Solar NSIP: Utilising in-person, one-to-one engagement to secure meaningful consultation feedback

Brief:

• We were engaged to develop a communications and engagement strategy for an NSIP-scale solar farm in Nottinghamshire. The initial project design would show solar panels to be placed up against homes, villages and public rights of way, in recognition that consultation was needed to better understand these locations. However, we anticipated that this would cause immediate opposition to the project, resulting in individuals refusing to interact with the consultation or providing generic feedback. 

Solution:

• Prior to the initial launch of the project, we visited properties that were located particularly near to the project boundary to introduce ourselves and the project to ensure that their first interaction was through a personal contact.
• During the first consultation, we offered to visit any properties that were near the project boundary to meet with the residents, answer their questions and hear their feedback. 14 visits took place, scheduled at the convenience of the residents, with senior members of the project team present.
• During the second consultation, we contacted the same 14 individuals to offer followup meetings to explain how the project had changed in response to their feedback, and if they had any further comments. A total of 20 visits took place, as additional members of the community requested meetings. The same team that was present for the initial meetings was present for the followups to ensure continuity.

Outcome:

• As a result of the repeated, in-person engagement we were able to build relationships with the key individuals who would be most impacted by the project. Through the trust we had built, we were able to secure detailed, specific feedback on the project design. By making the changes that had been requested, we demonstrated that were a we were listening to their concerns. This helped to reduce community opposition by removing the key issues and led to a better project design that mitigated potential significant impacts.