DD153 North Acton Public Realm Prospectus Consultation

Background and context

North Acton is located south of the Central line within the part of the London Borough of Ealing (LBE) for which OPDC is the Local Planning Authority. The area is home to recently built high density housing, student accommodation, some retail and the existing employment uses at the Victoria Road Industrial Estate and Carphone Warehouse offices.

North Acton has excellent public transport links but poor quality walking and cycling routes, both within the area and to surrounding destinations. This includes limited access to large, publicly accessible open spaces and future Elizabeth line services from Acton Mainline Station. The existing open spaces in North Acton are small-scale and suffer from a lack of activation and fragmented land ownership.

North Acton is also adjacent to the heavily trafficked A40 and Wales Farm Road and is cut across by a busy gyratory connecting these two roads. These connections have a significant negative impact on the public realm.

OPDC is in the final stages of the Local Plan process, with the Plan currently at examination. It is anticipated the Plan will be adopted in early 2022. The Plan includes policies specific to North Acton and Acton Wells (P7) and North Acton town centre (P7C1). These policies seek to deliver a permeable, inclusive and accessible street network and high-quality open spaces.

Development of new homes is continuing in North Acton, and Section 106 contributions have been earmarked from these developments towards public realm enhancements. OPDC and LBE are looking to deliver a series of quick-win projects to shape immediate improvements to the public realm. The North Acton Public Realm Prospectus will set out these projects.

To shape the North Acton Public Realm Prospectus, OPDC and LBE propose to undertake public consultation activities. This Director Decision therefore seeks approval to spend £15,000, from the CEO Communications and Engagement 2021/22 budget, to deliver activities and materials that will support this consultation.

The proposal and how it will be delivered

The consultation activities and materials to support the prospectus will include the following with cost implications:

• An in-person consultation event requiring venue hire and an online event hosted by OPDC and LBE officers.

• Local press adverts secured via OPDC’s appointed media management company, Wavemaker.

• Social media adverts secured via Wavemaker.

• Digital and printed material to raise awareness of the consultation and capture consultation feedback. Materials will be circulated via email and post to stakeholders and the local community. Printed materials will also be placed at local venues in the North Acton area. A range of printing companies will be contacted to secure a fair range of prices and best value.

Consultation activities and materials not resulting in cost implications include:

• Use of OPDC’s existing consultation platform to host information and enable digital feedback.

• Social media posts delivered by OPDC and LBE officers.

Objectives and expected outcomes

The objectives for this public consultation are to:

• Take a best practice approach to consultation, ensuring it is in line with national legislation and policy, OPDC’s own Statement of Community Involvement and is also with the Government’s latest Covid-19 requirements.

• Ensure everyone has plenty of opportunities to participate, including those from seldom heard groups, taking a proactive approach to encouraging involvement, making sure the consultation is well publicised and held across a range of channels, both on and offline.

• Ensure the project is informed by an understanding of what people consider are positive and negative aspects of North Acton’s public realm;

• Broaden understanding of what the potential projects could be, the benefits they will bring, what requests or feedback from the public the projects would respond to and what would make them accessible;

• Manage expectations and be transparent and clear about what people can and can’t influence

• Communicate, consult and engage on potential design ideas in a meaningful way, encouraging a two-way dialogue and using consultation tools that enable openness, transparency and explanation

• Encourage feedback and comments by enabling people to make representations conveniently through a variety of channels

• Ensure that feedback from all stakeholders is considered and addressed.

The outcomes are an engaged range of community stakeholders whose comments will shape the design projects as they are progressed.

Strategic fit

Local Plan policies P7 and P7C1 set the spatial vision for North Acton and North Acton town centre. This includes improvements to the public realm. The North Acton Public Realm Prospectus will deliver public realm improvement projects to help to achieve this vision. It will benefit both Planning Directorate and Delivery Directorate work programmes.

Under Section 149 of the Equality Act 2010, as a public authority, OPDC must have ‘due regard’ to the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation as well as to the need to advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not. 

Key components of the North Acton Public Realm Prospectus are:

• delivering Social Value;

• ensuring proposed public realm projects are leading practice in undertaking equitable actions to support achieving equality through inclusive design and delivery of the projects to meet the needs of our diverse communities. These communities will include local residents, businesses, visitors and also groups benefitting from protected characteristics.

Consultation materials and activities will be designed and delivered to enable everyone to be made aware of the activities and to participate. This will include:

• extensive community and stakeholder mapping to publicise the event including local communities and communities benefiting from protected characteristics.

• an in-person and an online event held at different times and days to support access. The venue for the in-person event will be fully accessible.

• Accessibly designed materials.

• Production of a range of digital and paper copy materials.

Project governance and assurance

OPDC will project manage the delivery of the consultation activities and materials. The Senior Responsible Officer is the Head of Community Engagement and Social Value. The Project Leads are the Consultation and Engagement Officer and Principal Planning Policy Officer.

Risks and issues

Delivery of services will be managed in line with standard OPDC risk management procedures. If consultation activities and materials were not delivered, the project would not accord with OPDC’s Consultation Strategy and would not deliver public realm improvements that appropriately reflect the needs and views of the community.

Other considerations

There are no other consideration that need to be considered in the taking of this decision.

Conflicts of interest

No one involved in the preparation or clearance of this Form, or its substantive proposal, has any conflict of interest.

Expenditure of up to £15,000 will be funded by the 2021/22 Communications & Engagement budget.

Further expenditure is subject to the Corporations decision-making process.