Case studies

North Norfolk District Council - Coastal Planning Workshop (Coastal Management Plan)

Download a pdf version of this case study: Coastal Planning Workshop case study [pdf document, 305KB - opens in a new tab/window]

The Brief

Coastal erosion is a significant problem for the North Norfolk coastline and its communities. The anticipated effects of climate change mean that these issues are likely to be exacerbated in the future, potentially bringing dramatic change to both the look of the coastal area and the lives of the communities that live along it.

North Norfolk District Council (NNDC) were required to develop a Coastal Management Plan in order to have a strategy to deal with future impacts. They wanted to ensure that it was informed by the views of the communities which will be most affected.

Our brief was to plan and facilitate a workshop engaging with stakeholders - residents, businesses and others with an interest in the future of the North Norfolk coastal communities to gather their input into the drafting of the Coastal Management Plan.

The Process

Dialogue by Design devised a workshop that enabled stakeholders to feedback their impressions, thoughts, hopes and concerns regarding the future Coastal Management Plan.

The participants were invited to comment on changes they had noticed to the coast both past and present, and changes they expected or were concerned might occur in the future. These were then categorised into broad groups such as environment and society. Stakeholders were asked to describe whether the change made them feel happy or unhappy.

Our independent facilitators led through the day. Since the discussions raised some strong feelings and emotions (understandable given the close ties of many participants with the area), having independent and experienced facilitators on board who know how to handle sensitivities and controversy proved a good idea.

The Outcome

Our facilitation team drew together themes and issues raised by the participants throughout the workshop into a report. The report gave the NNDC a clear summary of what had been said and allowed them to take the views into consideration when continuing work on the Coastal Management Plan.

It was clear from participant feedback that the opportunity to find out more about the Coastal Management Plan and to be engaged with about their concerns and thoughts on possible ways forward was very positively received.

Quotes

"I have gained a much wider understanding of the issues and learned that my perspective is not the only one that deserves consideration" - Participant feedback

"The facilitators drew together the views of a diverse group of individuals very well" - Participant feedback

"A well organised event that will have a definite impact on future decisions" - Participant feedback

Photo copyright: Andrew Dunn