Local politicians and social media cause the public to misunderstand planning
The RTPI recently did a survey with planners and the findings are quite shocking:
Fewer than 14% of planners believe the public understands the purpose of planning.
96% say social and online media contribute to misinformation about planning issues in their area, up from 86% in 2023.
85% feel the public views planning as a hindrance rather than a benefit.
Six in ten believe the public neither knows when nor how to engage with the planning process.
You work your little socks off to prepare the planning application. You have spent eye-watering amounts of money on all the reports and surveys and then you submit your planning application, and all hell breaks loose. The local Councillor who wouldn’t take your call is now going door-to-door with a petition, the community Facebook group has memes of Satan’s body with your face photoshopped onto it…
But back to the seriousness of the matter. Let us examine some of the survey comments:
“Publicly, there is a consensus that planning hinders development and pushes the 'wrong things' through the planning system. Ultimately, you can't please everyone and those voices who are not happy will always be the loudest… Due to misconceptions fuelled mainly by local politicians and social media, the public does not understand the purpose of planning.”
The reality is that if you don’t go out and set a positive agenda, there will be a NIMBY that will go out there and set a negative agenda. This is where fake news come from. The applications are written in technical language… the average Councillor or Joe Public won’t understand it and then make up their own “alternative facts” the best thing to do is to be on the front foot and tell people about your plans. If you don’t tell people the good news, no one else will.
“Planning is blamed for all that the public perceives as bad about development. The public doesn't understand that we consult with relevant bodies such as education, health, police, highways, and perceive that planners just make decisions on a whim.”
It is all a matter of the language you use. Don’t use opaque technical terms… use plain English and make it tangible. What will the £200k of Education contributions ACTUALLY do?
“Many… applications tend to find their way onto a local Facebook group (or equivalent).”
You have to be in the game to win it… social media is VERY powerful and if you use it the right way, you can engage with the YIMBYs and they then become your advocates to counter the negative comments. But you REALLY do need to know what you are doing!
Thankfully, you have me! So, get in touch. If you have anything that is subject to Planning, you need to talk to me and my team. We’re a large team of Local Government experts. We have a 98.4% success rate with the experience of hundreds of projects. There are very few things we haven’t seen or solved!
Call me on 020 45387200
Henry