Community Engagement

Community engagement involves integrating communities in the planning and design process so they can help create places that reflect local needs and aspirations. It ensures that housing developments, infrastructure projects and regeneration schemes are informed by local knowledge, build public trust and support, and align with community needs.

We deliver large- and small-scale engagement projects for clients in the built environment sector across the UK. We provide end-to-end engagement – from strategy through to delivery and reporting. We work UK-wide and are adept at working on multi-agency or consortium projects, for clients including Homes England.

We work with property developers, housebuilders, local authorities, planning consultants, architects, and infrastructure providers, often as part of multi-disciplinary teams. Our experience includes residential, mixed-use, public realm, and infrastructure-led projects.

Effective community engagement is essential in building long-term community relationships, and in listening and collaborating to answer local needs.

It supports the planning process and can minimise objections, helping developers, local authorities and communities to create places that are sustainable, inclusive, and valuable community assets.

Pillory Barn provides end-to-end community engagement support including stakeholder mapping, consultation planning, public exhibition materials, digital engagement platforms, social media campaigns, data collection and analysis, and post-engagement reporting. We tailor our services to suit planning stages and regulatory requirements.

Yes. Pillory Barn is experienced in delivering statutory and non-statutory consultations in line with planning guidelines. We ensure all legal requirements are met, while also creating engaging, user-friendly consultation experiences that encourage meaningful feedback.

For Otterpool Park garden town in Kent, we have delivered face-to-face consultation events, stakeholder workshops, engagement webinars, digital and physical surveying methods and have contributed to and written Statements of Community Involvement.

We use a suite of digital tools including interactive maps, online surveys, live Q&A webinars, and social media campaigns to extend reach and capture insights. These tools complement traditional engagement methods and provide detailed analytics.

We provide transparent reporting with key engagement metrics—such as reach, participation levels, sentiment analysis, and feedback themes. We also help you demonstrate how insights have influenced design or decision-making, to strengthen trust and accountability.

Early engagement is always best. Involving us at the feasibility or pre-application stage allows us to shape effective strategies, identify key messages, research local stakeholders and groups, and build a positive narrative around your project from the outset.

Our approach always starts with a strategy which will include objective setting, situation analysis, messaging development and a tactical plan with measurable KPIS.

We employ a broad range of PR, advertising and content services including pre- and post-event PR, media relations including media briefings, and developing content including press releases, social media content, leaflet content, all with the intention of raising awareness and increasing understanding of your proposals.

Our event management service for community engagement events and public consultations will support you from the point of venue sourcing right through to event take down and everything in-between, including site assessments, AV requirements, risk assessments, security, consultant team briefings, event set up and on-the-day staffing.

We worked with developer Obee Estates to promote and present plans for a new sport and leisure-led development in Kent, capture feedback and manage media relations.

As a full-service marketing agency delivering end-to-end community engagement projects, we produce all types of materials—from writing and designing consultation exhibition boards and advertising leaflets to animated videos and digital feedback platforms. Everything is designed to explain your project clearly, highlight benefits, and make participation easy.

We believe that true engagement is inclusive, providing equal opportunities for everyone to be involved in decision-making.

At Pillory Barn we recommend a blended approach combining online and in-person engagement techniques to reach diverse audiences, including seldom-heard groups. This may include accessible digital tools, multi-lingual materials, and targeted outreach through local networks, schools, and faith groups.

Our team specialises in strategic communication for sensitive projects, including those facing public resistance or planning challenges. Our approach is open, transparent, and responsive —helping to de-escalate concerns and build constructive dialogue. Our team is made up of former journalists and public sector PR professionals whose experience greatly benefits this type of work.