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COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PLAN

Name

Institution

Tutor

Date

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Introduction of the Best Practices for Community Engagement

Following the established tradition of community

engagement whenever any serious development plans are being

undertaken in Australia, the Toowoomba Regional Council wants

to consult the community on how the old Toowoomba Foundry site

should be zoned, and get ideas for how best to develop the

site. A lot of people have shown interest in the area since it

fell into disuse in 2012 after the closure of the historic

business centre. A comprehensive engagement plan is required

to get the ideas and gauge the feelings of community members

regarding what should happen to the site. The Department of

Environment and Primary Industries (DEPI) (2013) holds that

engagement can involve consultation, education, extension,

public participation, partnership or participative democracy,

with respect to the particular situation. The measures used in

engagement could be one way communication, consultation,

collaboration in decision-making, and empowerment of groups in

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formal and informal partnerships. The council officers should

be able to use the plan outlined in this paper to reach

reliable conclusions on how to develop the site. A good plan

will require the consideration of the best principles for

community engagement. The principles include co-design and co-

production, community empowerment, community cohesion, PR

refocusing, and timely engagement. These principles are

essential to avoid pseudo-engagement taking place.

Co-design and co-production mean that the community

members collaborate with the government organization to make

the plans for the project. This principle is closely related

to the need for meaningful participation of the citizens in

determining the development agenda of their areas. The

residents of Toowoomba city will be treated as valuable

sources of input under this principle. Ultimately, following

this principle will be in line with the democratic ideals that

have been embraced by the Australian citizens. Harnessing the

local community’s perspectives will go a long way to influence

their satisfaction with the development that will eventually

be implemented. Holmes (2011) argues that co-produced

projects meet the needs of the communities better, and are

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sustainable. As much as the council wants to develop the piece

of land, there is a certain preferred way the local community

wants the development undertaken.

The second powerful principle to use is community

empowerment. This practice entails supporting the individuals,

groups, and communities, to participate actively in issues

that impact their wellbeing substantially by measures such as

personal development, consciousness boosting, and social

action (Preston, et al. 2009). Being laymen in many aspects,

the residents of Toowoomba need some level of civic education

to enable them to make meaningful contributions in the

engagement process. Empowerment is a necessary practice to

make the residents well informed contributors, autonomous in

thinking, open to other competing views, able to defend their

positions, able to reason with others, and keen to pursue the

collective good even at the expense of personal interests

(Holmes, 2011). In this endeavour, community based

organizations (CBOs) come in handy. The CBOs should be

involved in the council’s effort to make the public embrace

the development plans for the site. Certainly, CBOs enjoy the

trust of the community members over and above their ability to

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educate them in developmental matters. Educated citizens

participate better in schemes to influence government

policies. Clearly, empowerment through CBOs makes people not

only empowered to make the contribution, but it also develops

the quality of those contributions.

The third best practice to consider is timely engagement

of the stakeholders. The raising controversies about the

property can be stalled by bringing together the people at the

earliest opportunity. To begin with, the residents of

Toowoomba as well as potential developers are already asking

questions about perceptions that the council is allocating the

land to certain powerful individuals. There has been rampant

speculation about the 5.3 hectare property since the council

announced plans to transfer it to retail development. For

instance, an owner of a hardware business in area told the

Chronicle that he suspected that Bunnings, a multinational

company, had secured the foundry site to build a warehouse

(Davies 2013). Clearly, the council should engage the

stakeholders, who are all interested in the property in a

timely manner, to avoid undertaking cosmetic consultation at a

later date. It is noted that engaging the members of the

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community late makes them mistrust the project since they feel

that they are just needed to consent to a decision that is

already made (Richards & Dalbey, 2006).

Another best practice is pursuing community cohesion.

There is need to have cohesion of the heterogeneous Toowoomba

community. Community engagement signifies the shift of the

focus from individuals to groups, and as well implies

inclusiveness that ensures that the diversity that occurs

within a community is considered (DEPI 2013). Creation of

cohesion among the community members is critical for the

success of the engagement process. Notably, the community in

Toowoomba is comprised of people with different social

economic status, lifestyles, values, and other differences

that need to be reconciled in one way or another so that they

may engage fruitfully. By doing this they can even adopt

consensus on the type of development more easily. However,

cohesion does not mean the absence of different viewpoints

rather it implies agreeing on the most suitable decisions. The

forums that will be used for engaging the community should

promote the interactions of all the stakeholders. Through

interactions, people from different backgrounds are likely to

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identify common goals and reach compromises on aspects they

normally differ about. They get a chance to re-examine their

differences when they really understand the genuine interests

of others. With community cohesion, the tendency for only the

perspectives of the dominant section to be heard is reversed

(Fraser, 2005).

Reformulation of the public relations approaches of the

council is another best practice worth pursuing. The PR should

not only focus on relaying information from the organization

to the citizens, but should try to create some symmetry, where

the citizens groups are made to champion for the interests of

the common people. The PR should foster greater public

consultation by promoting multi-stakeholder dialogue. Through

its PR, the council can pursue symmetrical ideals, where the

other stakeholders are viewed as serious participants under a

relational framework. Johnston (2010) argues that a

relational framework enables proper planning and moves members

of democratic communities from conflicts and divisiveness to

collaboration.

Stakeholder Analysis

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There are many stakeholders connected to the site given

that it is located at the central business district of

Toowoomba. Identification and analysis of the stakeholders is

critical part of the engagement planning process since it

helps understand and manage the relationships between them and

increases the possibility of attaining the desired outcome

(Department of Sustainability and Environment 2005). There are

distinct groups which are interested in the land, including

the local area residents, business groups and the community of

industrial developers. The regional council, which consists of

the mayor and councillors should take every stakeholders

perspective on board. It is the responsibility of the council

to ensure that commercial development is in line with

community values (Spowart 2013).

The All the stakeholders are bound to have different

reactions to the TRC’s 2010 master plan for the city centre,

where the foundry is found. Under the master plan, there are

plans to convert the foundry site into a living centre.

According to the plans on the Railyard’s precincts, the

foundry site is to be developed to accommodate the urban

community in new settlement with a range of housing types that

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are supported by insignificant local retail and services

stores as well as food and beverage services in the streets

and spaces (Carter 2010). The development in this area is

planned in such a way that in complements the plans for the

other parts of the city centre, especially the heart of the

city where there are many retail outlets.

According to the master plan, some listed buildings shall

remain on the site while the new buildings will have

contemporary architectural form. The aesthetic element that is

dominant in the beautiful city has also been considered. The

heights of the buildings should step down westwards, and they

should be spaced to create a number of view corridors between

the railyard to the East, up to Ruthven Street. Moreover, the

car parks in the new settlement should be concealed in the

centre of the development blocks or in basements (Carter

2010).

The most critical stakeholders are the Toowoomba voters,

who are very powerful and have legitimate concerns. Toowoomba

voters normally take a general stance to articulate their

issues with respect to government plans. According to News

(2014), several community action groups agreed to work

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together. The unified group is evidently a formidable force

which the Toowoomba Regional Council has to deal with. The

political leaders in the city cannot ignore the bargaining

power of the groups who have vowed to be joining forces on

issues of mutual interest. This reflects the growing attempts

among the residents to watch over TRC. Calcino () states that

the residents are not satisfied by the way the TRC handles

sensitive issues, such as architectural heritage, environment,

and transport as well as the failure to adhere to due process

for community consultation.

Residents of Toowoomba are very keenly monitoring the

activities of the council regarding the foundry site. Usually,

the community in Toowoomba monitors the implementation of

development plans to see if its input is considered. This was

highlighted in their objection to the Toowoomba regional

council’s approval of a development of fast food joints in a

highly visible area of the town. The residents were angered by

the failure by the council to consider the responses they had

provided during pre-approval consultation. In this case, the

residents were opposed to the development since the area is

residential the 24 hour fast food joints would generate

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incessant traffic noise, pervasive cooking odours, and

overnight car parking lights. Moreover, the residents thought

that addition of fast food joints was a sore to their

beautiful garden city (Spowart 2013). Implementing the

community’s view is critical since not doing so attracts

appeals that may delay the projects for a long time. For

instance, in the case of Toowoomba city residents’ opposition

to fast food development, they chose to challenge the

council’s decision through the appeal process (Spowart 2013).

Investors are the second most important stakeholders.

They are also powerful and legitimate. In fact, from the

development perspective, investors are very critical players

since they provide the capital required to enhance the city

and the region at large. The council ensures that proposed

development is not only appropriate for the residents, but it

is also attractive to investors (TRC 2013). It normally

engages property owners whenever there is need for capital

works and it also publicises plans for the town’s

infrastructure. The investors are a vibrant group of

stakeholders, especially if they have been running business in

the town for a long time. Private bidders for the property who

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would like to purchase the non-operational business and the

land.

Investors may also be considered legitimate part of the

community. For instance, the owners of the Bunnings warehouse

claim that they have been part of the Toowoomba community from

2001 and they have since then invested $25 million in the

city, including starting a Bunnings Warehouse in 2007 (Davies

2013). Therefore, the business would expect to be considered

favourably if they expressed interest in acquiring the

property to establish a second warehouse.

Environmental advocacy groups are also serious

stakeholders. There is notable advocacy done by environmental

groups such as Friends of the Earth and Toowoomba Landcare

Group. The Friends of the Earth group is a powerful movement

that vehemently advocates for the protection of environmental

rights. According to News (2013), the group has been involved

in forceful protests against the government and the rail

operator Aurizon, who they accused of reckless expansion of

coal mining and transporting it in uncovered wagons

respectively. However, the shortcoming facing this

organization is lack of resources. The other group, Landcare,

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is steeped on raising awareness about environmental issues and

prides itself in making people look after the natural

resources in Toowoomba and the nearby areas. The matrix below

shows the state of the three stakeholders to the development.

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Engagement Tools

It is imperative to choose the appropriate tool to engage

the stakeholders based on what they are expected to be

concerned about. The engagement tools for the town’s voters

should be design charrettes and brainstorming that are good

means of collaboration. For the investors, the appropriate

engagement tools are design charrettes and public meetings.

Similarly, the best tool to use for the environmental groups

is mediation and negotiation, which are meant to have them

involved.

A design charrette is an approach whereby designers

intensively work on an issue and share their findings with

other stakeholders in a public forum. This is an intensive

process that is meant to facilitate discussions between

stakeholders. To begin with the design team meets with

developers, community groups, and neighbours where they gather

information about issues affecting the community. After this,

the design team creates solutions that are clear, realistic,

and detailed for future development. This is a process

characterised by transparency as the designers share the plans

with the stakeholders. Notably, this is a common design event

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that is used in urban design planning process. In the process,

trust develops among the stakeholders regarding the

organization, since they feel that the issues that are most

critical to them are taken into consideration. The entire

process takes a period not exceeding two weeks. The cost for

this tool is quite high due to the use of specialist, with a

medium project costing between AUD$1,000 and AUD$10,000. This

tool can be implemented by collaborating with and involving

the voters and investors.

Under the brainstorming tool, the community members will

come together to contribute unusual ideas without any form of

criticism being made. This session will help break down the

preconceptions about the issue of developing the foundry site.

The best ideas from the brainstorming can be further pursued

as solutions to the problem. This approach is appropriate

since it not only yields ideas which can be pursued, but also

helps the participants to break any cold feelings and creates

a sense of unity between them. Moreover, this strategy is

useful for community engagement as well as for discovery of

their issues. This tool fits in well with the project period

since it takes less than six weeks to undertake. It also costs

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less than AUD$1,000. The brainstorming session can be held in

one of the town halls where the voters will be informed to

congregate earlier on.

Public meeting is an appropriate platform for the council

to engage the investors. A meeting brings together people who

are focused on a given problem and there is usually a

facilitator who enables two way communications. The meeting is

specifically important since it is the origins of common

interest groups which layer pursue the suggestions made. They

also serve to raise awareness about a proposal and are the

beginning points of later involvement. In addition, the

meetings provide an avenue for exploring alternatives and

consensus building. However, the people meeting can be easily

dominated by those with power in the community or the most

articulate. This strategy may take a short duration of less

than six weeks to implement and cost less than AUD$1000. This

meeting can be arranged to be held in one of the town halls

Mediation and negotiation is appropriate for engaging

environmental groups. This entails searching for agreement

that is embraced by the various parties involved. The result

of a real negotiation is a win-win situation, whereby all the

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parties are satisfied. This approach helps to avoid animosity

and the tendency of some parties to demonize other parties

with whom they disagree. At the end, the parties manage to

reach a consensus. This approach can take a minimum of six

weeks, though it may also go on for more than six months. The

budgetary implications for this process are high due to the

need to pay a specialist mediator. Given that the process is

expected to take the minimum time of 6 weeks, the cost will be

AUD$1,000. The negotiation can be implemented by making the

concerned environmental groups meet the council members under

the facilitation of a neutral mediator.

Reflection

In the analysis, what stands out is the significance of

the voters and the investors in the engagement process. These

groups have high stakes in the project. What is of concern is

the low power of the environmental groups in the matter.

However, it is exciting that the voters are highly involved in

efforts to have their voices heard, by coming together in

groups that cannot be easily ignored. From the analysis, the

objectives of the development plan by TRC for the area should

not be tweaked.

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A Brief Schedule

The engagement plan will be scheduled to be undertaken in

the next six weeks. To begin with, the voters should be

involved in a brainstorming session. This can be planned to

take place in the next two weeks. The design charrette that

will target the voters and the investors shall be scheduled to

take place over a two weeks period afterwards. Later, meeting

with the investors shall be held. Finally, the process of

negotiating with the environmental groups should be commenced

immediately.

An Itemised Budget

Engagement Tool Cost

design charrette AUD$10,000

brainstorming AUD$1,000

Public meeting AUD$1000

Mediation and negotiation AUD$1000

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Reference

Calcino, C 2014, ‘Hundreds expected at next council watchdog

meeting’, The Chronicle, available from

http://www.thechronicle.com.au/news/hundreds-expected-next-

council-watchdog-meeting/2136299/

Carter, C 2010, ‘The masterplan: Precincts and Guidelines’,

Toowoomba City centre Masterplan, 67 -103

Davies A 2013, Hardware giant Bunnings may be eyeing off

foundry site’, available from

http://www.thechronicle.com.au/news/toowoomba-development-

bunnings-foundry/1892320/

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Department of Sustainability and Environment 2005, Book 1: An

Introduction to Engagement. Melbourne: The Community Engagement

Network.

Department of Sustainability and Environment 2005, Book 3: The

Engagement Toolkit. Melbourne: The Community Engagement Network

DEPI 2013, ‘What is Community Engagement?’ Department of

Environment and Primary Industries, available from

http://www.dse.vic.gov.au/effective-engagement/introduction-

to-engagement/what-is-community-engagement

Fraser, H 2005 ‘Four different approaches to community

participation’, Community Development Journal, 40(3), 286–300

Holmes, B. (2011). Citizens' engagement in policymaking and

the design of public services. Parliament of Australia. Available

from http://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/

Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/rp/rp1112

/12rp01

Johnston, K. (2010). Community engagement: exploring a

relational approach to consultation and collaborative practice

in Australia. Journal of Promotion Management, 16(1– 2), 217–34.

News 2013, ‘Court injunction sees environmental group abandon

protest’, The Chronicle, Available from

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http://www.thechronicle.com.au/news/court-injunction-sees-

environmental-group-abandon-/1909909/

News, 2014 ‘Toowoomba protest groups unite as one’, The Chronicle,

Available from

http://www.thechronicle.com.au/news/protestors-stand-united/

2324127/

Preston, R. Waugh, H. Taylor, J. & Larkins, S. 2009, ‘The

benefits of community participation in rural health service

development: where is the evidence?’ 10th National Rural Health

Conference, Available from http://ruralhealth.org.au/

10thNRHC/10thnrhc.ruralhealth.org.au/papers/docs/Preston_Robyn

_C3.pdf

Richards, L. & Dalbey, M. 2006 ‘Creating great places: The

role of citizen participation’, Journal of the Community Development

Society, 37(4), 18-32

Spowart, D 2013, ‘When a community challenges its elected

representatives’, Wotwedid, available from

http://wotwedid.com/tag/toowoomba-regional-council/

Toowoomba Regional Council 2013, Toowoomba Region Economic

Development Strategy 2013, available from www.econ.com.au

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