Eight office buildings, around 300 new homes, and a plan that is still very much in development. In Molenzoom, close to the centre of Houten, plans are taking shape for Pelmolenhof, a new residential neighbourhood. Exactly what that neighbourhood will look like has yet to be decided. Even so, Dora Scholten, Communications Adviser at De Wijde Blik Communicatie, is already having extensive conversations with the local community.
"If you only start the conversation once you already have a preliminary or final design, you are quite late," says Dora. "If you start early, you can look at which local knowledge and suggestions you can incorporate. That strengthens both your plan and your relationship with the community."
For Pelmolenhof, De Wijde Blik combines in-person consultation with updates through Publiq. Residents, people looking for a home, and other interested parties can use the app to follow the project, find information, and respond at certain stages. I spoke to Dora about the importance and benefits of early consultation, and how Publiq provides the foundation for it.
Pelmolenhof is part of a larger area development. There are currently eight office buildings on the site, which will eventually make way for a mix of apartments and houses. Residents and other stakeholders have already been extensively involved in discussions about the wider development.
These conversations covered topics including the size and affordability of the homes, who they should be built for, and what the future living environment could look like. Do people value privacy or opportunities to meet their neighbours more? How important is green space? And would they prefer a larger, more expensive home, or something smaller and more affordable? "We really did start early," says Dora. "People were able to tell us very broadly what matters to them in their living environment. We are now trying to incorporate that into the design."
But how do you get people interested when there is still relatively little concrete information to share? Dora used several different approaches. Letters were delivered door to door, and an initial meeting was organised. Dora and her colleagues also set up a flower stall in the centre of Houten. Visitors received flowers and cards made from plantable seed paper, featuring a QR code linking to the project in the Publiq app.
The cards were not only handed out to people living directly around the development. People looking for a home, young people, and other interested residents received them too. Before long, more than 130 people were following the project through Publiq. "I did not expect there to be so much interest," says Dora. "People are giving you their time and valuable input. It is worth thinking about how you can make the process enjoyable and accessible for them."
During these kinds of face-to-face conversations, people share stories and sometimes raise subjects that were not part of the original questions. Publiq has a different role within that mix. "We use Publiq as our foundation," Dora explains. "In principle, everything we communicate externally can be found there."
Anyone who misses a meeting or no longer has the original letter can find the information and documents in the app later. The results from the first round of consultation have also been shared through Publiq. Feedback from the survey, the initial meeting, and conversations in the street was brought together in a consultation report.
Residents can also access information through Publiq without having to provide personal details first. "I heard that on the street too. People would ask: so you want my details, then? No, I do not need your details. I just want you to complete the survey."
The fact that the design has not yet been finalised creates room for input, although it can also make consultation more challenging. At the first meeting, there were some sketches and ideas, but no concrete picture yet of what Pelmolenhof would eventually look like.
That was sometimes difficult, particularly for people looking for a home. "You are standing among these office buildings, everything is concrete and grey, and then you are talking about a green roof garden and a semi-underground car park," says Dora. "It still feels quite far removed from what is there now."
According to Dora, it is therefore important to be clear from the start about what people can influence at that particular stage. "You have to be very clear about what people can and cannot have a say on." As the design becomes more concrete, the subjects people can contribute to will change too.
For Dora, early consultation is more than a required part of the development process. People who live somewhere know an area in a different way from a developer, architect, or adviser. "You can combine your technical knowledge or your knowledge as a developer with the knowledge of the local community. Together, those two can create a really good plan."
That does not mean every suggestion can be incorporated, which makes feedback an important part of the process. De Wijde Blik shares the input that has been gathered and intends to explain in future phases what has been done with it. "At least then you show that you have considered it. People know they are not talking to a brick wall."
The value of those early conversations may become even more apparent later. The intention is for Publiq to remain available after the consultation phase as Pelmolenhof moves towards construction. The people following the project now can then continue to receive updates while the work is under way.
Dora does not expect early consultation to prevent every future complaint about construction. "Construction causes disruption. We cannot pretend that it does not." What does change is the relationship with the local community. "If you already have that relationship, people can simply say: hey, I am having trouble with the dust now, or they are starting work too early. That is a very different way of communicating from receiving your first message just a week before construction starts."
When I ask Dora what advice she would give other communication and consultation professionals, she says: "Start early, decide in advance what people can genuinely influence, and be honest about it.
Then choose an approach that suits the project and the target audience." For Pelmolenhof, that meant a combination of meetings, conversations in the street, a survey, and Publiq as the central place for all project communication.
The consultation process is far from finished. The wishes and concerns gathered so far will be taken into account as the design is developed further, followed by new opportunities for the community to respond. Dora ultimately hopes to see "a really good plan that fits Houten, for both local residents and people looking for a home."