Like, Comment, Build.

Written by David Button – Associate Director and Head of Insight

Get Britain Building might be a slogan of the new Labour Government, but it’s rhetoric that we’ve heard time and time again. There is a consensus on the fact that there is a housing crisis, but not on how to fix it. 

The new Government has made a number of proposals: a new NPPF, reforms to planning committees, and the promise of a wave of New Towns across the country. And now the battle lines are being drawn.  

Is this about stimulating economic growth across the country, driven by local leaders? Or the latest assault on the countryside; bulldozing over Britain’s green and pleasant land? 

Anyone involved in development will know that those who shout the loudest are usually the most negative. We’ve all stood in a village hall and been challenged about the lack of GPs or that the local roads can’t take the extra traffic. Or we’re simply told that the area doesn’t need any more homes.  

Capturing the voices of those who are more likely to be positive about development has always been a challenge. But it’s only a challenge if you’re not talking where they’re listening, and not saying what they want to hear. For all developments this is a challenge – but it’s one that the Government needs to get a grip on if it’s going to garner support for its New Towns. 

That’s why we’ve worked with leading pollsters YouGov to look at how the silent majority that doesn’t engage, but needs to be heard, wants to get involved in planning and development. Our new report, published this week, shows how people across the country engage with planning applications, and what they want to know about. 

Sitting behind this is a unique set of data that gives us an unrivalled understanding of how people want to engage in every local authority area in Great Britain: localised data about how local people want to engage with local developments.  

And it supports our view that developers need to enhance their digital and social media outreach to capture the voices that would otherwise go unheard. It’s clear that how people want to engage with new development is changing. As we show – this could mean all the difference when promoting new development, and new towns. 

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to enhance your engagement strategies and drive positive outcomes for your projects. Download our report today and discover how you can make your engagement strategies data-led and digital-first.