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Using your opportunities to influence

Different opportunities at different times
At the early stages
Take part in any meetings and other means that the planners set up to hear people's views.

Try to study and comment on the technical reports evaluating the issues.The options may be very detailed, but

  • Respond to the consultation on the strategic policy options
  • Make clear the preferred option which you wish to see submitted to the secretary of state
  • Keep your eye on the big picture and what you want changed.Public consultation

There will usually be a consultation on a draft regional spatial strategy where the regional planning body seeks comments from all interested parties.

The consultation period should be 12 weeks.

Use this time to develop your argumants, build alliances and attend any consultation meetings to put forward your views.

Make sure you meet the deadline for comments, as late comments might be ignored.

  • Make positive comments about things you support and how to make the strategy more 'sound';
  • Don't just focus on why you object to it .

If you would have preferred to have seen significantly different policies in the strategy, those proposals should have been put forward at an earlier stage.

Nonetheless, if you are still seeking major changes to the submitted draft, which could require consequential changes to other policies, make sure you submit a commentary on the sustainability of the changes as a whole.

When the strategy is submitted
Once the draft strategy has been sent to the secretary of state, there will be another period for comments, this should be 12 weeks if it is a major revision of previous policy or 6 weeks for a minor amendment.

Tell the planners beforehand if you want hard copies of the documents,otherwise they might only be available electronically.

At the examination in public
The examination in public is an invitation only examination, led by a panel of inspectors. You might be on the consultation list and be invited to it.

If not you can press for the panel to be invited to those sessions that will cover the issues you have submitted evidence about.

If you are not invited you may be able to use your contacts with other organisations to have them put forward your issues.

Attend the preliminary meeting(s) to find out how the examination in public will proceed and to get to know the Panel, Government Office Representatives and other people giving evidence.

There is plenty of advice available on what happens at these hearings.

Familiarise yourself with this in advance. Then you can concentrate on making your case, not on worrying about procedures. (reference: PPS 11, annex C)

At the end of the examinations, the panel publishes a report and submits it to the secretary of state.

At final approval stage
Included will be any changes that the Secretary of State proposes to make after the examination in public have to be published.

There is a period for comments at least 8 weeks. Take this chance if you want to present the case for last-minute changes.

Even if a comment has not been successful at the previous stages, it can be successful at the very end, but it is important to restate your concern.

Don't forget about other regional strategies
There are other regional strategies about all sorts of issues

  • Housing
  • Health
  • Education
  • Culture
  • Transport
  • Energy
  • Biodiversity

Try to take part in all the regional strategies that you are interested in.

If you give the same message to them all, the strategies will reinforce each other.

For instance, on an issue like sustainability,the regional development agency produces the regional economic strategy, stress that the economic strategy should reflect what the regional spatial strategy says about sustainability.

The various agencies might even co-ordinate consultations on the different regional strategies so that people don't suffer from 'consultation fatigue'.

It is also worth working with the regional planners to see how national planning policies may be adapted so that the regional policies work better.

The regional planning body can then point these out to the secretary of state. (reference: PPS 11, paragraph 2.49[iii])