read Go here to read about this pile of utter rubbish.
The idea is that the local community is consulted about what development will take place in their district. The idea is, presumably, to allow local residents to decide how the district where they live will evolve in terms of development. The problem is that there is not the remotest chance that by asking a random unrepresentative sample of local residents questions like:
- Q 18 - What design features and characteristics would you like to see in the new neighbourhoods?
- Q 14 - Would you support building at densities higher than 30 dph [dwellings per hectare] in certain locations?
- Q 6 - should the release of employment land be phased? ['employment land presumably means areas zoned for commercial and industrial use']
- Q 3 - What features of the existing natural environment should be retained during and after the new growth takes place?
I could go on, and on, and on. But the reality is that this exercise serves only to create employment for consultants and council employees. Q3 is interesting. Most people would like some large mature trees in a residential neighbourhood, but they are virtually always removed, because insurers won't take the risk of root growth disrupting drains and foundations.
The Ford Motor Company doesn't send a questionnaire out to the population of the country asking them what they'd like to see in the next version of the Mondeo. They get an idea of what people are prepared to pay for. What people do, and what they say, are two very different things.
