Overview

We passionately believe in the importance of ongoing engagement and ensure that the scale and longevity of our investments benefit local communities through opportunities, partnerships, jobs and training.

Why are they important?

Engaging with local communities at every stage from pre-planning through to delivery is fundamental to the Master Developer model. From the earliest opportunity, the voice of the community provides insights into a local area, what’s working and what isn’t, together with concerns about development which can be addressed and opportunities which can be enhanced. Those voices change and grow as the development comes forward but are just as important, especially as the management of the community assets needs to be considered and sustained. Neighbours can become supporters and residents often become ambassadors.

What do they want from us?

Who are they?

Methods of engagement

Across the lifecycle of the project our team actively engages with the local communities initially around our sites and then with the emerging community on site. Early engagement focuses on the proposals and evolves into ways in which we can support community initiatives and ensure communities benefit from investment in jobs and skills. The introduction of Quality of Life surveys for projects in delivery also provides independent analysis of community views which can be tracked over time and which provide the Board with an objective assessment of delivery. We also invite representatives of community groups to attend our Company Away Day for a Q&A session.

How we engaged in the year

We have been engaging at all stages of the Master Developer process this year. From planning consultations for Baldock, which saw 418 local residents give their views on the opportunities for the development and the wider town, to the establishment of the People of Houlton consortium, which pulls together the various emerging stakeholder groups across the Houlton community, our teams have been busy working with local people to maximise the benefits and minimise the impact of development. Quality of Life surveys have been conducted at Wintringham and Middlebeck and the survey results for Alconbury, Priors Hall and Houlton from last year have been extensively analysed with a number of initiatives implemented. A major communication event was held to explain the works involved in the delivery of the Newark Link Road and various sporting events were hosted and supported throughout the year. With all employees encouraged to take three volunteering days during the year, we also organised a number of community support events at the Beacon Centre in Little Stukely near Alconbury Weald, Adrenaline Alley near Corby and the Forest of Marston Vale which saw our teams paint, prune and generally pitch in. This year, Away Day attendees included the school principal, a local business owner, the chair of the residents association and the deputy chief executive of the County Council.

Outcomes 

On established developments, the community groups are maturing and we are now supporting rather than originating events and activities. We are seeing growing resilience, knowledge and enthusiasm for taking on management tasks and we are ensuring that the various groups know each other and can share information. The early delivery of green and community infrastructure is a major factor in the success of these communities. Schools and community buildings have been reasonably straightforward to deliver and we are pleased to see some encouraging progress around health provision as well. It is quite clear that our teams generate a lot of pride from being involved in our growing communities and we continue to have several team members serving as governors of our schools or being involved in local organisations.