Planning and development engagement

We are the engagement experts for planning and development projects. In fact, we created the principles, process steps, and the recommended methods for the Community Engagement Toolkit for Planning with the Queensland Department of Infrastructure Local Government and Planning (DILGP).

We have worked with state governments, major city and regional councils around Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria on wide range of planning projects from environmental regulations, coastal hazard adaptation, planning schemes, and flood mapping to planning provisions for koala protection.

Our team includes:

^town planners
^urban designers
^environmental planners
^environmental scientists.

They are specialists in communication and engagement on planning matters. They have worked extensively with elected representatives, key stakeholders and diverse communities on complex planning challenges. We are specialists communicating what can and can’t be done, and taking a collaborative, co-design approach to ensure you meet your planning engagement goals.

We know how to talk about planning in a way the helps people understand the challenges and want to be part of solution creation.

Why engage for planning and development?

Planning is a complex process that directly affects the people in communities, and because it is so complex – it often has a bad reputation. We know how to help educate the community about the planning process and create a shared responsibility for solving complex problems.

We can help you:

^Explain how the process works
^Share why it matters
^Help people understand why they should care
^Manage the process to keep it on track
^Stay within the project scope and manage community expectations
^Balance conflicting demands, ideas and needs.

We make sure your stakeholders understand

We develop an engagement strategy, communication tools, messages and communication collateral that educate, are innovative, jargon free and interesting. Our messaging is focused on conveying the non-negotiables and managing expectation. We consider they community’s perspectives and what they want to know, so that your messaging cuts through and creates more understanding. We know how to adapt and build in flexibility to respond to future policy changes.

We deliver your message clearly

To make sure your message is delivered clearly, we use a range of innovative digital tools to simple and engaging information that is easy to understand. Whether it’s a website, an app, or an augmented reality experience, our tools are proven to engage the community.

We focus on the people, so you can focus on the planning

Our team builds engagement and communication around the things that matter most. We know that people have a different focus at different stages of their lives. So, our approach is different for each stakeholder group. We use digital tools for some, print tools for others, and immersive walkthroughs for those who like a bit more adventure. We can also talk about the issues in a non-technical way, for understanding that doesn’t water down the technical challenge you need to solve.

We engage all your stakeholders, not just those who are the loudest

Planning projects need a range of insights from professionals and other experts, not only town planners. We work with you to understand which stakeholders are important in your community, to gain input and buy in from the planners, the engineers, the property industry, the professional bodies, and your community. We can help ensure you reach the quiet voices who may not typically be reached in engagement processes.

Our project principles

Every project is guided by our unpinning principles:

^Integration with existing council strategies and policies and relevant local government Acts.
^Collaboration with the wider project team to quantify and understand your reality and community’s expectations
^Evidence-based and mutually agreed frameworks for collecting and analysing inputs
^Values-driven stakeholder and community priorities are identified and incorporated
^Inclusivity is what we do, so we consider accessibility and equity is built into our framework
^Clarity to deliver clear understanding of community sentiment so that the project team and feel confident they’re delivering the services the community wants and needs
^Contextually relevant and aligned to other planning initiatives for consistency