ATE offers advice on community engagement and consultation

Active Travel England (ATE) has published guidance to help councils ensure the views of residents and businesses are considered when designing and delivering transport changes in neighbourhoods.

The document has been developed to help people involved in the delivery of major transport schemes, and particularly those with a focus on active travel. It has been designed to inform transport project engagement and consultation. The guide includes a step-by-step section, which follows the project stages used by ATE as part of the project management and delivery process.

A section on ‘project engagement through project delivery’ includes advice on: feasibility design; preliminary design; detailed design; the business case; statutory consultation; construction and implementation; and post-implementation.

“Different organisations use different terminology for these stages, sometimes with overlap and some contradiction,” says the guide. “This guide has been developed to work with the project stages used by ATE and partners, as part of the design review gateways and stages.”

Though not always easy, engagement and consultation is powerful when done well, the guide states. “You need the right team and supporting resources, time to have a good conversation and a project process that enables the team to listen to feedback and make changes where necessary.

“It is, however, important to remember that you are delivering schemes that, while complex and sometimes difficult, are going to make it easier for everyone to get around safely, and for active travel to be the obvious choice for short trips.”

The report was written by Jon Little with input from ATE. Little has won plaudits for his work with Waltham Forest Council on the Enjoy Waltham Forest (mini-Holland) programme as well as Liveable Neighbourhoods, Transforming Cities Fund projects, the London Cycle Hire Scheme and the Lambeth Neighbourhood Enhancement Programme.

A best practice guide to community consultation and engagement