All councils are required to develop a Local Development Framework which describes a spatial strategy for the locality and needs to be integrated with the local community plan. The local strategic partnership needs to own this plan and feel that there has been genuine participation.

In previous years the Council had not succeeded in winning the support of either local stakeholders or the community in its local strategic plan. As a result, development had been fragmented and ad hoc, lacking the sort of sustainable ambition that was needed to tackle major issues facing the town. Previous attempts had relied on questionnaires or council led meetings to which very few people turned up. 

The Council worked with a BCG consultant who facilitated a series of sessions with local planning agents, public service representatives and interest groups. These were aimed at identifying ways of improving the dialogue between stakeholders before the draft framework was developed and offered for formal consultation.

This led to a community wide café conversation in which local citizens were engaged in small groups in high street locations, exchanging ideas and views on four key challenges facing the community.