Sustainable Redhill

Sustainable Redhill, a community group in Surrey, approached the Glass-House to assist them with widening engagement with local groups in a community-based response to local authority proposals for town centre regeneration in Redhill (specifically the Area Action Plan). The Glass-House supported the group with preliminary meetings and two workshops between August and November 2008. The second application with the local authority has now been forwarded.

Both events had a strong attendance of individuals and groups interested in positively engaging in the future for Redhill. The community planning forum was filmed and a short video piece of the event features on the group’s website

Ian Phillips, a planning consultant, worked on behalf of the Glass-House to liaise with the group prior to delivery, deliver a training event and support a community engagement forum. The training day comprised three interactive presentations on various topics, which included de-mystifying the planning process, the Area Action Plan and engaging the community. The half-day community planning forum set out to extend engagement with people around the future of the town centre, produce a set of views and recommendations to influence the Area Action Plan and establish a basis for further community involvement. The forum attracted over forty people and proposed reference points for approaching the council.

Both events were well attended by both individuals and groups interested in positively engaging in the future for Redhill. The community planning forum was filmed and a short video piece of the event features on the group’s website. The training engaged particularly with the younger sector of the residents, for whom participatory rates had until this point been low. The feedback was very positive and has motivated the members to think further about the long-term aspirations of the project and has encouraged them to get more involved in the regeneration process.

Sustainable Redhill prepared a report summarising the community planning forum event, which was submitted to council officers and councillors. This led to Sustainable Redhill being invited to present to the working group of the council’s Sustainable Energy Committee in December 2009.  It was agreed that the group would seek funding for projects to continue and widen community engagement in Redhill Town Centre, complementing council plans to invest in regeneration of infrastructure and extend services.

Ian Phillips’s contribution to the process was very effective; he was entirely impartial and we got maximum benefit from his knowledge and expertise. He challenged our assumptions and helped our group to form a clear perspective, as well as giving us an understanding of where the council stood.

Neighbourhoods

Town Centre Regeneration
Community Engagement
Sustainability

Report summarising the community planning forum event, submitted to council officers and councillors
Invitation to present to the working group of the council’s Sustainable Energy Committee in December 2009

Community Planning Training Day

Ian Phillips - Planning Consultant