ABSTRACT
The key principles of participation set out in the previous chapter emphasized the importance of building trusting relationships between decision-makers and stakeholders, rather than concentrating on particular techniques. The case studies in this chapter illustrate the often long and arduous task of building trust, which can be lost all too quickly and be hard to regain. The case studies cover two studies of participatory planning and two of the development of successful partnerships, as follows:
An initiative to develop a collaborative vision for the future of the island of Texel on the north-eastern coast of the Netherlands met with some initial local opposition. The agenda of Texel 2030 was seen as having been set by outsiders, and it presented a challenge to the existing power structure. But five years later the debate about the future continues within a range of local forums, and several practical projects on sustainability are being developed. The lack of leadership from the local municipality, which was ambivalent about the original project, has resulted in mistrust between politicians and the community that they represent.
The earlier history of Pentland Hills Regional Park (PHRP) (described in Chapter 2) provides the background to a recent attempt to develop an integrated management strategy for the regional park by engaging local communities in participatory workshops and surveys. Care was taken to trace how ideas from these workshops could be taken forward into the plan and related to the priorities and decision-making of the local authorities, which sponsor the regional park. However, since the strategy has been completed there has been limited feedback to the public and the local authority partnership has yet to realize its full potential.
The Morecambe Bay Partnership in north-west England was established following a national campaign by conservation organizations promoting the concept of integrated coastal zone management. The long-term commitment by the Partnership to community involvement over a ten-year period has enabled national agencies and local government to develop a programme of coastal zone management projects with broad community support.
Plans to introduce traffic management in Glen Muick on Upper Deeside in Scotland met with a critical response from mountain users and the community of Ballater, who feared restriction and charging for access, and the loss of its tourism income, respectively. However, the establishment of a partnership trust and the appointment of a project team led to practical improvements in recreational access to the benefit of visitors. The Upper Deeside Access Trust (UDAT) has gained further credibility from its open style of governance and willingness to explain its proposals to the public. This has enabled the Trust to reach consensus on proposals that probably would have provoked conflict a few years earlier.
