What the Rise of ‘News Deserts’ Means for Public Consultations

Local newspapers used to be the first port of call for a developer looking to tell a community about a development scheme and promote its public consultation.

This is no longer the case. According to research from the Charitable Journalism Project, there are now fewer local newspapers in Britain today than at any time since the 1700s. These ‘news deserts’ mean that communities no longer have access to reliable sources of news.

The research found only 142 out of 380 local authority districts has a local paper. Where local papers have survived, they have often, according to former Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger, been “rolled up into conglomerates with little true feeling for the communities they serve”.

William Hague went so far as to say that while local journalism was once “the mainstay of debate and accountability”, its rapid demise “threatens democracy”.

This throws open the question of what constitutes the authority on local sources of information and what this means for those seeking to engage with local communities.

The rise of digitally connected and organised communities.

Hague also argued the lack of local reporters means there are far fewer people holding regional bodies to account. Yes, in some respects – although that’s not necessarily what we are seeing happen to local developers.

The rise of the internet, which has undoubtedly hastened the decline of local papers, hasn’t left communities without the ability to scrutinise.

Instead, social media has led to the rise of far more (digitally) connected communities, with a much greater ability to organise effectively against development projects.

In the housing, infrastructure, energy and mineral sectors, more and more planning applications are being refused at politically driven committees, spearheaded by well-organised and successful campaigns organised by motivated residents.

This presents several challenges for developers.

Understanding the views of local communities.

The comment threads on local news articles or the letters to editors are no longer where debates are happening. Instead, conversations are behind metaphorical closed doors: Whatsapp groups, closed Facebook groups or apps like Nextdoor. This makes it hard for developers to really know what is being said about their schemes.

Presenting information and having balanced conversations about complex projects.

Where even the most biased journalists would have to ask for comment from both sides, local reporting is now left to activists who will naturally have their own viewpoint.

Accusations can be made (often based on little evidence) that become ‘truth’. Project developers and their consultants are then on the back foot trying to prove a negative.

In the process, the developer may be cast as the enemy and doors to genuine conversations can be firmly closed.

The opportunity to take a new approach.

A potential future Labour Government is promising to build 1.5 million homes in its first five years in power leading to a huge increase in planning applications and public consultations. They want to put communities at the heart of this decision-making.

This presents an opportunity (and the need) to think differently:

1. Consultations need to start early and be genuine; switched on communities will (rightly) not accept consultations in name only and trust needs to be earned.

2. Key issues need to be clearly addressed to ensure there is balance and to avoid information vacuums taking hold or unevidenced claims made on social media becoming truth.

3. Traditional consultation methods must be accompanied by engaging digital consultations to reach the silent majority, who often have most to gain from new homes.

At EQ we believe that all planning applications require a bottom-up approach that genuinely seeks to engage with communities in a way that is empathetic and emotionally intelligent. If you have a scheme you want to discuss with us, please get in touch at [email protected] or give us a call on 020 3617 6359