A3.3: Commitment

There is no doubt that where there is commitment to achieve a positive planning outcome, the quality of both process and outcome becomes easier to achieve. In the majority of large development projects a degree of commitment may already be established through a formal planning status. In a (small) number of ATLAS cases despite a policy commitment, the Local Authority and/or the scheme promoter appear unwilling to commit to positive engagement. This tends to be a product of resource & skills concerns, public & political issues or where the commercial expectations conflict with policy and public objectives.

Where there are specific problems in relation to a lack of public and political support, an open process should be taken forward that is based on an exploration of the potential benefits of development as well as the potential disbenefits. The key here is that commitment should be given to taking forward a process rather than pre-judging the outcome. A failure to engage may result in distrust between key stakeholders, a lack of project influence and endorsement, and an outcome that does not maximise opportunities. The risks of refusal and potential for appeal would be greatly increased.

There will however be cases where the policy position is not clear. In these circumstances the Local Authority need to take an early view on the likelihood of a positive planning balance being achieved. For example if an initial proposal is fundamentally contrary to established policy then there may indeed be little merit in committing to an intensive collaborative process. However in many instances there may be reasons why such an approach was being adopted (such as financial viability or project deliverability) which warrant exploration and assessment to clarify what benefits may still be achievable. The ATLAS experience is that providing it is made clear that the local authorities commitment is to the process and not the outcome that it is in their and the community’s interest to commit to collaborative working to investigate the project further.