Westminster planners demand more community engagement

Westminster City Council has told property developers they should do more to engage with locals when planning new schemes – and consult them earlier in the process. The draft guidance, which is set to be adopted in May, states that developers should consult residents before going to planning officers for advice on larger projects, after complaints that communities are “regularly consulted too late… or in some instances not consulted at all”. Westminster will soon expect developers to hand planners a so-called Early Engagement Strategy before the council comes back to them with pre-application advice. This is especially important on larger schemes where they have to go out to locals for feedback more than once, the council said. “Local communities have raised concerns that they are regularly consulted too late in the planning pre-application process by developers, or in some instances not consulted at all,” said the documents.  “Often the engagement that is undertaken amounts to presentation of a finalised scheme, which is shortly after submitted as a formal application without scope for the community engagement to influence the proposal. “We therefore strongly recommend that initial community engagement is carried out prior to seeking pre-application advice from officers wherever possible.”  It comes weeks after Westminster deferred its decision on a controversial residential redevelopment put forward by Grosvenor, after locals complained about the impact it would have on neighbouring properties. Several local societies, 79 residents, and local MP Nickie Aiken objected to the proposals for a major new residential scheme on Cundy Street, SW1, saying that the planned buildings were too high and would deprive nearby terraces of sunlight. Westminster is gathering views from members of its planning committee on the new guidance, ahead of a final review in May. To send feedback, e-mail alex.daniel@egi.co.uk or tweet @alexmdaniel or @estatesgazette