Birmingham Central: Big City Plan consultation – a success? – Simon Felton reflects on the Big City Plan Consultation’s effectiveness at engaging the public. The verdict is it could have done better:
There were some community consultation events however, with one held on the 10th February at the Paragon Hotel for those with an interest in the Highgate, Digbeth, Eastside and Southside areas. This attracted 60 people. It’s worth pondering how many more would have attended if the event was more focussed on translating the aims and ambitions of the plan to the average Brummie and taking their thoughts on the areas into ideas which will influence the development of planning documents and the ‘core strategy’. With the areas this particular event focussed on experiencing upheaval 60 people attending is worryingly small. The gay village and issues of residential developments overshadowing the LGBT community, Digbeth and the continuing tussle between music venues and residents who want their ‘peace and quiet’ and Eastside’s development of wasteland into a new eastern centre of the city centre surely merit the need to actively seek out more than 60 attendees views and much more than the 283 contributors who contributed comments to the consultation.
Simon then goes on to mention something about a consultation ‘Beyond Midnight Bus’, which gathered just 88 responses out of its 386 visitors. It was meant to have visited Highgate, apparently. Funny – I don’t remember seeing it round these parts.
