Public consultation is seen in different lights by the different participants. For the public, it is often mistrusted as a “token” consultation that “nobody actually listens to”. For the Municipality it is a requirement to ensure that the public interest is considered in project planning. For the developer it is often seen as an obligation to get through the process.
Having been part of many such meetings both as a participant or leading the discussion, I have noticed the following things:
Different municipalities approach consultation in different ways. The Township of Langley wisely suggests that you hold public information meetings prior to submitting the original project application. Other municipalities actually require you to wait until you are farther along in the process before you hold a meeting. Bizarre.
For the developer, early consultation can be an extremely useful tool to gain an understanding of what is important to the neighborhood and what are their concerns. Usually many of these can be factored into the design or planning to reduce conflict as you go through the approval process.
The beauty of the public information meeting is that it is hosted by the developer so it is an opportunity to have informal discussions with the neighborhood to really understand their issues and what are the biggest hurdles will be to project approval. This is great information – especially if you are genuinely looking to hear the issues and meet the community needs.
Avoiding consultation is like hiding your head in the sand – not a good strategy!