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In Spring 2009 The Guild’s consultancy team organised a series of training events on behalf of Broadland District Council.

The purpose of the work was to engage the local community in the development of the proposed eco town at Rackheath, just outside Norwich.

Community members attending the events learnt how they will be able to influence the development in order to ensure that a vibrant and socially sustainable community is created, alongside the plans for an environmentally sustainable building programme.  

The programme targeted community leaders from organisations such as the Parish Council, the WI and the local school and included input from a range of other organisations. Broadland District Council provided planning and housing experts to talk about the planning process and how the new development will be implemented and also the range of affordable housing options. Norfolk Rural Community Council provided input relating to parish planning and the Development Trusts Association talked about community asset transfer. The Guild provided the framework for the workshops to enable participants to put forward ideas about the future development. This also included running a consultation event on a very wet Saturday in June at the Rackheath Festival.

The next step will be to organise a series of visits so that Rackheath residents can visit places where similar developments have taken place in the past that have had significant community influence.