cHALLENGE:

Garden communities are designed to be sustainable and vibrant places to live. They are built around a set of core principles that promote community, environmental responsibility, and a high quality of life. Some of  of the key garden community principles focus on:​

• Public Engagement: Residents are involved.​

• Community Focus: Prioritising the creation of a strong sense of community.​

• Long-term Stewardship: Ensuring the long-term sustainability and success of the community involving community ownership of assets.​

As Langarth was moving forward, the councillors were feeling disengaged and unimportant. This new 3,800 house development was coming and they had questions and concerns about future roles and responsibilities that they wanted answered. This lack of engagement led to frustration and objections to what was being taken forward.

IMPACT:

In 2023, Cornwall Council approved the key principles for a Stewardship Organisation at Langarth Garden Village. Included in the recommendations was that there was a requirement to evolve the principles in full consultation with Kenwyn Parish Council and Truro City Council.​

ICC was commissioned to undertake this critical piece of stakeholder engagement and were perfectly placed to do so having extensive experience of working directly with Councillors and Parish and Town Councils.​

An Engagement Plan was developed, setting out our approach to fully involve key community stakeholders to ensure they could be actively involved in the co-design and development of a Stewardship approach to protect the vision and design principles for Langarth Garden Village.​

The Langarth Stewardship Working Group (LSWG) was set up in July 2023 with nominated representatives from each of the three key local authorities including the Chairman of Kenwyn Parish Council, Mayor of Truro City Council Deputy Leader of Cornwall Council and the Divisional Member for the Langarth area.​ 

The purpose of the Working Group was established as to input into the detailed discussions and development of the Stewardship approach leading to the establishment of a community Stewardship Organisation.​

The Working Group: ​

• Acts as lead consultee on behalf of Kenwyn Parish Council, Truro City Council and the Divisional Members on all aspects of the development of a Stewardship approach for Langarth Garden Village;​

• Provides input on aspects of the design of the Stewardship approach; and​

• Is responsible for keeping their respective councils fully briefed.​

The Development Team commits to treating the Langarth Stewardship Working Group in a similar manner to a statutory consultee for the project​

The LSWG has met fortnightly since its inception in July 2023 and retained all the core members.​ ICC has facilitated these sessions, creating an informal but productive working group where the Councillor stakeholders have a dedicated forum.​Councillors have influenced and shaped the emerging approach and the structure of the stewardship organisation.​ Through our contacts with national experts and peers, we have facilitated learning discussions of how stewardship is being addressed in other garden communities.​

Councillors are fully engaged and informed and have been actively involved in the learning and shaping of an approach.​ While previously local councillors felt disengaged there is now a genuine sense that they are fully engaged in shaping the future stewardship.​ The LSWG is currently involved in informing the Full Business Case which will lead to the formation of the new Stewardship Organisation.