Exhibitions

Public exhibitions form the backbone of most engagement strategies but do not always represent the most appropriate way for communities to actively participate in the evolution and design of a major development.  This is particularly relevant when local community support is a key consideration in a site’s allocation in a development plan or in determining a planning application.

The principal role of the engagement exhibition is to both feed back and inform large numbers of community members.  When used appropriately they can be a useful technique for starting a structured engagement programme, to mark keep milestone in a project’s evolution or to provide local residents and businesses about an imminent planning application.  If a proposal is particularly significant in terms of scale or complexity they provide only a limited opportunity to generate support or to explore technically challenging and complex themes.  Consequently their use in conjunction with other types of event is usually essential.