New build developments have the potential to impact many lives across villages, towns and cities, so it’s unsurprising that they garner a wide range of reactions – from positivity to anger and much in between. Opinions can be formed by a plethora of differing priorities, interests and concerns, which can lead to complicated relationships for developers to maintain with the public and potential hurdles to overcome in the planning stage.
We spoke to Nikki Davies from MPC to find out more about the importance of community engagement for housebuilders, and how new developments are really received when you look deeper than those who shout the loudest.
Tell us about yourself
“I’m Nikki Davies, Managing Director at the built environment comms consultancy, MPC.”
“Having joined the business as an intern, I now head up a nearly 40-strong team of built environment experts. With a shared vision to use the built environment as a catalyst for positive change, we deliver innovative and inclusive planning communications and engagement programmes for a diverse range of clients.”
“Operating across England and Wales, we bring together talented professionals from backgrounds in politics, local government, business and journalism, to create a unique comms skills-set which delivers campaigns with clout for our clients.”
How did you get started in the industry?
“I graduated from university with a degree in politics at the height of the last recession. It goes without saying that the job market was rather bleak, so I was applying for everything I could.”
“MPC was advertising a 6-week contract for an Account Executive, and without knowing a thing about property, I applied and accepted the offer, not for one second thinking that I’d found an incredibly rewarding career in the most fascinating industry.”
“Building my career from the ground up, MPC gave me the opportunity to thrive, and I am so proud to now be able to pass that on to my team.”
What services does MPC offer?
“MPC provides a range of consultancy services – including public affairs, public relations, political engagement and social value – with the aim of building community and stakeholder support for new development.”
“We deliver those services for a huge range of clients, ranging from residential and infrastructure projects to commercial energy, and affordable housing schemes.”
“Every client project differs hugely in its size, location, politics and community, and each has a unique set of challenges. It’s our job to overcome these and support our clients through that journey.”
How important can community insight be for housebuilders?
“MPC strives to take engagement ‘to the people’, making it easier for communities to engage effectively during the consultation process.”
“A nationwide survey we commissioned, in partnership with Shelter and YouGov, lifted the lid on attitudes towards housebuilding across the country. It uncovered a silent majority of people who were broadly positive or neutral to development, however, these were individuals who were often overlooked during the consultation process.”
“It’s critically important for the whole of the built environment. Engaging with that silent majority, either through targeted events on high streets, train stations and public events or through online and social channels, enables these voices to be heard.”
“The approach allows us to run effective, targeted programmes and removes the likelihood of the loudest, most critical voices dominating the conversation, which can and does overturn planning decisions.”
“Commercially, it supports clients to minimise potential risks to planning, but for society, it ensures the community’s collective voice is heard. Done well, it can usher in tangible social, economic and environmental benefits for the community.”
What methods does MPC use to gather feedback?
“As our lives become increasingly intertwined between the physical and digital worlds, so too should our engagement strategy. Getting that right is key to redressing the imbalance in engagement and getting the voice of the silent majority heard.”
“MPC provides a full suite of digital services to achieve this, which complements the way people already interact online. Whether that’s webinars and online events, or easy-to-navigate websites and online surveys created by our in-house digital team.”
“We also deliver in-person consultations, meetings and events, however, ensuring we engage digitally through a mixture of organic, earned and paid-for channels means we can reach out to communities who are often overlooked and left out of traditional consultations.”
What are some of the most common responses you receive when conducting research?
“The main reasons people report when opposing local development are a perceived pressure on local infrastructure and services and a loss of green space, with the latter being more important to younger people.”
“When it comes to supporting local development, priorities are the help it can provide young people and families getting onto the housing ladder, and to a slightly lesser extent, those on lower incomes, by making local housing more affordable.”
“Assurances around support for local infrastructure are recurring features for motivating support, with local job creation and priority for local people in accessing the housing, when complete, also important influencing factors.”
There’s often a perceived sense of negativity towards housing developments. Does your research support that?
“Our research found that most people (69%) are either supportive or neutral about new homes being built in their area, indicating a large ‘silent majority’ who are not opposed to local housebuilding.”
“In fact, supporters of local housebuilding outweighed opponents by a ratio of 5:3 (48%:29%) with only 11% being strongly opposed.”
“Despite the majority being supportive or neutral, the level of opposition runs at more than double the rate of active support. This means that people whose standpoint is oppositional are three times more likely to actively oppose than natural supporters are to actively support an application. This means the sector has to work harder to find and motivate supporters to make their voices heard. Happily, our research gives us the demographic data to help find likely supporters and we have been doing this to great result for our clients.”
