Recreation
Breadcrumbs
Community and User Groups
Involving the local community and user groups was more time consuming than operating without them, but it was more inclusive and proved to be an essential aspect of progressing the demonstrations. A local input made it possible to: take advantage of local knowledge and engender local support and ownership.
The underlying local authority practice and culture seems to have
been a factor in project managers' decision to involve the
community - for instance, Watling Chase's principle of a high
level of local involvement stems from Local Agenda 21 work. By
having a separate, wider steering group, Barrow were able to
involve the wider community without slowing down the project.
Others chose not to involve communities directly, but to use
organisations with a proven track record of working with
communities such as Groundwork or the local Rural Community
Council.
During the Greenways demonstration projects communities were involved in various ways:
- Consultation events for specific routes
- Workshops and exhibitions
- Newsletters
- Through user-demand surveys.
