning’ by thinking about land use from multiple angles – such as sociological, economic and environmental – rather than just from an infrastructural or urban planning standpoint.
In recent years, spatial planning has become a go-to framework for the integration of different policy objectives and both urban and agricultural land planning. Unlike traditional planning, spatial planning takes into account contemporary challenges such as climate change mitigation, nature recovery and regional development.
As a practice, spatial planning also takes into account the needs of communities and stakeholders. It is therefore necessary to consult those communities. As a formal process, this is called a land use consultation.
Why Land Use Consultations are Important in Spatial Planning
A land use consultation is a process led by the Government or a public body. It aims to gather feedback and provide information to all those who may be affected by or have a stake in the way land is used.
All public consultations provide an opportunity for consultees to have their say on the policy developments that affect them. They disseminate information to key stakeholders and the public. In the case of a land use consultation, the stakeholders are usually more specialised.
These stakeholders may include:
- Farmers
- Landowners and land managers
- Agricultural businesses
- Local communities
- Conservation groups
- Environmental agencies
- Planning officials
Spatial planning seeks to ensure that the way land is used is balanced between various – sometimes competing – objectives. The need to build housing and critical infrastructure may need to be weighed against the importance of protecting the environment including green spaces and waterways. The crucial role British farming plays in our supply chains may come into conflict with the needs of other businesses or conservation groups.
Ensuring sustainable development means making sure the needs and views of all relevant stakeholders are taken into account when developing policy for land use. Land use consultations allow public bodies to take a data-driven approach to developing these plans.
Being aware of all relevant viewpoints and potential issues early in the planning process has various benefits. Primarily, potential solutions can be found earlier in the process, reducing costs and the likelihood of controversy over the ultimate land use plan.
Challenges in Land Use Consultations
Despite the importance of land use consultations in creating a dialogue between planners and stakeholders, they present a number of challenges. Some of these challenges include:
- Conflicts of interests: Different stakeholders and communities have different priorities. From protecting endangered species, to ensuring public access to green areas, to making sure British farming remains financially viable. It is often difficult to meet all of these needs without conflict.
- Ensuring all relevant parties have a voice: Some types of stakeholders are better at making their voice heard than others. Certain groups may find themselves in the position of having more or less sympathetic press, or be harder to reach for consultation purposes. There are also certain communities who may trust policy-makers less from the outset, and therefore not engage with the consultation in good faith.
- Press coverage: When it comes to land development, even the early stages of planning and consultation can court controversy with local media. Clear, consistent communication is essential as disinformation can quickly infiltrate public discourse.
- Planning for the long-term: Many land use considerations are long-term in nature, particularly where they relate to the environment. This can create difficulties in measuring success and ‘selling the idea’ to the public.
- Data-gathering and analysis: Gathering feedback from participants, particularly when there may be a large number of inputs, may be challenging. Using that data to inform policy that meets the needs identified by the consultation requires a great deal of expertise. The complexity of this process can be significantly aided by GovTech platforms, but still requires some expert oversight by land use consultants.
To address these challenges, it is essential to have a comprehensive consultation plan in place that can anticipate and mitigate these issues ahead of time.
Running A Successful Land Use Framework Consultation
Running a successful land use consultation requires careful planning, a place-based approach to engagement and a multifunctional land use framework. Setting clear goals, engaging participants, and deciding how to measure success, are all important steps in any successful consultation.
1. Setting Clear Objectives
The first step in any consultation is setting clear objectives. No consultation can cover everything, or speak to everyone. Each consultation must decide what their scope is, and what questions to ask. For example, is the consultation dealing with costs, immediate environmental impact, long-term economic benefits, etc.
Those questions will inform what stakeholders and communities must be engaged in order to consult with all relevant parties.
In the case of land use, the consultation may state specific objectives related to land development. For example, the consultation may say from the outset that the public body is aiming to improve local food supply chains, improve protected areas and agricultural land, or develop land for infrastructure.
This approach can help guide participants to think about spatial planning in a more guided manner that may be more useful to planners.
2. Engaging Stakeholders and Communities
The next step is to identify the relevant stakeholders, and implement a stakeholder engagement strategy. Land use consultations require the participation of a broad range of stakeholders to ensure planning reflects a diverse set of needs. Engaging all relevant perspectives helps identify potential problems and opportunities.
Care should be taken to engage communities where relevant, particularly if those communities are less likely to hear about and interact with the consultation process independently. A community engagement strategy can be a useful tool for this purpose.
3. Communicating Effectively
In any consultation, communication is key. Communication should be dual purpose:
- To provide accurate information about the planning process. Any issues or considerations specific to a particular area or piece of land should be made clear to all participants.
- To receive feedback from a wide range of people, ensuring all potential angles are covered. This is particularly important to spatial planning, that must consider land use from such a wide range of interest groups.
Communicating ideas must be approached from multiple angles. Sometimes information can be provided and fed back using simple methods, like surveys or interviews. Other times, different methods may be used to allow both sides to better understand one another. In the case of land use consultation, geospatial mapping tools are particularly useful for visualising the way different groups relate to a given space.
4. Analysing Feedback to Inform Policy
Once feedback has been collected, it can be analysed to identify the concerns of different stakeholder groups and communities. Common themes, like climate change impact and impact on landowners,can be assessed and therefore addressed.
This process ensures that decision-making is evidence-based and reflects stakeholder input. In the case of a broad consultation with many participants, as spatial planning consultations often are, it is usually necessary to use a digital platform.
Using Digital Platforms for Planning Consultations
Digital platforms have changed the way we conduct consultations. In the past, engagement with consultations relied on in-person meetings and printed notices. Now, digital engagement tools make it easier to find and take part in relevant consultations. They can also make it easier for those running a consultation to identify and engage key parties. Once engaged, these platforms become a ‘one-stop shop’ for consultation participation, making communication simple for both sides.
GovTech is also very useful for data collection and analysis. Feedback from consultees can be gathered and categorised in a detailed, accurate manner and responded to quickly. Results are data-led and can be published on the same platform, creating a culture of transparency.
For land use consultations, it is important to think about how digital platforms can aid how participants think and communicate about a given space. Smaller scale consultations may benefit from participatory mapping activities. Larger consultations may still benefit from the use of the range of geospatial tools offered by digital platforms like Citizen Space.
Case Study: DEFRA Land Use Consultation
In January, the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) launched a consultation on land use. This nationwide consultation is being conducted through Citizen Space.
Framed as a “national conversation”, the consultation is currently gathering feedback from a range of stakeholders including farmers, environmental groups, local communities, and developers. The consultation is exploring land use as it relates to issues ranging from sustainable food production, to conservation, to infrastructural needs.
By using Citizen Space, the consultation process is simplified. Participants are informed and engaged via a platform that is easy to navigate and understand. Feedback given through the platform can then be systematically gathered and analysed by DEFRA.
The data gathered using Citizen Space will be used to inform future policy development. This consultation has the potential to move land planning strategy towards a more sustainable future.
This collaborative effort aims to create land management that will support economic growth, biodiversity, and strong rural communities for years to come. Speaking on the land-use consultation, Sue Pritchard, the Chief Executive of the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission said:
“With so many of the government’s missions reliant on good land use decisions, Steve Reed’s announcement today could not be more timely. Setting out clear principles, and working across government departments, we’re pleased to see that the land use consultation focuses on mechanisms for delivery.”
Citizen Space is the go-to platform for connecting governments, developers, and citizens. If you’d like to learn more about how our software streamlines public engagement and provides planners with enriched geospatial data, book a free demo and we’ll walk you through it.
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