03 August 2015, The Harrogate Planning Team recently held a successful public consultation event to share plans for a proposed development of 100 new homes at the British Telecom Training Centre, St Georges Road, Harrogate. The event was held at the local cricket club and attended by more than 170 people on a Tuesday evening (7 July 2015).

In preparation for the consultant event, residents were notified by a letter drop and a public notice in the local press. The successful consultation event has paved the way for the submission of the planning application in the autumn with the majority of the community’s support.

For a long time, public consultation has been seen as a necessary evil by developers and one blighted by nimbyism (not in my back yard). However, if properly managed it can be a useful and effective tool in securing planning permission. It is essential to tailor the public consultation to the individual project and a blanket approach is not always appropriate.