The Statement of Community Involvement sets out the Council's proposals for involving the community  in the preparation, alteration and continuing review of the new Local Development Framework. Examples of what the community may include are:

• Residents
• Town and Parish Councils
• Local, regional and national groups
• Organisations
• Businesses
• Statutory Agencies
• Land owners and developers

The Statement of Community Involvement also sets out the consultation process for all planning applications in the East Riding of Yorkshire.

The preparation of a Statement of Community Involvement  is an essential part of encouraging more meaningful community involvement in the planning system. It was introduced by new legislation, known as the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004.

The Council considers it is important to set out how it intends to involve the public in the planning process.  The Statement of Community Involvement  is one of the first documents to be produced as part of the Local Development Framework. It is intended to ensure a clear and open planning process; which enjoys the support of the general public and involves local people in planning the future of their communities.

The Council carried out an initial 5 week consultation exercise in August on a first draft of the Statement of Community Involvement. A report setting out what consultation responses were received, and how they were taken into account, is available on our website: www.eastriding.gov.uk/planning/ldf.

A second consultation exercise for a 7 week period was then undertaken between November 2005 and January 2006 on a  revised Statement of Community Involvement. A further report on the responses to that exercise is also available on the same website. A separate statement is available that explains the community involvement undertaken on these earlier exercises.

This document is the Council's third draft Statement of Community Involvement, known as the 'submission draft'. It is being published for a formal six week consultation period. All comments received to this will be submitted to the Secretary of State for consideration. After the consultation period has closed,  there will be an independent examination of the Statement of Community involvement. This will be conducted by a planning inspector on behalf of the Secretary of State.  It is hoped that this will take place in December this year. After the inspector has produced their report, it is hoped that the document can be adopted by March 2007.

Once adopted, the Council will need to comply with the requirements for consultation set out within this document.

The Act introduced a new planning system that will result in the current system of Structure and Local Plans being replaced by a new Local Development Framework. 

Local Development Frameworks are comprised of various Local Development Documents that collectively will deliver the spatial planning for the area. Spatial planning is defined as going beyond traditional land-use planning to bring together policies for the development and use of land with other policies and programmes that influence the nature and function of places. The Local Development Framework, along with the Regional Spatial Strategy prepared by the Regional Assembly for Yorkshire and the Humber, comprise the statutory 'Development Plan', which is the basis for all planning decisions.

The Local Development Framework will contain:

• Development Plan Documents that are subject to independent testing and have 'Development Plan' status, and
• Supplementary Planning Documents that are subject to rigorous community involvement, but are not independently tested and do not have 'Development Plan' status.

Local Development Documents can deal with different issues or different geographical areas, but as a whole they will:

• Allocate sites for development;
• Set out the criteria for deciding planning applications and
• Detail how the Community Plan and other strategies for the area will be implemented through the land use planning system. 

Local Development Documents will need to be in general conformity with the Regional Spatial Strategy. The Statement of Community Involvement is a Local Development Document but is not subject to sustainability appraisal. The concept of sustainability appraisal is discussed in Chapter 3.

Other documents that  the Council is required to maintain are:

•  A 'Local Development Scheme'  that explains the documents the Council will prepare as part of its Local Development Framework. The Council's Local Development Scheme is available on the Council's website at www.eastriding.gov.uk/planning/ldf
• An 'Annual Monitoring Report'  that shows how the Council is performing against local and national indicators, and other targets set out in the various Development Plan Documents. 

The Council recognises that the new system involves many technical terms and abbreviations. To help understand what they mean, a glossary of terms is set out in  Appendix A.

Community involvement in planning should be a continuous process which enables the local community to say what sort of place they want to live in at a stage when this can make a difference.  There are benefits to both the Council and the public in successfully involving a wide range of people and organisations in the decision-making process.  They are:

Benefits to the public:

• An ability to influence the decision-making process.
• Greater public ownership and sense of democracy in a transparent and open manner.
• Involvement helps promote community cohesion and sense of inclusion.
• Having local services that are better able to meet local needs and priorities.
• A better understanding of the planning system and the work of the Council.

Benefits to the Council:

• Increase efficiency of decisions by drawing on local knowledge.
• Minimising unnecessary and costly conflict.
• Greater public involvement leads to increased knowledge about local needs and priorities.
• Broader sharing of responsibilities and opportunity to work collaboratively.
• Greater sense of public ownership of, and support for, the Council's activities.

In preparing the Statement of Community Involvement, the Council has considered the potential barriers to effective community engagement. These may include:

• Cost of the information.
• Lack of time to comment.
• Technical 'planner' speak.
• Lack of understanding as to what issues can be dealt with under the planning system. 

To overcome these problems where possible, the Council has devised the following principles to underpin the way it undertakes community involvement in planning:

• Arrangements for consultation should be 'fit for purpose' based upon an understanding of local needs.
• Involvement should be as early as possible in the process so that the community have the opportunity to discuss issues and options and the potential to make a difference.
• The methods used to encourage participation should be relevant and appropriate to the community, respecting any hard to reach groups.
• Involvement must be continuous with meaningful feedback on decisions and an opportunity to see how ideas have developed through the process.
• The process should be clear so that people know how and when they will be able to participate and the ground rules for doing so.
• Community involvement should be planned from the start with consideration of linkages to other community involvement processes such as the Community Strategy.

The Council has produced a Consultation Strategy which establishes how it will consult with the public in carrying out its duties. The Statement of Community Involvement will develop and apply the key principles of the Consultation Strategy, ensuring they meet the particular requirements of the planning process.

The East Riding of Yorkshire Local Strategic Partnership is responsible for preparing and implementing the community strategy for the area.  It:

• Is made up of approximately 140 organisations from the public, private and voluntary/community sectors.
• Provides the forum for partners to work together to improve the quality of life in the East Riding.
• Identifies and responds to the priorities and needs of residents based upon the findings of joint consultation (known as 'Riding Around').

The results of Riding Around are reported back to residents through an annual update, based on progress against the objectives and targets set out in the  Community Plan. The current Community Plan covers the period 2001 - 2006. Both the results of Riding Around and the Community Plan are available to view on the Local Strategic Partnership website: lsp.eastriding.gov.uk. A new Community Plan will be produced this year and will cover the period 2006-2011.

The Government stresses the importance of promoting strong links between the Local Development Framework and the Community Strategy. Local Development Frameworks are an important mechanism in delivering the aims and objectives of the Community Strategy. Specifically, it should express those elements of the Community Strategy that relate to the development and use of land. The structure of the Local Strategic Partnership is shown below:

To ensure a close relationship between the Local Development Framework and the Local Strategic Partnership, joint working arrangements have been established. The Local Development Framework will be part of the Sustainable Communities Action Group. This group comprises a group of  varied representatives who will consider and give feedback on Local Development Documents. This will be the principal mechanism in developing links with the Local Strategic Partnership. It will ensure integration between the Community Plan and the  Local Development Framework in developing land use related aims, objectives and targets.

The Local Development Framework team are also a member of the Community Planning Group. This group deals with issues surrounding the production of the Community Plan, and the annual consultation exercise 'Riding Around'.

Taken together these measures will ensure effective coordination between the Local Development Framework and the Community Plan, for the benefit of the community.

The 'East Riding Compact - Better Together' was launched in May 2005. It is a partnership agreement between public sector bodies (including the Council) and voluntary and community organisations that operate in the East Riding. It aims to strengthen the relationship between the two and therefore improve the quality of people's lives in the area. Currently over a 100 partners have signed up to the Compact. The Compact is currently consulting on a consultation draft of its proposed codes of practice. These will establish how the Compact operates.

Latest details on the Compact can be obtained from the Local Compact Development Officer at the Council (tel: 01482 391424) or on the Local Strategic Partnership  website: lsp.eastriding.gov.uk

All planning documents will be circulated electronically to Compact partners. Where this is not possible hard copies will be sent.

Yorkshire Planning Aid provides a free, independent and professional planning advice service to individuals and groups who cannot afford professional fees.  Yorkshire Planning Aid is part of the Royal Town Planning Institute, a Registered Charity.  Services operate through small staff teams and a network of professionally qualified volunteers. Their website is: www.planningaid.rtpi.org.uk

Yorkshire Planning Aid operates a telephone advice line three days a week, on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays between 9am and 4pm, tel: 0870 850 9808.  In addition the organisation also provides a Community Planning service which helps groups and individuals to understand the planning system and influence what happens in their neighbourhood, town or city.  Key elements of the service include:

• Training events and presentations, such as a 'Planning Crash Course'
• Practical advice and assistance on contributing to local development plans

The service is targeted at disadvantaged communities, and at groups which represent or work with people who need support and guidance in order to get involved with the planning system, for example young people, people with disabilities, or people from ethnic minority communities. The Council supports the work of Planning Aid and will publicise its existence in the Local Development Framework literature it produces.

Planning for Real® is a 'hands on' method of community consultation created by the Neighbourhoods Initiative Foundation, a registered charity. It involves communities producing a 3D model of their area and allows consideration of what actions needs to be done to improve community well-being. The results from this process can be developed into a 'Action Plan'.

Planning for Real® is an ideal process for communities to focus on what they want from their area. This in turn can allow local communities to input collaboratively into the Local Development Framework process. The Council backs this initiative and encourages Town and Parish councils and other community groups to become involved.  A Planning for Real® set is available to borrow from the Council by telephoning 01482 391733. Facilitation of any Planning for Real© session must be carried out by a trained individual. Specific training is offered by Neighbourhoods Initiative Foundation and details are available on their website: www.nif.co.uk or by telephoning 0870 7700339.

PARSOL is a national project to ensure that Councils develop consistent and quality online services to their customers. Numerous standards have been developed for Local Planning Authorities to attain.The Council fully supports the PARSOL initiative and is working to achieve the appropriate standards. These standards will ensure that the Council provides an efficient and comprehensive online service to facilitate effective community engagement.