A Quality of Life Code of Practice to transform community engagement

We’re launching the Quality of Life Code of Practice to address inadequate and inconsistent community engagement in planning and development processes across the UK. It’s based on the findings of a 2-year research project delivered in collaboration with the universities of Reading, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Ulster.

The UKRI-funded Community Consultation for Quality of Life (CCQOL) project conducted the most extensive research on community engagement in the planning process to date. The project gathered insights from urban areas across the UK. The project’s national reports reveal inconsistencies and inadequacies in current engagement and consultation practices.

Now we want to work with you to make sure that inconsistency is no more, and that the good practice we know is out there becomes the norm. 

Research findings

The research used innovative methods such as urban rooms, digital mapping, focus groups, and community outreach. The team engaged with diverse communities in Reading, Edinburgh, Cardiff, and Belfast, tailoring their approach to each locality.

Findings from each place were compared with planning policies, highlighting significant disparities between national guidelines and on-the-ground experiences. 

For instance, in England, 67% of respondents had never been part of a consultation process, primarily because they had not been asked (60%). Similar figures were observed in Wales (61%) and Scotland (60%), where respondents felt largely ignored.

Northern Ireland exhibited a unique set of challenges, with 80% of respondents never participating in planning consultation due to a legacy of mistrust and consultation fatigue among established neighbourhood groups.

Introducing the Quality of Life Code of Practice

In response to these critical findings, we have developed a Code of Practice for organisations seeking to enhance their community consultation and engagement processes. 

Informed by the extensive research, the Code emphasises collaboration with local communities and stakeholders throughout the planning and design phases.

The eight principles at the core of the Code are:

  • Be accountable
  • Be effective
  • Be transparent
  • Be inclusive
  • Be timely
  • Support mutual learning
  • Demonstrate impact
  • Publish feedback

Implementing and testing the Quality of Life Code of Practice

In time, there will be many ways for you to integrate the Code of Practice into your operations, including informal commitments, self-assessment, quality assurance, accreditation, and awards. 

At the moment, the Code of Practice is in its Beta phase and we’d love for you to help us test it, by carrying out a self-assessment.

Find out more about how you can get involved.

Matthew Morgan, our Director, emphasised:

“The planning systems in the UK have been dysfunctional for many years, but it is shocking that community engagement has been so clearly neglected. Local people know their neighbourhoods better than anyone and can add huge value to schemes, so we urge organisations across the built environment to embed our Code of Practice into their operations, for the benefit of communities across the UK.”

Professor Flora Samuel, who led the research, stated:

“At the moment, as far as the planning system is concerned, poor community consultation looks exactly the same as long-term thoughtful, inclusive, deep community consultation. The Code of Practice will enable local authorities and others to differentiate between the two, to ask for something more and better for their communities. The result could be transformational.”

The launch of the Code of Practice marks a pivotal moment in the pursuit of effective and inclusive community engagement in the UK.