The new guidance stresses the importance and value for project promoters of an NSIP to collaborate with local communities from the early proposal stages, through to life after construction, to protect the wellbeing of those local communities.
Councillor Richard Rout, Suffolk County Council’s Deputy Cabinet Member for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects, said:
“So often we see project promoters doing the bare statutory minimum to engage with local communities, through a few local events and consultations.
“This is never enough, and in fact doesn’t do the promoter any favours in the long run. I believe they could often do a far better job working with local residents, parish councils and community leaders, throughout the process but particularly following approval if a project is given the go ahead by government.
“An NSIP can cause stress, insecurity and anxiety amongst communities, particular for local community leaders who bear a burden of responsibility, often with little experience of the technicalities and enormity of such complex planning applications.
“A promoter simply informing communities is one thing, but there is a real opportunity to empower them – but promoters need to show a commitment to healthy, continuous engagement, and help local communities to understand their project, feel listened to and feel included in its progress.
“This new guidance won’t stop us standing up to project promoters, fighting for a fair deal for Suffolk and, where necessary, objecting to a scheme. However, if promoters listen to our recommendations it should markedly improve the experience, and wellbeing, of local communities whether a scheme is approved or refused.”
The cumulative effect of NSIPs has resulted in considerable impacts on the wellbeing of individuals, the overall wellbeing of the community, and has also led to feelings of lost identity.
One member of the public described how the association with the energy projects has “created a perception that the nature of our village and parish… has been completely altered, and is now one to be defined by the presence of large industrial complexes, rather than what it actually is, a rural community... it remains a small rural village, with living breathing people, who strive to protect its unique quality.”
The document provides a framework for promoters to follow, to help them understand their project’s impact on the wellbeing of local communities, and what they can actively do to mitigate it.
