Consultation FAQ

Q - Are there any examples of what constitutes “good” consultation?

A. Yes, other councils have a more proactive attitude towards consulting with their electorate. For example, when a Tesco store was planned in Darling in 2006, the council conducted their own consultation, including a 7 week roadshow and a massive survey, which was heavily advertised. The results of the Darlington consultation showed that local people were overwhelmingly opposed to Tesco and the Tesco store was not built.

The CCN Dev Brief states “The Council will continue to consult widely as the proposals are developed and involve many different bodies in the process” (4.14, page 11). Fine words but that is all. LCC seem to have the attitude that further consultation on their part is not necessary, as long as the plans fit the DB, in fact LCC is leaving what consultation there has been entirely to Centros. The consultation should not be conducted by CM because they have a fundamental conflict of interest as they are also the developer. CM cannot conduct an independent consultation on plans that they are also actively trying to promote!