Decision making

      12 Consultation
    › 12.1 Decision making
    › 12.2 Consultation techniques

 

12.1 Decision making

There are several approaches to making decisions about the public realm.

Department for Transport    Manual for Streets, 7 step process
1	Policy review
2	Objective setting
3	Design
4	Quality auditing
5	Planning approva
6	Implementation
7	Monitoring
Highway Risk & Liability Claims    3 or 4 step model    (Good Practice on Highway Maintenance Management)
1	Set clear concise scheme objectives
2	Work up the design against objectives  (preferably as a simple 3D illustration)
3	Review by expert panel, including the results of safety audits
4	Sign-off by identified elected member with vested powers.
PRIAN   Design & Management of the Public Realm
1	Review the policies
2	Set the scheme objectives
3	Assess the current situation
4	Design the scheme, produce budget cost
5	Quality audit scheme & consider to what extent have the objectives been met.

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12.2 Consultation techniques

The purpose of consultation is to get people involved, from all the relevant sections of the community. Straightforward public meetings tend to favour those who are able to attend easily. They are often dominated by male middle class professionals. Techniques to reach the views of the wider community include using a range of venues such as clubs and societies, pubs, churches, shops, drop in events and open meetings, community days, focus groups and workshops, door to door visits, as well as the street itself.

The techniques could then include:
• suggestion boxes
• painting drawing
• photography
• community exhibition
• suggestion or comments chart
• pub quiz
• walk about
• scoring and ranking
• implementation matrix and responsibility chart
• questionnaire

Where public meetings are used it may be helpful to run them in a sequence of three stages, which at the first, policy options are discussed, at the second, the results are fed back to into broad but practical options for consideration, and at the third, the selected option is presented as finite proposals.

Consultation in Harrow

Local people having their say

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