Keeping Lines of Communication Open

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Facing a lengthy period of social distancing is going to create significant challenges for the entire community engagement process. Our in-house online consultation platform, alongside an innovative social media campaign, will help to ensure that we can keep talking to neighbours and residents in these difficult times.
Published Tue 17 Mar 2020

In the wake of the changes to everyday life caused by the onset of the Covid-19 virus, we want to make our policy on public engagement clear.

This is how we are ensuring that we are able to continue to communicate with the communities impacted by our developments.

We had currently booked several spaces in which to exhibit our upcoming proposals in the coming months, but hosting these events is now clearly contrary to emerging governmental public health advice. As such, we are taking a number of additional steps to ensure that everyone who wants to know about our schemes will find information on them clearly and easily, and most importantly - will be able to make their views clear to us via a number of different channels.

These steps include more extensive use of digital engagement, which alllows us to continue to embed the views of local residents firmly into the design process for each of our schemes. We first used this method for the first phase of engagement at Blackwall Yard (in Tower Hamlets) and will now also be repeating the process for our upcoming schemes on Ilford High Road in Goodmayes, and at Station Road in Colliers Wood.

Our approach to engagement has always open, inclusive, and has sought to reach beyond the demographics which traditionally interact with proposed developments - but now we have been forced to pivot somewhat and take an approach which is best described as ‘digital first’. When we can meet with residents again, then we will – but we will obviously not jeopardise the safety of our new neighbours, and indeed our project teams.

With the above in mind, we will be:

  • Producing and hosting informative videos about proposals for each site on the project website
  • Running a series of online polls requesting the feedback of everyone affected by or interested in the proposals
  • Promoting the website and consultation via letterdrops (where appropriate) and through engaging social media advertising campaigns
  • Offering SMS updates for local residents who do not use the internet extensively
  • Guaranteeing a full response to all email queries within two working days
  • Ensuring the availability of project team members for video and telephone conversations with residents at the times most convenient to them

In the meantime, do try and stay safe until we see you again.