3.7 What is community engagement and why is it important for embedding health in capital investment projects?

What do we mean by community engagement?

Important: The following guidance does not cover the statutory requirements for community engagement/public consultation in capital investment projects. Users are referred to their own local guidance and national legislation to ensure that projects meet their statutory duties. This section highlights points to consider when aiming to proactively undertake community engagement over and above minimum statutory requirements.

This section focuses on undertaking community engagement more widely as part of the project's consultation process. It does not focus on the involvement of community members in the CHIA process, which is outlined in '2.3 Who should be at a screening workshop?'. It must be noted that the involvement of community members in a CHIA screening workshop is not a replacement for any wider consultation or engagement processes but it could be one part of the wider engagement plan.

It is crucial that project teams are clear on what decisions (or aspects) of a project can be influenced, and to what extent, by communities. This should be communicated transparently throughout any engagement process.

To successfully embed health in your project you will need to involve the communities affected by the proposed development. This increases the chances that your project will maximise positive health and social benefits and identify and decrease any potential negative consequences.

Community engagement is considered a central part of a health impact assessment process. Indeed, one element of community engagement in a capital investment project could be to involve community members in the CHIA process. Community engagement is needed beyond the CHIA process and should be included throughout the capital investment project lifecycle.

Capital investment projects often affect sizable numbers of people in various communities of place (groups who live or work near to each other) and/or interest (groups of people who share an identity or experience), both near and far from where the project is actually developed.  Such large projects can fundamentally reshape local places for generations and indeed, force localities to change around them. Local impacts can be significant and these need to be anticipated, addressed, communicated and mitigated to maximise project success and positive impacts.

Good community engagement is vital where major projects bring large changes to local areas and their surrounding environments. Engagement processes, when facilitated correctly, have the potential to maximise the success and positive impacts of such projects and increase the strength, health and resilience of communities of place and/or interest affected by the project.

Community engagement is fundamentally about building and sustaining relationships between public bodies, the private sector and community organisations, groups and individuals that will result in the maximisation of mutual benefits.

It is a way for organisations like community groups, interest or activist groups to work with the public and private sectors to shape and develop their projects, activities and services to the benefit of everyone involved.

In Scotland there are National Standards for Community Engagement which are a set of seven good practice principles for improving community engagement (Inclusion, Support, Planning Working together, Methods, Communication and Impact), see section 3.10 for further information. 

The need for community engagement in capital investments

At present, with the exception of statutory requirements for engagement included in Planning legislation and associated local public authority policy and strategy, community engagement is not widely conducted within major infrastructure or large capital investment projects. Rather, community engagement has typically been undertaken in smaller scale projects in communities.

This doesn't mean however, that community engagement in projects of scale is not important and should not be conducted more widely, to a higher standard, going beyond the minimum legislative requirements and having ambitions to maximise benefits for all those involved and affected in each development.

In fact, in Scotland we are now seeing an increased encouragement and appetite for more amplified community engagement across all sectors including communities who want to know and be involved in developments ongoing within their areas - including major capital investment projects.

The ministerial forward for the National Planning Framework 4, the strategy for the development of Scotland's places highlights the importance of engaging with communities when planning new developments or upgrading existing assets.

"Changes to our places will not always be easy. People care about their neighbourhoods and rightly and reasonably expect that new development should improve their lives, rather than undermining what they value most. To help deliver on this strategy I am committed to involving a wider range of people in planning. A fairer and more inclusive planning system will ensure that everyone has an opportunity to shape their future so that our places work for all of us. I also recognise that planning authorities across Scotland will need support and guidance to put our proposals and policies into practice and will continue to work with the profession and local government to ensure our system can realise its full potential."

Specifically in terms of capital investment we have seen the desire for increased community engagement coming through steadily in such things as:

• The Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015
• National Planning Framework 4
• Planning Legislation Revisions
• Local Authority Development Plan Revisions (specifically Local Place Plans)
• The National Participation Framework
• Planned Community Wealth Building Legislation
• Planned Human Rights Legislation
• Conscious Construction and Community Benefit Schemes
• Increased engagement (and social impact), strategies, and policies across various sectors and industries related directly to construction and capital investment projects.

This increase in activity and interest in community engagement shows an appetite to involve more people in activity across all sectors of industry, but why, and what benefits does this bring to infrastructure and capital investment projects?

Fundamentally, good community engagement within capital investment projects can lead to:

• Better understanding, acceptance and support from communities surrounding the developments and any associated disruptions that they will have on their environment and lives.
• Enhanced investment projects that are planned, developed, and delivered in a way in which they can be influenced by, and respond to, community needs and requirements.
• Additional local investment that is targeted to enhance and maximise community benefits including local employment and training opportunities, service adaptation, small scale funding, community grants and other localised improvement and/or impact projects.
• New relationships being developed between communities, investment teams and project delivery teams which can build trust, make joint action possible and mitigate negative situations that can result in project delays and cost implications. 
• Protecting reputational value of those involved in planning and delivering investment projects, potentially leading to additional opportunities for future developments and projects. This is particularly demonstrated where good relationships, trust and respect are built with communities and that experience sees them welcome further development by the same organisations.