Brixham Town Council wanted to explore the possible opportunities to renovate the town hall. It needed to engage with the community to understand community support for various ideas, how the community uses the hall now, and what the community values. DCT developed a two-pronged community engagement strategy, based on widespread surveying and consultation events.
Community surveys
DCT designed and distributed a survey which was available online and as a hard copy. The survey was promoted with extensive social media marketing, posters, flyers and a visible presence within Brixham. We set up a covered marquee presence in Fore Street, visited the businesses, organisations and retailers in the heart of the Town, held five community engagement days in Fore Street and at the Library, and spent eight days carrying out usage surveys in Brixham Town Hall alongside visiting businesses and organisations in the town.
1,518 surveys were distributed within the community, with 549 being returned. Brixham Town Council commented that they were impressed with the response
rate, which was higher than they had experienced before.
Consultation events
We also held two community engagement events on the 6th and 7th March 2020 at Brixham Town Hall. The events were planned around the concepts of design led thinking, and were designed to enable participation from all ages, from quick drop-in participation to longer engagement, with activities that prompted thought about what people really wanted and needed from the space.
The findings from the survey and engagement events formed the Town Hall Regeneration Business Plan, submitted to Brixham Town Council to support future
funding bids that will enable the regeneration to become a reality.
impact
Spatial designs were informed by what is important to the community of Brixham. People have had a voice in the future of the town, which is something some had been worried they did not have with respect to the redevelopment.
The Council has rich evidence to support future funding bids.