Guidance Note for Applicants and Developers

February 2022

Guidance Note for

Applicants and Developers

EARLY COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN WESTMINSTER – GUIDANCE NOTE FOR APPLICANTS AND DEVELOPERS

FOREWORD

This guidance recognises that development in Westminster

must be inclusive and delivered collaboratively to

ensure that it meets the aspirations and needs of local

communities, as well as delivering the new homes, jobs

and infrastructure necessary to support our growing city

and ensure it can become carbon neutral by 2040.

We recognise that local people and groups know

their places better than anyone else and therefore

their insight and knowledge of the city is crucial

to ensuring new development is designed to

best meet the needs of their local area.

It is reassuring to see that many local groups already

recognise their signiﬁcant value as experts in understanding

the needs of their own places and communities and a

growing number of Neighbourhood Forums have gone

further and have adopted or are in the process of adopting

a neighbourhood plan. These plans, which form part of the

development plan for the city, provide developers with an

exceptional level of local insight into the expectations of

these communities. However, in these areas and others

not currently covered by neighbourhood plans it is still

essential that pre-application engagement reaches all

parts of the local community, including those that are more

often disengaged, to ensure that it is truly inclusive and to

ensure the views expressed on emerging development

proposals are fully representative of the whole community.

Whilst there are already many examples of good practice

early community engagement in Westminster, for which

developers should be commended, there is a signiﬁcant

opportunity for best practice to be more widely and

consistently adopted. As we continue to create our city

of the future, it is imperative that we do so in a way that

ensures that all parts of our communities feel they can

have a meaningful say in the way in which their places

evolve to tackle the signiﬁcant challenges in front of

us, such as addressing the climate emergency and

providing the homes and infrastructure our city needs.

This guidance provides the positive framework required

to support developers to take the brave steps necessary

towards an earlier, more open, inclusive, transparent and

meaningful approach to community engagement and I look

forward to seeing the positive outcomes that this approach

will bring to future development across Westminster.

Councillor Robert Rigby

Chairman of Planning

Westminster City Council

EARLY COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN WESTMINSTER – GUIDANCE NOTE FOR APPLICANTS AND DEVELOPERS

CONTENTS

TABLES AND DIAGRAMS

1. Introduction and Purpose 6

2. What is Early Community Engagement & What are the Beneﬁts? 7

3. Who to Consult – Inclusive Engagement 8

4. Engagement Methods – Making it Open, Accessible & Meaningful 10

5. How to Consult – Types of Engagement, Content & Techniques 14

6. When to Consult – Early & Responsive Engagement 18

7. What is Expected at Application Stage – Promoting Transparency 22

8. Monitoring 24

9. GDPR / Freedom of Information 25

1. Types and Methods of Engagement 10

2. Early Community Engagement Expectations for Developers 15

3. Exemplar Early Community Engagement Process Schedule 19

EARLY COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN WESTMINSTER – GUIDANCE NOTE FOR APPLICANTS AND DEVELOPERS

APPENDICES

A. Case Studies 26

• Grosvenor Square Gardens

• Southside, 105 Victoria Street

• Westminster Inﬁll Development Programme

B. Glossary of Key Terms and Groups 31

C. Useful Publications 33

D. 3D Modelling Speciﬁcation 34

E. Planning Area Team Contact Details 35

EARLY COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN WESTMINSTER – GUIDANCE NOTE FOR APPLICANTS AND DEVELOPERS MENU

1.1 The council strongly supports the view expressed by

Government in the National Planning Policy Framework (July

2021) (paras 39 and 40) that early engagement has signiﬁcant

potential to improve the eciency and eectiveness of the

planning application system for all parties. Best practice pre-

application engagement with the local community at its heart,

enables better coordination between public and private

resources and improves outcomes for communities and

developers by delivering high quality, sustainable development.

In essence, it leads to better development, which contributes

to better places.

1.2 There are widespread examples of good practice early

community engagement in Westminster, and a number of these

are identiﬁed in the case studies included in Appendix A.

However, the timing and quality of early engagement can be

inconsistent. This guidance sets out our expectations for how

applicants and developers can improve community engagement

and engage with local communities at the earliest stage of

scheme development. It also explains the information applicants

should provide to demonstrate the engagement they have

undertaken and how it has positively inﬂuenced the evolution

of their proposals.

1.3 The advice in this guidance builds upon the expectations and

requirements set out in Section 8 of our Statement of Community

Involvement (2014)

and explains how public engagement on

emerging development proposals should be undertaken by

developers following the principles of good engagement,

namely that it is early, open, transparent, inclusive, responsive

and accessible. Where engagement has been undertaken in

accordance with these principles, it is expected that they will be

reciprocated by those that have been engaged.

1.4 In addition to following this guidance, developers who frequently

undertake development in Westminster are encouraged to

develop and publish their own charter or set of principles for

community engagement that sets out their pledges for

meaningful, practical and popular inﬂuence over signiﬁcant

development proposals that they may bring forward in the

future. The publications set out in Appendix C are likely to

be of assistance when developing an engagement charter

or set of principles.

INTRODUCTION AND PURPOSE1

1 Statement of Community Involvement in Planning (2014) (note the SCI will be updated in 2022):

www.westminster.gov.uk/media/document/core-008---statement-of-community-involvement-in-planning

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2.1 Early community engagement is the process of engaging with

residents, councillors and other local stakeholders at the earliest

possible stage in the scheme development process, providing

the opportunity for the engagement to be multi-phased,

enabling an informed ‘conversation’ with communities rather

than notifying them of an already deﬁned proposal. It provides

communities with a meaningful role in shaping their places and

allows developers to beneﬁt from the insight that communities

can provide through their unique local knowledge, test and

reﬁne ideas at an early stage and gather support for the general

principles of their development proposal. Well executed

community engagement following best practice makes the

planning process a more positive experience for all participants.

2.2 The planning system is often viewed as a complex and highly

technical process; it can be confusing, and people can feel that

their views are not considered suciently when engagement is

poorly executed or timed, leading to a breakdown in trust

between all parties. Eective well thought out early engagement

can reduce conﬂict, allow communities to have their say at a

stage where their views can genuinely inﬂuence design

decisions and consequently result in better development that is

more responsive to local need and resilient to future changes in

local behaviour and demand.

2.3 Early engagement can also help communities understand the

developers’ perspective. As the planning process is a quasi-

judicial function, planning decisions must be made in accordance

with the overall development plan, including its regional, local

and, where applicable, neighbourhood plan components, unless

material considerations indicate otherwise. Consequently,

situations may arise where proposed development may not fully

align with local views but is compliant with the development plan.

Early community engagement therefore oers a vital opportunity

for developers to explain their vision and aims to local

communities and demonstrate how they propose to realise these

having regard to the development plan and site speciﬁc physical

and economic constraints. By sharing their vision with local

communities in an open, transparent and collaborative way,

developers can utilise early engagement to reduce the number

and severity of objections raised at formal application stage. This

can assist the council to make more timely decisions, and this in

turn can help applicants by reducing unnecessary delay and cost.

2.4 When done well, early community engagement improves trust

and relationships between developers and local communities,

building greater overall support for development and a greater

appreciation of the positive beneﬁts that can be delivered for

existing local communities by well-designed development.

WHAT IS EARLY COMMUNITY

ENGAGEMENT & WHAT ARE

THE BENEFITS?

EARLY COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN WESTMINSTER – GUIDANCE NOTE FOR APPLICANTS AND DEVELOPERS MENU

3.1 It is important to engage with as many members of communities

aected by proposals, from as diverse a cross section of those

communities, as possible. All community engagement must be

compliant with the Equality Act 2010 and uphold the values of

equality, diversity and inclusion.

3.2 Westminster has many long-standing, active community

groups, amenity societies and neighbourhood forums who

are regularly involved in consultations or community

engagement and have made a signiﬁcant positive contribution

to planning in Westminster over many years. However, you

should ensure that your engagement reaches all groups

within communities, including minority groups and those that

are more often disengaged, as well as these more established

community groups.

3.3 In areas of mixed or more commercial character your

engagement should also include non-residential nearby

occupiers and groups that represent local commercial or other

non-residential interests (e.g. Business Improvement Districts,

schools, universities, medical uses etc.). In all cases you should

ensure that your engagement strategy is inclusive of disabled

people and avoids barriers to their participation (see further

guidance in Appendix C).

3.4 We recommend that as a minimum the groups identiﬁed in the

list on page 9 are included when undertaking early community

engagement. Their respective roles in the planning process and

how and who they typically represent are explained in more

detail in Appendix B. You should also seek advice from local

community groups and planning ocers who may be able to

assist you in identifying additional community stakeholders and

help you to understand their particular interests and needs, and

how best to engage with them. The expected timing of

engagement with these groups is set out in Section 5.

Recommended groups for inclusion in early community

engagement include:

WHO TO CONSULT –

INCLUSIVE ENGAGEMENT

EARLY COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN WESTMINSTER – GUIDANCE NOTE FOR APPLICANTS AND DEVELOPERS MENU

• local communities including residents, workers and

businesses in the vicinity

of the development site, having

particular regard to how traditionally ‘rarely heard from’

groups can be engaged (note that care should be taken

to ensure that all immediate neighbours have been

included in your engagement);

• recognised amenity societies;

• neighbourhood forums (note they should be consulted

irrespective of whether they have an adopted

Neighbourhood Plan for their area or not);

• existing community, residents and tenants’ groups,

• Ward Councillors;

• community councils (Queens Park Community

Council – where applicable);

• Business Improvement Districts (BIDs);

• youth forums and groups;

• local faith groups;

• special interest groups (e.g. ‘friends of’ groups, conservation

groups etc.) and semi-recognised amentiy societies;

• visitors, tourist and workers (particularly for development

within commercial areas such as the Central Activities Zone,

Opportunity Areas and the Town Centre heirarchy).

In addition to early community engagement, you should also

engage with ocers using the council’s Pre-Application

Advice Service

and consult other relevant statutory

and

non-statutory consultees.

3.5 The council welcomes feedback from all those who have been

engaged at an early stage as this enables ocers to have a fuller

understanding of the community view of emerging development

when discussing proposed development with developers at

pre-application stage. Community stakeholders, such as amenity

societies or neighbourhood forums, who wish to provide their

views on early engagement to the council should provide them

to the council via the contact details provided in Appendix E.

2 Vicinity’ should be determined having regard to the scale and impact of the

proposed development and should not be arbitrarily deﬁned by a set distance

from the proposed development. You should seek advice from ocers where you

are unsure whether your scope of consultation is appropriate to the scale and

form of the proposed development.

3 Pre-Application Advice Service: www.westminster.gov.uk/planning-building-

and-environmental-regulations/planning-applications/request-pre-application-

planning-advice

4 NPPG table of statutory consultees at planning application stage: www.gov.uk/

guidance/consultation-and-pre-decision-matters#Statutory-consultees-on-

applications

EARLY COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN WESTMINSTER – GUIDANCE NOTE FOR APPLICANTS AND DEVELOPERS MENU

4.1 Early community engagement can take many forms, ranging from

awareness raising, for example leaﬂets, posters, online content/a

website, to consultation using questionnaires, interactive social

media, public meetings or group discussions and more

collaborative and participatory approaches such as design

workshops and forums.

4.2 Over recent years digital consultation technology and platforms

have advanced signiﬁcantly, and this is reﬂected by the

Government’s call for greater use of digital technology to aid

planning consultation, in the 2020 Planning White Paper

Consultation undertaken on the council’s own development

proposals demonstrates that digital consultation methods and

platforms reach a wider range of people within communities,

often from those groups that are disengaged when using more

traditional non-digital consultation methods. Typically, a blended

approach mixing digital and non-digital methods will ensure

engagement reaches the broadest range of participants from

across the local community.

Engagement Type Engagement Methods

Informative Engagement Leaﬂets and traditional media

Development website/council’s website/ social

media (where informative with no interaction)

Consultative Engagement Interactive digital engagement/social media (where

interaction is included)/ online questionnaires

Public exhibitions/ meetings

Meeting(s) with Ward Members & other statutory/

non-statutory consultees

Collaborative Engagement Engagement forums/ workshops

ENGAGEMENT METHODS – MAKING IT

OPEN, ACCESSIBLE & MEANINGFUL

5 Government Planning White Paper ‘Planning for the Future’ (August 2020):

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/

attachment_data/ﬁle/907647/MHCLG-Planning-Consultation.pdf

Table 1: Types and Methods of Engagement.

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4.3 For major development you should use some or all of the

techniques included in Table 2, depending on scale of

development, and you should include a mix of methods to

ensure your engagement is inclusive and reaches dierent

audiences and communities within the vicinity of the

development site. However, it is important to tailor the

engagement approach taken on a case-by-case basis to ensure

the barriers to participation that may exist in dierent

communities are overcome. It will often be beneﬁcial to contact

community groups in advance of formal engagement to establish

which formats/engagement methods they consider would best

enable them to engage with the development proposal. Note

that some groups have their own guidance for pre-application

engagement.

4.4 When planning early community engagement, you should

identify any potential barriers to engagement and design your

engagement strategy to minimise them where possible. There

are groups in all communities who are more dicult to engage

with. Potential barriers to their involvement include:

• the capacity and ability of dierent stakeholders

(e.g. visible and non-visible disability, childcare/caring

commitments or employment commitments);

• being members of typically ’rarely heard from’ groups such

as young people, older people, minority groups or socially

excluded groups;

• those with limited computer literacy and/or access to

technology; and

• those with more limited literacy and/or numeracy or a

dominance of oral culture. Ensuring that an engagement

strategy is inclusive and accessible to the widest range of

community members contributes to its

value and legitimacy.

4.5 A minimum of 2 weeks’ notice of engagement events should be

given. For all forms of participatory engagement, you should

ensure that multiple sessions are scheduled at dierent times

during the day to maximise participation. For engagement

events held at a venue in the vicinity of a development site you

must ensure the chosen venue is fully accessible and inclusive.

You should consider whether the use of non-traditional venues

would assist in reaching disengaged groups. Venues that can

provide appropriate audio or visual aids should be prioritised.

4.6 It is recommended that the types and methods of engagement

included in Table 1 are designed in accordance with the example

methodologies outlined below. However, this does not preclude

developers from pursuing a more bespoke approach where this

would respond to the particular needs of the local community

and would lead to enhanced engagement outcomes. For

example, in addition to the core methods described below

developers may also wish to undertake smaller meetings with a

variety of individuals or groups, which can deliver more focused

feedback on speciﬁc topics or issues and can ensure the views

of less well-represented groups are heard.

Method 1: Leaﬂets/ Use of Traditional Media &

Development Information Website

Written and/or email correspondence, newsletters, leaﬂets

and/or a website setting out the key aspects of a proposed

development (see Section 5 for expected content) and

advising where further information can be obtained and,

for larger developments, where comments can be made

(i.e. by reference to an informative website/public exhibition/

engagement event etc.).

EARLY COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN WESTMINSTER – GUIDANCE NOTE FOR APPLICANTS AND DEVELOPERS MENU

Method 2: Interactive Digital Engagement

Use of an interactive website and/or digital engagement/

social media platforms to provide detailed information on

the proposed development and key objectives for the site,

and provision of the opportunity to comment (i.e. by use of

online questionnaires, surveys, comments portal or similar).

Method 2 may incorporate the use of new technologies/

interactive features and 3D modelling. It may also include

digital online forums and exhibitions.

Where targeted online consultation is utilised, the

parameters for consultation (i.e. the geographic and

demographic proﬁle of those targeted etc.) should be

arrived at with the aim of ensuring the consultation is

inclusive of all communities within the vicinity of the

development site and for the purpose of transparency and

openness, these parameters should be speciﬁed in the

Early Engagement Strategy submitted at pre-application

stage and the SCI submitted at application stage.

Method 3: Meeting(s) with Ward Councillors

Meeting with a Ward Councillor(s) speciﬁcally arranged for

the purpose of discussing the development proposal and

setting out any concerns relayed by their local residents.

Developers should notify ocers where a meeting has been

arranged with a Ward Councillor(s). Ward Councillors may

invite ocers to attend the meeting*. The use of new

technologies and 3D modelling should be used for these

meetings, where appropriate, to help articulate the

development proposals.

*Note that ocers are not required to attend as the views

expressed by Ward Councillors are their own and are not

representative of the council as Local Planning Authority.

Method 4: Public Exhibition/ Consultation Event/ Drop In Session

A public event held at a venue in the immediate vicinity of the development site where

visual displays of the proposed development are provided, with the opportunity for

the public to comment on the proposed development. Such events should be

appropriately publicised in advance (including use of Method 1).

Digital alternatives to ‘in person’ events should also be considered and may help

to reach a wider range of persons from the local community. A digital format could

take the form of a webinar, which enables the presentation of the same material as

could be presented in a physical space and also enables comments to be made

via a question and answer session, and via follow up email, online/social media or

phone correspondence.

You may wish to appoint a professional facilitator

to compile consultation materials,

organise the format for collecting consultee’s views and lead engagement with the

public at the event. Ocers should be invited to the event in an observational

capacity. All feedback should be provided to ocers following the event to inform

their advice in response to pre-application advice requests.

Method 5: Workshops

Workshops are a more collaborative approach to engagement than public exhibitions

and consultation events. Workshops typically provide attendees with greater scope to

oer their opinions on the form and function of a proposed development.

Workshops can be held at a venue in the immediate vicinity of the development site or

online and publicised in advance. They are likely to be more eective when held

during the earliest stages of scheme development and are typically more productive

when limited to a speciﬁed number of attendees that represent a cross section of all

parts of the local community. Consideration should be given to the use of professional

facilitators to prepare workshop materials, set discussion topics and questions and

lead the workshop session. Ocers should be invited to workshops in an

observational capacity.

You may wish to consider livestreaming or making recordings of workshops available

online for those unable to attend (i.e. where attendee numbers may have been limited

to maintain the eectiveness of the session) and provide alternative online method of

submitting feedback to broaden the reach of these events.

EARLY COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN WESTMINSTER – GUIDANCE NOTE FOR APPLICANTS AND DEVELOPERS MENU

Method 6: Engagement Forums

Engagement Forums (EFs) are more structured interactive events attended by local

community stakeholders, to which Ward Councillors may also be invited. EFs would

normally be appropriate when developing schemes of more strategic scale and the

thresholds set out in Table 2 reﬂect this. EFs should be organised by a developer’s

professional team, or on their behalf by a professional facilitator, and held at an

appropriate venue in the vicinity of the development site. EFs should typically last 2

to 2.5 hours and comprise a concise introduction of the site and key facts

regarding the proposed development.

Ocers should be invited to EFs. Note that their involvement will be as impartial

observers and they will not provide comment on the acceptability of the proposal

to the developer or other attendees. Ocers may provide an overview of the

policy context for the site being discussed.

The session should conclude with a forum discussion and a question and answer

session between the developer and attendees. You should ensure that the

developer presentation is limited to not more than 30 minutes to ensure sucient

time for open and unconstrained discussion between participants. The developer

should take minutes of the EF and these should be shared with and agreed with

attendees, including the attending ocer. Alternatively, a recording of the EF may

be made and shared where appropriate consent has been received from all

attendees. The attending ocer will use the record of the EF discussions to inform

subsequent written pre-application advice.

Like workshop events, EFs may also be undertaken in a remote format, particularly

in circumstances where in-person events are not possible or practical. You may

wish to consider livestreaming or making recordings of EFs available online for

those unable to attend and provide alternative online method of submitting

feedback to broaden the reach of these events.

It may often be beneﬁcial to hold smaller subsequent engagement sessions with

speciﬁc groups or sections of the community to ensure the views of all participants

are fully captured.

4.7 Should a local or national emergency be declared that prevents

the carrying out of face-to-face engagement, such as the

Coronavirus pandemic, digital and online versions of these

engagement methods should be utilised rather than reducing or

ceasing community engagement during the aected period.

6 Professional Facilitator’ means a person or persons appointed by the developer outside of their

retained development team (i.e. appointed speciﬁcally to manage and host engagement events and not

retained for the purpose of handling on-going development proposal communications), who has

relevant professional experience in advising on consultation content and facilitating community

engagement on development proposals.

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5.1 For major development, the council’s Statement of Community

Involvement in Planning sets the expectation that all applicants/

developers will engage with the local community prior to making

a formal application. For larger proposals, which are likely to

have a signiﬁcant impact on the environment or on the local

community and/or generate a high level of signiﬁcant local

interest, it is especially important to undertake early consultation

on a wider scale.

5.2 Where non-major development would have a signiﬁcant impact,

early engagement is encouraged. The engagement undertaken

should be proportionate to the scale and impact of the proposed

development. For all scales of development, it is important to

consider how you would want to be treated if a development was

proposed near you.

5.3 Early engagement is also encouraged for householder

development. Householders carrying out development (such

as extensions and alterations to houses), are encouraged to

consult those living adjacent or very close to the site at an early

stage. The type of engagement recommended may include,

but should not necessarily be limited to, written notice of the

proposals and/or oering a meeting with neighbours to enable

them to comment on your proposals prior to submission of

a formal application.

5.4 Table 2 sets out the early community engagement expectations

for dierent scales of development that require planning

permission. It is recognised that there will be limited instances

where carrying out all of the recommended engagement

may not be appropriate or achievable. Where the proposed

development would have more signiﬁcant impacts than

would typically be expected from development of a similar

scale, developers are encouraged to exceed the

expectations in Table 2 where this would enhance the

value of the community engagement.

HOW TO CONSULT –

TYPES OF ENGAGEMENT,

CONTENT & TECHNIQUES

7 List of ward councillors: https://committees.westminster.gov.uk/

mgMemberIndex.aspx?bcr=1

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Method/Action Householder

Development

Non-Major

Development (less

than 1,000m2 add.

ﬂoorspace* or 10 new

residential units)

Changes of Use

(all proposals where

no additional

ﬂoorspace proposed)

Major Development

(1,000-9,999m2 add.

ﬂoorspace* or 10-49

new residential units)

Large-Scale Major

Development

(10,000m2 or more add.

ﬂoorspace* or 50 or

more residential units)

Expected Developer Engagement Format(s)

Method 1: Leaﬂets /

online communication.

Encouraged

✓** ✓*** ✓ ✓

Method 2: Interactive

Digital Engagement

✓** ✓*** ✓ ✓

Method 3: Meet Ward

Councillor(s)****

✓*** ✓ ✓

Method 4 or 5: Public

Exhibition/ Workshop

✓ ✓

Method 6: Early

Engagement Forum

✓

Community Champion ✓

Expected Collaboration with Ocers

Submit Early

Engagement Strategy

with Pre-App

✓ ✓

Share Consultation

Responses/ Data

✓ ✓

Invite case ocer to

engagement event(s)

✓

* GIA Floorspace refers to additional

ﬂoorspace in the case of proposals for

extensions and all ﬂoorspace for new

buildings (including new build schemes

behind a retained façade).

** Method 1 & 2 engagement expected for

non-major development where the

development itself or the scale of

construction work would have a signiﬁcant

impact on neighbouring occupiers.

*** Method 1, 2 & 3 engagement only

expected for changes of use not creating

new ﬂoorspace where the proposal may

have a signiﬁcant impact on residential

amenity or other noise sensitive receptors.

**** Meetings are subject to the agreement of

the Ward Councillor

. Note Ward

Councillors are not obliged to meet to

discuss all development proposals and

meetings are at therefore at the discretion

of individual Ward Councillors.

Table 2: Early Community Engagement expectations for developers.

EARLY COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN WESTMINSTER – GUIDANCE NOTE FOR APPLICANTS AND DEVELOPERS MENU

5.5 To maximise the beneﬁt of engagement, where possible initial

engagement should be undertaken on the basis of a written

concept, vision and set of objectives for the proposed

development, supported by illustrative sketches where

necessary. It is recognised though that there will be

circumstances when early community engagement on more

developed schemes is appropriate. When carrying out all

methods of engagement for major development, a minimum

level of key information regarding the proposed development

should be included in the community engagement material. It is

recognised that more detailed aspects of the key information

may need to be provided in later phases of engagement on

larger and more complex schemes:

• the vision for the proposed development and how this

contributes to achieving the relevant policy objectives in the

City Plan and the neighbourhood plan (where relevant);

• site layout and details of the use, function and form of

proposed development (interactive and/ or 3D modelling

should be used wherever possible – see Appendix D);

• identiﬁed positive and adverse impacts of the development,

including the impact on the amenity of neighbouring

occupiers, the impact on the local highway network, and its

contribution to tackling the climate emergency

and

improving the sustainability of the city’s building stock;

• the S106 and other public beneﬁts to be oered

(where applicable);

• the value of any CIL contribution (where applicable);

• an outline timeline for delivery of the proposed development

and how any foreseeable signiﬁcant construction impacts

could be mitigated;

• alternative options for development of the site (at initial

engagement sessions, where alternative proposals are

commercially and practicably deliverable);

• summary of feedback from earlier consultation, amendments

to earlier scheme iterations and rationale for amendments (at

follow up engagement sessions);

• details of how feedback can be given during and following

the engagement event.

5.6 When collecting feedback from those that have been

engaged overly prescriptive questionnaires or other closed

question-based formats that limit the scope for comment

should be avoided.

5.7 As identiﬁed in the engagement methodologies earlier in

Section 4, professional facilitators may be appointed to assist

with undertaking engagement. The use of professional

facilitators, who are outside of the retained development team,

can help to ensure that the presentation material, engagement

format, questions to participants are more balanced and

impartial and ensure engagement is less adversarial.

Professional facilitators are likely to be of greatest value

when consulting at the earliest stage on conceptual

development proposals.

8 Westminster’s Climate Emergency declaration:

www.westminster.gov.uk/climate-emergency

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5.8 When engaging on large-scale major development and/or when

developing a charter or set of principles for community

engagement, developers should consider funding an

independent appropriately qualiﬁed planning professional

to act

as a community champion, who is accountable to a

representative cross-section of the community. Community

champions should help individuals and groups from across local

communities to identify their primary views and concerns, ensure

their views are clearly articulated and advise them on how to

engage positively with the developer and the wider planning

process to realise positive outcomes that address their primary

areas of concern. Community champions should be selected and

appointed by the community they are to represent, and funding

allocated by developers should be proportionate to the scale of

the development and associated engagement exercise to which

the community is being asked to respond.

9 An appropriately qualiﬁed planning professional should

be a member of the Royal Town Planning Institute.

EARLY COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN WESTMINSTER – GUIDANCE NOTE FOR APPLICANTS AND DEVELOPERS MENU

6.1 Community engagement should begin at the very earliest stage

of scheme development. Table 3 sets out a best practice

schedule for community engagement during the scheme

development process. Following this schedule will ensure that

the early engagement undertaken informs the design of the

scheme and enables pre-application discussions and

subsequent advice from ocers to be better informed by the

views and expectations of the local community. We expect that

initial community engagement will be carried out prior to seeking

pre-application advice from ocers, especially on larger

schemes and those where more than two phases of community

engagement are planned, except in limited instances where

site-speciﬁc circumstances justify otherwise. Where site speciﬁc

circumstances reasonably preclude community engagement

following the schedule in Table 3, you must still ensure that

community engagement occurs at a point in the scheme

development process where changes can be made in response

to feedback received from the community.

6.2 The scope and timetable for the proposed community

engagement activities should be captured in an ‘Early

Engagement Strategy’ (EES). The EES should be submitted along

with other documents when making a pre-application advice

request to the council. Feedback from early community

engagement should be shared with ocers during the pre-

application advice process, either as part of the submitted EES

or as a subsequent addendum to the EES where community

engagement is scheduled to take place concurrently with pre-

application discussions with ocers. Ocers may include

reference to relevant comments and views expressed by the

local community in their written pre-application advice where

these are consistent with the policy requirements of the

development plan. Note that seeking advice from ocers

without ﬁrst undertaking early community engagement and

submitting an EES is not precluded. However, where community

engagement has not occurred ﬁrst or where the outcome of has

not been shared with ocers, the advice you receive may be

more limited and is likely to be caveated subject to the outcome

of later community engagement.

WHEN TO CONSULT – EARLY &

RESPONSIVE ENGAGEMENT

EARLY COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN WESTMINSTER – GUIDANCE NOTE FOR APPLICANTS AND DEVELOPERS MENU

Table 3: Exemplar Early Community Engagement Schedule

Initial preparation of

development proposal.

Statement of Community Engagement

for Planning (2014) (to be updated 2022)

and Early Community Engagament

Guidance sets out expected approach

to community engagement.

Drafting of Early Engagement Strategy

(EES) in accordance with guidance.

Attendance by case ocer

(where invited by developer in

accordance with guidance).

EES reviewed and ﬁnalised by community

engagement practitioner / specialist.

Receives feedback / data from

engagement. Critical review scheme

of scheme having regard to

community opinions.

Submit pre-application advice

request to WCC including EES.

Receives feedback / data from

engagement and shares with WCC.

Further critical review scheme of

scheme having regard to latest

community opinions.

Amendments to scheme to address

engagement and ocer responses.

Submission of formal application with SCI.

Initial community engagement by

developer in accordance with guidance.

Follow up community engagement and

feedback to community by developer in

accordance with guidance.

Supplementary community engagement

and feedback (where necessary on larger

and more complex schemes).

Pre-application advice request received,

allocated to ocer and initial assessment

undertaken. Attendance by case

ocer (where invited by developer in

accordance with guidance).

Ocers review response data and

incorporate into written advice to

developer where relevant to planning

merits of the proposal.

Pre-App Advice Response to Developer.

DEVELOPER LOCAL COMMUNITY COUNCIL

Where further pre-application

advice from ocers has also been

requested revert to stage marked

EARLY COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN WESTMINSTER – GUIDANCE NOTE FOR APPLICANTS AND DEVELOPERS MENU

6.3 Where required as part of a pre-application advice request, an

EES should set out the following information demonstrating how

early community engagement has/will be undertaken:

• What engagement has already been undertaken? Early

community engagement should start well in advance of

seeking pre-application advice and initial consultation

should have taken place in most instances. Therefore, you

should include details of all early community engagement

that has already been undertaken prior to the submission of

the pre-application advice request, including community

feedback from this engagement. All comments received

should be included within an appendix to the EES.

• Who will you engage with? You should demonstrate the

scope of community engagement proposed by including a

list of community groups and other statutory and non-

statutory consultees that have/ are to be consulted and

provide a statement or methodology setting out how the

engagement will encompass the principles of good

engagement (see Section 1).

• How will they be engaged? Conﬁrmation of which methods

will be used with reference to Table 2. The EES should

specify how many phases of consultation are proposed

and how feedback on earlier engagement is to be

provided to stakeholders.

• How will you ensure engagement is constructive,

accessible and inclusive? Where possible media/

presentation content for the initial round of engagement

should be provided in an appendix. For traditional and digital

methods of consultative engagement, the questions to be

asked of consultees should be provided and a rationale for

the proposed approach provided. For digital/social media

consultation, where particular demographics or geographic

areas are to be targeted, these should be set out and a

rationale for the proposed approach given.

• When will you carry out engagement? A schedule for initial

and follow-up engagement should be provided (note it is

recognised that the date of follow up consultation may be

subject to change).

• How will you capture, record and share feedback? Provide a

methodology for how comments and feedback will be

captured and recorded and conﬁrm the format and timeframe

for sharing the feedback with ocers and community

stakeholders. To ensure accuracy and transparency

consultees should be asked to agree the minutes or notes

taken at engagement events before their comments are

included in an EES or SCI. You should also conﬁrm that the

comments and any associated personal data has/ will be

captured with appropriate consents (where necessary).

6.4 Where community engagement is carried out prior to seeking

pre-application advice from ocers (as recommended in Table

3), and this guidance recommends attendance at the

engagement event by ocers, you should contact the relevant

planning area team (see contact details in Appendix E).

6.5 Further views should be sought on the evolving proposals from

all those who respond to initial engagement before a planning

application is submitted, so that amendments that have been

made can be communicated to the community. This approach

helps to build trust and enhance transparency in the planning

process and enables the community to see that their input has

resulted in tangible public beneﬁts. Conversely where changes

to a scheme cannot reasonably be made, further engagement

enables developers to set out why this cannot be achieved in

EARLY COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN WESTMINSTER – GUIDANCE NOTE FOR APPLICANTS AND DEVELOPERS MENU

advance of formal consultation at application stage. For larger

scale major development, it is likely that more than two phases

of community engagement will be appropriate to secure the

best outcomes.

6.6 In addition to the steps set out in Table 3, developers of larger

scale major development may also wish to present their

emerging proposals to the Cabinet Member for Business,

Licensing and Planning and/ or the Chairman of Planning (as

appropriate) where the development is of a scale or complexity

described in Appendix A of the ‘Pre-application Engagement

with the Cabinet Member for Business and Planning and the

Chairman of Planning – Guidance Note’

. In addition to falling

within one of the categories, developers must also demonstrate

that they have already made a pre-application advice submission

to the council and provide evidence of initial community

engagement (i.e. by the submission of an EES with their pre-

application advice request). Feedback from the community

engagement should be shared with ocers in advance of a

meeting with the Cabinet Member or the

Chairman of Planning.

10 Pre-application Engagement with the Cabinet Member for Business and Planning

and the Chairman of Planning – Guidance Note: www.westminster.gov.uk/media/

document/cab-memberandcop-meetings-guidance-notedec2020-ﬁnalpdf

EARLY COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN WESTMINSTER – GUIDANCE NOTE FOR APPLICANTS AND DEVELOPERS MENU

7.1 Where an applicant has undertaken community engagement

prior to making a planning application, a Statement of

Community Involvement (SCI) must be submitted with a formal

planning application in accordance with our Validation Checklist

requirements. The SCI should build on the content provided in

the EES at pre-application stage. It must set out the type of

community engagement undertaken and the success of these

methods, along with details of the views expressed and the

changes made by the applicant in response. Where no changes

have been made, the SCI should explain why not. You will need

to consider how you can demonstrate measurable community

representation and support for the proposal. The SCI should

follow the outline format set out below:

• Identify the scope of community engagement expected by

this guidance note and explain how this has been achieved.

• Details of the engagement methods that have been utilised

to meet the expected scope of engagement (Table 2) and

provision of data to demonstrate the reach and inclusivity

achieved using the chosen methods of engagement.

• Provision of a schedule/timeline of when the engagement

was undertaken relative to other milestones such as

engagement with ocers and/or councillors and

application submission.

• Provision of a full schedule of the comments / feedback

provided by those consulted during each round of

engagement and how the scheme has been amended to

address these, having regard to the need to accord with

development plan policies. Where no amendments were

made, the decision not to amend the scheme should be

similarly justiﬁed / a rationale given.

7.2 Where an application is reported to a Planning Applications

Sub-Committee for determination the submitted SCI will be used

to inform a section of the report outlining the engagement that

the applicant has undertaken with the local community and how

this engagement has contributed to the ﬁnalised design of the

proposed development.

WHAT IS EXPECTED AT APPLICATION

STAGE – PROMOTING TRANSPARENCY

11 Validation Checklists: www.westminster.gov.uk/planning-building-and-

environmental-regulations/planning-applications/making-planning-application/

validation-requirements

EARLY COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN WESTMINSTER – GUIDANCE NOTE FOR APPLICANTS AND DEVELOPERS MENU

7.3 It is important to note that good community engagement

continues beyond the point of submission of a formal planning

application. Continued engagement during the course of a

planning application may be appropriate where this

complements the council’s own formal consultation processes.

Engagement often continues post permission being granted, for

example, where details of a particular aspect of a development

are reserved by a planning condition or where impactful

construction works are required to implement a permission

You should ensure that the principles set out in this guidance are

also applied to engagement undertaken at any stage during the

application and post permission stages of the planning process.

12 Further guidance on engagement during construction works is provided

in our Code of Construction Practice: www.westminster.gov.uk/code-

construction-practice

EARLY COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN WESTMINSTER – GUIDANCE NOTE FOR APPLICANTS AND DEVELOPERS

8.1 This guidance will be subject to ongoing monitoring to assess

its eectiveness in delivering development that is more

responsive to the expectations of the communities in which

new development is located.

8.2 Following initial publication of the guidance, the council will

invite developers to nominate schemes to take part in a

programme of pilot studies, which will assess the

eectiveness and success of the engagement framework set

out in the guidance. Insight and ﬁndings from the pilot studies

will inform an initial annual review of the guidance.

8.3 Subsequent annual review of the guidance will assess the

outcomes of development permitted during the preceding

12 months, having regard to the extent to which development

has evolved in response to engagement to deliver the

expectations expressed by communities.

MONITORING 8

EARLY COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN WESTMINSTER – GUIDANCE NOTE FOR APPLICANTS AND DEVELOPERS

9.1 The council may be under a legal duty to disclose any pre-

application documentation or correspondence if it receives

a Freedom of Information request. In light of this, if you consider

that any information disclosed as part of the pre-application

process is commercially sensitive you must conﬁrm this to the

council in writing. However, please note that the council can only

withhold information if it falls within one of the statutory

exemptions and, whilst it will take your representations into

account, it is ultimately the council’s decision as to whether

information should be withheld.

9.2 The council operates in full compliance with GDPR and

will not disclose any personal information to third parties.

Further information, including the Planning Privacy Notice,

is provided on the council’s website at the following link:

www.westminster.gov.uk/data-protection

GDPR / FREEDOM

OF INFORMATION

EARLY COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN WESTMINSTER – GUIDANCE NOTE FOR APPLICANTS AND DEVELOPERS

APPENDIX A – CASE STUDIES

Case Study A – Grosvenor Square Gardens

Development Scale (see Table 2): Non-Major Development

Developer: Grosvenor

Architect/Agent: Tonkin Liu

Engagement Lead: make:good, New Practice

Current Status: Application submitted

Early Engagement on Changes to a Public Open Space

Grosvenor explored proposals to transform Grosvenor Square

Gardens, so that it can become a space that works harder in future

for nature and the wellbeing of its users. Their aim was to achieve

this by developing their proposals collaboratively via an exemplar

community engagement programme that reached both local,

London wide and specialist interest audiences. The programme

followed the principles set out in Grosvenor’s Community Charter

(‘Positive Space’), which are ‘listen ﬁrst’, ‘open up’, ‘make it easier’

and ‘be accountable’.

The initial phase of Grosvenor’s engagement approach sought to

understand the community priorities for Grosvenor Square. These

then formed criteria which the design proposals could be tested

against and held accountable to.

Initial community engagement was undertaken prior to engagement

with ocers during the period impacted by the pandemic.

Consequently, engagement was focused on online activities for

larger-scale audiences, with socially distanced physical activities for

small groups only occurring when guidance allowed for them.

To ensure the engagement was inclusive, local input was sought on

the programme’s activities by sharing the engagement plan and

stakeholder mapping with community stakeholders. This enabled a

range of activities to be devised to engage local communities as well

as those from across London. To date, the engagement programme

has included:

• 1:1s with key stakeholders using a conversation framework to

enable feedback and identify key priorities at an early stage.

• Virtual workshops comprising ‘Big Topic Talks’ with expert

speakers to expand on the themes at the heart of the

re-design and ‘Local Conversations’ for more in-depth

conversations with the design team.

• Printed workshop packs were provided to people in advance

and to people who wanted to participate by phone only.

• Outdoor exhibitions ran for extended periods of time so the

proposals could be viewed in context.

• Drop-ins were programmed as part of outdoor exhibitions to

still ensure there was opportunity for people to be guided

through the proposals and ask questions.

• Audio tours were developed for anyone visiting outside of

the drop-ins.

• Discovery packs were developed for local children and

young people to explore their local environment and collect

ideas for what they would change or improve.

EARLY COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN WESTMINSTER – GUIDANCE NOTE FOR APPLICANTS AND DEVELOPERS

• Walks and talks hosted by experts from the Design team

provided an opportunity for more in-depth conversations

on specialist topics.

• Youth workshops ran online with the Westminster Youth

Council to create ‘mini-zines’, which included a ‘manifesto’

for what priorities young people want to see.

• Family workshops were held as part of the Urban Tree

Festival for young families to share experiences of their

green spaces and collage their dream space.

• Play workshops explored models, den building and platform

building with local children and created an opportunity to

engage in conversations about natural play in the proposals.

• Digital surveys were developed to share and collect

feedback in an accessible and engaging way.

• Dedicated project website and digital and social media were

used to help to reach communities, share the proposals

digitally and encourage them to participate.

• Design pilot projects helped bring to life and test aspects

of the proposals.

• Visualisation technology such as slider visuals and 360

views were created and the audience encouraged to

access these in situ by placing QR codes at relevant

points around the site.

The engagement programme has been successful in reaching

local and London-wide audiences and providing the framework

through which the design team can develop an in-depth

understanding of their priorities for the re-design ahead of

developing detailed proposals.

The initial phases of engagement generated 7,261 pieces of

feedback from 2,516 individuals, more than 17,000 visits to the

project website and 1,013 subscribers to the mailing list, and 3,379

followers across social media accounts.

Grosvenor believe that the approach adopted for this project has

demonstrated the signiﬁcant value of high-quality early community

engagement. Their ﬁve key pieces of learning from this project are:

• That publishing and sharing a list of organisations that you

aim to work with and your engagement plan helps ensure

any gaps are easily spotted and maximises your chances

of actually engaging local people.

• Online can work for both large and small-scale events

but there will always be key audiences you miss.

Do not underestimate the power of printed material

to support activities.

• Physical installations and exhibitions in public spaces

accessible for extended periods of time help reach

passers-by and people who might not otherwise engage.

• It’s important to make space for dierent lengths of

conversations and tailor material accordingly. For example,

the digital survey needed to be short and simple for people

to engage with via mobile and tablets, but some people

might prefer to give more in-depth detailed feedback so

create the space for that too.

• Be prepared to try things, learn from them and adapt the

method going forward.

EARLY COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN WESTMINSTER – GUIDANCE NOTE FOR APPLICANTS AND DEVELOPERS

Case Study B – Southside, 105 Victoria Street

Development Scale (see Table 2): Large-scale Development

Developer: Welput

Architect/Agent: KPF/DP9

Engagement Lead: Kanda Consulting

Current Status: Permission granted in December 2021

Early Community Engagement in a Mixed Commercial and

Residential Area

A vision document was initially produced, prior to preparation of a

design brief, which outlined the rich history of the site and how the

site had sat at the hub of the local community. It also identiﬁed the

current issues with the site, why the design and structure prevented

refurbishment, and emerging ideas of potential future uses to

understand local sentiment. The ﬁnalised vision was used to inform

and underpin early engagement activities, including:

• Extensive local polling of more than 500 properties to

understand the perceptions of occupants of the site,

what it currently lacks and what would draw local

people to it in future.

• An early engagement forum workshop attended by

over 20 local residents and community representatives.

• A lunchtime pop-up consultation event in the reception

of Westminster City Hall with further sessions held in the

neighbouring Curzon cinema.

• Smaller one-to-one discussions with ward councillors and

representatives of the Thorney Island Society, Cathedral

Area Residents Group, Victoria Business Improvement

District and the Westminster Society.

• Dialogue with local institutions, including the Westminster

City School and Greycoat Hospital School as potentially

important daytime users of 105 Victoria Street.

The initial consultation and dialogue with the local community was

then used to inform the emerging land use proposals for the site and

inﬂuence the design brief for the architectural team.

Following development of an architectural concept three further

phases of consultation with the local community were undertaken

alongside pre-application discussions with the Council to test and

reﬁne the proposals. The engagement included feedback to explain

the rationale for the design approach that was pursued.

Later phases of engagement were impacted by the pandemic, so

engagement during this period focused on digital formats with

further awareness raising using targeted social media channels.

Physical exhibition packs were also made available with freepost

feedback forms to ensure the consultation remained inclusive for

those with barriers to digital engagement.

The developer team in this example concluded that undertaking

community engagement at the earliest stage helped the design

team ensure that the ﬁnalised scheme is better designed to meet the

current and future needs of residents, workers and visitors in this

part of the of the city. The design team was able to make the

following amendments in response to community expectations:

EARLY COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN WESTMINSTER – GUIDANCE NOTE FOR APPLICANTS AND DEVELOPERS

• Local-needs retail provided at ground ﬂoor around a modern

day ‘village square’ in a space which can evolve and host

events into the evening.

• A new ‘Activities Zone’ at lower ground ﬂoor which will host

community events, school activities and exhibitions free of

charge.

• Extensive cycle-parking, including a new local cycle parking

hub for local residents and workers.

• Greening and planting wherever possible on and around the

perimeter of the building, with an urban farm at upper levels.

• Active frontages wherever possible to design out anti-social

behaviour.

• ‘Flexibility ﬁrst’ in the design with an all-electric, future-

proofed building that achieves the highest standards of

sustainability.

• An improvement to the surrounding pedestrian environment

with new crossings and servicing arrangements, so

servicing vehicles would no longer enter the Cathedral Area

Conservation Area.

• A design, scale and use of materials which has evolved

through consultation and seeks to respond to the eclectic

local character of the area.

• Flexible oce space at upper levels which can evolve to

meet the needs of current and future occupiers.

EARLY COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN WESTMINSTER – GUIDANCE NOTE FOR APPLICANTS AND DEVELOPERS

Case Study C – Westminster Inﬁll

Development Programme

Development Scale (see Table 2):

Various (including Non-Major and Major Development)

Developer: Westminster City Council

Architect/Agent: Various

Engagement Lead: London Communications Agency

Current Status: Permission granted for redevelopment

of various sites

Early Community Engagement as part of a Multi-Site

Development Programme

To meet growing housing need across the city, the Council

established an Inﬁll Development Programme. The programme looks

to utilise vacant and redundant spaces and buildings throughout the

city of varying sizes by redeveloping them to deliver new aordable

homes using a variety of new build and conversion methods. Sites in

the programme have included redundant garages at Helmsdale

House, Melrose and Keith House, Ordnance Mews and Blomﬁeld

Mews, as well as the redevelopment of a community centre at 300

Harrow Road.

The council’s Development Team worked with London

Communications Agency (LCA) to ﬁrst develop a public consultation

strategy for the inﬁll sites in the initial phase of the programme,

creating a tailored approach for each. The consultation strategy

mapped out the key stakeholders, including local groups, for

each site, to be consulted prior to substantive engagement with

planning ocers.

For each site consultation letters were sent to key local

stakeholders and residents in a distribution area around the sites

as well as garage licensees where relevant. Housing managers

also worked with LCA to spread the word via other means, such

as by displaying posters in lift areas, to ensure everyone knew

about the public meetings.

Public exhibition events, where information on the emerging

proposals was displayed and members of the project team were

available to answer questions, were held. As well as speaking to

the team, visitors were encouraged to complete a comments card

with their feedback. All information was also available on the

Council’s website including other ways to give feedback, such as

by email or freephone.

Ward councillors were also engaged and given tours of the sites.

Multiple phases of engagement were undertaken for each site

with care taken to provide feedback to participants of earlier rounds

of engagement.

For the larger 300 Harrow Road scheme a design workshop was

organised with local residents and the team worked with the

Warwick Community Nursery to ensure parents were aware of the

plans and the decant options for the nursery.

Feedback from the public exhibition events made a signiﬁcant

dierence to the redevelopment schemes within the programme,

with designs altered in response to consultee comments, and also

help to shape the overall scope of the programme as a whole, as in

some cases sites were not taken forward for redevelopment

following adverse feedback from consultees.

For each site all comments made were collated and included in a

detailed Statement of Community Involvement submitted with each

planning application.

EARLY COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN WESTMINSTER – GUIDANCE NOTE FOR APPLICANTS AND DEVELOPERS MENU

Recognised Amenity Societies

In Westminster, amenity societies are statutory

consultees on planning applications within their

area. Further information on the 18 amenity

societies in Westminster is provided by the

Westminster Amenity Societies Forum (WASF):

westminsteramenitysocietiesforum.org/ and at

the following link: westminster.gov.uk/sites/

default/ﬁles/list_of_amenity_societies_in_

westminster2018.pdf. A map of recognised

amenity societies is provided at the following link:

arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.

html?id=327dce58286d45e2bd87aac879bfa0d6

Neighbourhood Forums

Neighbourhood Forums are designated by the

Council under s61F of the Town and Country

Planning Act 1990 (as amended). Designations

must be renewed every 5 years. A designated

Neighbourhood Forum is empowered by local

planning authority to establish a high-level vision

for their area, collect views on what matters most

for an area as regards future development, consult

on priorities for policy areas, consult on policy

proposals and produce a Neighbourhood Plan

which, when adopted, forms part of the

development plan for Westminster alongside the

City Plan 2019-2040 and the London Plan (March

2021). Further details of the Neighbourhood

Forums can be found at the following link:

westminster.gov.uk/planning-building-and-

environmental-regulations/planning-policy/

neighbourhood-forums. A map of the

neighbourhood forums in Westminster is provided

at the following link: arcgis.com/apps/webapp

viewer/index.html?id=327dce58286d45e2bd

87aac879bfa0d6

Community, Residents and Tenants’ Groups

These groups are typically established by smaller

groups of residents, perhaps within a single

building or estate, often to respond to speciﬁc

concerns residents have or to assist with the

management of their building or estate. Whilst

they are not statutory consultees, nor do they

have the governance requirement or plan making

capabilities of Neighbourhood Forums or

Community Councils, they are nonetheless

important consultees where a development

may impact a building or estate that they have

an interest in.

Ward Councillors

Ward Councillors represents public interests as

well as individuals living in the ward in which they

have been elected. There are three Councillors for

each of the City’s 20 wards. A full list of ward

councillors in Westminster is provided at the

following link: committees.westminster.gov.uk/

mgMemberIndex.aspx?bcr=1

Community Councils

Westminster has one community council, the

Queens Park Community Council. Community

Councils are established under the Local

Government and Public Involvement in Health

Act 2007. The Queen’s Park Community Council

was initially established in 2012, with the ﬁrst

councillors elected in 2014. Community council

elections are held every four years. The Queens

Park Community Council is in the process of

adopting a local plan, which can be viewed

at the following link: westminster.gov.uk/

planning-building-and-environmental-

regulations/planning-policy/queens-park-

neighbourhood-plan.

APPENDIX B – GLOSSARY OF KEY

TERMS AND GROUPS

EARLY COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN WESTMINSTER – GUIDANCE NOTE FOR APPLICANTS AND DEVELOPERS MENU

Business Improvement Districts (BIDs)

BIDs are deﬁned areas within which a levy is

charged on all business rate payers with a rateable

value equal to or greater than a speciﬁed value in

addition to the business rates bill. This levy is used

to develop projects which will beneﬁt businesses

and the local community in the BID area. BIDS are

also a powerful tool for directly involving local

businesses in local activities and allow the

business community to work with the Council to

improve the local trading environment. The

maximum period that a Business Improvement

District levy can be charged is for 5 years, after

which the BID must hold a new ballot if it wishes to

continue its activities. Most Business Improvement

District bodies are not-for-proﬁt companies.

Further details of the BIDs in Westminster and the

areas they cover can be found at the following link:

businesswestminster.com/business-enterprise/

business-improvement-districts

Youth Forums and Groups

There are many youth groups and forums across

the city, ranging from smaller local groups to the

Council’s own Youth Council (www.westminster.

gov.uk/event/westminster-youth-council).

Organisations such as Young Westminster

(youngwestminster.com) may be able to assist you

in identifying local youth groups and forums.

Special Interest Groups

In addition to the recognised amenity societies,

there are a number of other interest groups and

semi-recognised amenity societies, which despite

not being statutory consultees, may be consulted

on development that aects their area of interest.

A full list of these special interest groups is

provided at the following link: www.westminster.

gov.uk/planning-building-and-environmental-

regulations/ﬁnd-or-comment-planning-

application/consultations-planning-applications

EARLY COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN WESTMINSTER – GUIDANCE NOTE FOR APPLICANTS AND DEVELOPERS MENU

National, Local and

Neighbourhood Guidance

1 National Planning Policy Guidance ‘Before

submitting an application’ (2021):

gov.uk/guidance/before-submitting-an-

application#local-people-at-pre-

application-stage

2 Draft National Design Code and Guidance

Notes of Design Codes (February 2021):

gov.uk/government/publications/national-

model-design-code

3 Statement of Community Involvement in

Planning (June 2014): westminster.gov.uk/

planning-building-and-environmental-

regulations/planning-policy/emerging-

policies-and-consultations/statement-

community-involvement

4 Best Practice Guidance on Community

Engagement – Knightsbridge

Neighbourhood Forum (January 2019):

knightsbridgeforum.org/best-practice-

guidance-community-engagement

General Guidance on Good Public

Engagement Practice

1 Good Practice Guide to Public Engagement in

Development Schemes – Planning Aid (2010):

camdencen.org.uk/Resources/Planning/

Communities/Good%20Practice%20

Guide%20to%20Public%20Engagement%20

Development%20Schemes.pdf

2 10 Commitments for Eective Pre-Application

Engagement – Local Government Association

(2014): local.gov.uk/sites/default/ﬁles/

documents/10-commitments-eective--

927.pdf

3 Inclusive Communities A guide for Local

Authorities – Disability Rights UK (2014):

disabilityrightsuk.org/sites/default/ﬁles/

pdf/1%20%20Inclusivecommunities

LAguidance.pdf

4 Community Planning Toolkit - Community

Engagement – Community Places (2014):

communityplanningtoolkit.org/sites/default/

ﬁles/Engagement.pdf

5 Digital Engagement Tools - how can

authorities use online platforms to facilitate

meaningful participation? – Public Practice

(June 2021): publicpractice.org.uk/resources/

digital-engagement-tools

Developer Research, Guidance and

Community Charters

1 Building Trust: Insight paper on good growth

– Westminster Property Association

(December 2018): issuu.com/ldnpropalliance/

docs/building_trust__insight_pages

2 Rebuilding Trust – Discussion Paper –

Grosvenor (July 2019): grosvenor.com/

property/property-uk/community-success/

building-trust

3 Positive Space: Our Community Charter –

Grosvenor (2020): grosvenor.com/property

/property-uk/community-success/

positive-space

4 A guide to better public engagement: Positive

Space in Practice – Grosvenor (May 2021):

www.grosvenor.com/news-insights/creating-

a-more-positive-space

APPENDIX C – USEFUL PUBLICATIONS

EARLY COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN WESTMINSTER – GUIDANCE NOTE FOR APPLICANTS AND DEVELOPERS MENU

The council encourages the use of 3D modelling

tools when carrying out engagement and there are

a range of suppliers that can provide visualisations

in various dierent formats. These can greatly

assist with the visualisation of proposed

development and help to show it in the context of

existing townscape. This can help consultees to

better understand the impacts of proposed

development and, in some cases, allay concerns

they may otherwise have had.

The Council is uses VU.CITY to provide a bespoke

model environment of Westminster and central

London when assessing development proposals.

We encourage you to use this platform, or a

compatible model speciﬁcation, when including

contextual 3D modelling in your early community

engagement. Note that when seeking pre-

application advice for major development,

the provision of a VU.CITY compatible 3D

virtual model of the proposed development

will also assist ocers in providing advice on

your proposal.

To ensure your 3D modelling is compatible with

VU.CITY software please ensure it meets the

following speciﬁcations:

• Geo-referenced position. The model

should be geo-referenced in space to

ensure an accurate insertion into the

VU.CITY model.

• Scale. Please ensure the model is

correctly scaled to the appropriate

dimension.

• File format. The model should be in the

original ﬁle format. Preferred ﬁle formats

are FBX or Revit ﬁles but all standard 3D

modelling formats are acceptable.

• Simpliﬁed layers. The 3D model should

not be the ﬁnal detailed design, but a basic

model that illustrates the form and location

of the proposed buildings.

• Scope. Ensure the model is solely within

your red line/development boundary

and does not include proposals for

adjoining sites.

Further information on the use of VU.CITY can be

found at: VU.CITY

APPENDIX D – 3D MODELLING

SPECIFICATION

EARLY COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN WESTMINSTER – GUIDANCE NOTE FOR APPLICANTS AND DEVELOPERS

northplanningteam@westminster.gov.uk

Covers the NW1, NW6, NW8, W2, W9, W10

and W11 areas.

southplanningteam@westminster.gov.uk

Covers the SW1, SW7, WC2 and EC4 areas.

centralplanningteam@westminster.gov.uk

Covers the W1 area.

Where the early community engagement

will pre-date the submission of a request for

pre-application advice from ocers you should

contact the relevant planning area team via the

email addresses to alert them to the proposed

community engagement and request ocer

attendance. You should provide at least

14 days notice of the intended community

engagement event.

North Planning Team:

South Planning Team:

Central Planning Team:

APPENDIX E – PLANNING AREA TEAM

CONTACT DETAILS

Guidance Note for Applicants and Developers