Community engagement signposts

Title:Integrating community empowerment with service delivery: pointers to good practice
Publisher: IDeA
Date: October 2010
Resource: Case studies
Description: Shows how councils are using information from community engagement to inform the ways services are planned and delivered. It includes examples that highlight the key ingredients and give some pointers to success.

Title:Community power empowers: making community, co-operative and municipal renewable energy happen - lessons from across Europe (pdf)
Publisher: Urban Forum
Date: September 2010
Resource: Report
Description: Reports on successful community-led and municipal-led renewable energy projects from across Europe. Looks at 13 energy projects and identifies eight common characteristics as drivers to making the projects happen. Considers how lessons learnt from the approaches employed in other countries could be applied in the UK and makes recommendations for policy.

Title:New techniques for risk management in planning and public consultation (pdf)
Publisher: Field Fisher Waterhouse
Date: 2010
Resource: Report
Description: Develops ideas around the new legal requirements for high quality public consultation and the use of new techniques such as social media.

Title:Good practice guide to public engagement in development schemes (pdf)
Publisher: Planning Aid England and Planning Aid for London.
Date: June 2010
Resource: Guidance
Description: The RTPI fully endorses this guidance which provides practical advice for everyone involved in public engagement in development schemes. It is illustrated by real examples of good practice and provides information and assistance to those planning, engaging in, or assessing community consultation.

Title:Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE)
Publisher: Action with Communities in Rural England
Date: Ongoing
Resource: Campaign bodys website
Description: National umbrella of the Rural Community Action Network (RCAN), which supports rural communities across the country. It provides advice, tools and resources to generate effective community action.

Title:Rural Development Council
Publisher: Rural Development Council
Date: Established 2008
Resource: Website
Description: A forum which brings together a broad range of expertise on rural matters to bear on strategic discussions which will shape the development of rural policy and practice in Scotland.

Title:Face to face and side by side: a framework for partnership in our multi faith society
Publisher: Department for Communities and Local Government
Date: July 2008
Resource: Strategy
Description: Sets out how faith communities, Government and wider society can work together to encourage and enable greater local activity which brings people with different religions and beliefs together. Contains examples of effective practice, practical suggestions for communities and local authorities and links to further sources of support and guidance.

Title:Your place, your future RTPI Planning Awards 2008 Winner
Publisher: Plymouth City Council
Date: 2007
Resource: Case study community consultation
Description: Preparation of the cities sustainable neighbourhoods development plan document included extensive community involvement, through site visits, community planning workshops, exhibitions and online bulletin boards, reversing the trend for people to get involved at the end of the planning process.

Title:Effective community involvement and consultation:GPN1
Publisher: RTPI
Date: Revised 2007
Resource: Good practice guide
Description: Provides a corps of best practice on key aspects of community involvement, in an easy to absorb format. Plus four case studies.

Title:Communityplanning.net
Publisher: RTPI and Nick Waites Associates
Date: Ongoing
Resource: Website
Description: Comprehensive web based resource outlining general principles, methods, scenarios and case studies relating to all aspects of community planning.

Title:A guide to the use of mediation in the planning system in Scotland
Publisher: Scottish Government
Date: March 2009
Resource: Guidance
Description: Designed to help planning authorities, developers, statutory consultees, communities and third parties understand how mediation can be used to build consensus on difficult issues and enhance the planning process.

Title:VOiCE: visioning outcomes in community engagement
Publisher: Scottish Community Development Centre
Date: 2008
Resource: Toolkit
Description: Database planning and recording tool designed to assist in designing and delivering effective community engagement. It provides support to plan community engagement and service user participation, conduct it effectively, monitor and record the process and evaluate the outcomes.

Title:Civic pioneers case study review
Publisher: Department for Communities and Local Government
Date: December 2008
Resource: Case study review
Description: Presents case studies of twelve funded community empowerment projects, together with a simple analysis of the lessons learned from these experiences.

Title:Evidence through engagement: creating sustainable neighbourhoods in Plymouth
Publisher: Planning Advisory Service
Date: 2008
Resource: Case study
Description: Looks at how Plymouth Council used innovative methods to consult the local community on planning developments.

Title:Guidance on building a local sense of belonging
Publisher: Department for Communities and Local Government
Date: January 2009
Resource: Guidance
Description: Working with the Citizenship Foundation this guidance outlines ways to encourage a sense of belonging as a way of promoting improved community cohesion.

Title:The no pain guide to gain: a community guide to planning gain
Publisher: The Ethical Property Foundation
Date: July 2008
Resource: Introductory guide
Description: Jargon-free, practical community guide to planning obligations which answers frequently asked questions on planning obligations, provides a checklist of actions to take to maximise community impact at each stage of a planning application, and lists key contacts who can help deliver community gains through planning obligations.

Title:The duty to involve: making it work
Publisher: Community Development Foundation
Date: 2009
Resource: Guidance
Description: Demonstrates how community development can help to make the most of the duty to involve. Contains ideas for reinvigorating local democracy and improving the quality of decision making, involving local people in a meaningful way.