Some people’s idea of hell is standing in the atrium of a large shopping mall at this time of year as people push past you to get to the increasingly glitter strewn shelves lulled into a trance via shakin’ steven christmas classics and xmas instrumentals blurring out over the instore entertainment systems. Well, last night we escaped the christmas crush and executed a fantastic community exhibition on behalf of a major retailer just outside Belfast on the proposals for a large development and extention of one of the best loved shopping centres in NI.
One thing that struck us as we watched person after person visit the exhibiton was the importance of involving the local communities in plannned proposals and developments. Gaining support from the people that will be directly or indirectly affected by planning proposals is of the utmost importance and something that should not be taken lightly by property developers and companies.
What community exhibitions do is allow the local community to be part of the planning process and ensure that their voices are heard and answers given there and then to inform how they think about certain plans and to clarify any uncertainity they may have. You’ll find, as we have this morning going through the comments and feedback forms that if you bring the community on board you will be surprised at how much positive support people are willing to give in the name of development. This is only one strand of the overall communications programme we are currently undertaking but possibly the most important. So involve the community, let them know whats going on and who knows what property santa might bring…planning permission!