LOCATION! is a multi-disciplinary approach to securing community consent for local development projects through strategic communications and stakeholder engagement. It involves researching community demographics, mapping stakeholders, assessing needs, consultation processes, and building coalitions to gain approval. The program aims to establish trust at different levels through upfront and ongoing investment in the community. It can be applied at various stages of a project from site selection to closure.

1. LOCATION! Strategic and integrated communications to secure community consent for local development projects

3. Whether building new facilities, redeveloping or expanding existing facilities, or exiting mature facilities, local communities are key stakeholders – with considerable and vocal power if upset.

4. The relationships between business sites and local communications impact on revenue as well as reputation. Approvals denied, or loss of license to operate, is costly and a hit to reputation.

5. Successful relationships with communities depends on trust and goodwill, both of which are earned through transparent communication and open engagement.Community opposition to Shell’s Corrib natural gas project in Mayo County, Ireland, led to significant delays, design modifications, and alterations to the pipeline route after a lengthy government-backed independent inquiry.

7. Most objections involve one or more of the following key issues:Safety (eg., nuclear power plant, explosives factory) Environment (eg., pollution, biodiversity) Health (eg., air emissions, groundwater impact) Visual amenity (eg., wind farms, smokestacks) Impact on fenceline properties/land use (eg., risk of biocontamination from GM crops) Impact on other businesses (eg., retail complexes vs ‘high street’ shops) Inadequate benefit to community (eg., few jobs) Traffic and transport impacts (eg,. transport depot) Climate change (eg., airport expansion) Alternative land use (eg., conversion of ‘commons’ for residential, commercial or industrial use) Social impacts (eg., attract anti-social behaviour) Unhappy neighbours? Borsele nuclear plant sits next to a popular Dutch beach Power transmission grids are being fiercely resisted in many countries including Italy

9. Rise in trust of NGO spokespeople, particularly on scientific and environmental/climate ‘facts’

10. Internet is enabling horizontal links between local communities facing common challenges or opposing common companies – information and ‘tactical best practice’ sharing

11. Digital media increasingly important – web, blogs, video, citizen journalism

12. Climate change acting as the “umbrella” or mega-issue now forming vertical links between local, national and global NGOs

13. National NGOs are often quick to support local campaigns with financial, tactical and media assistanceMembership of the UK Stop Climate Chaos coalition, linking the big international NGOs (BINGOs) and local interest groups.

15. Communities can be segmented like a market – on demographics, values, attitudes and specific location (ie., fenceline vs more distant neighbours)

16. Each community has its own influencer networks and opinion-leaders, ‘news’ channels, sub-cultures and affinity groups – each of which can be directly and indirectly targeted at the grassroots level

17. Understanding these local dynamics and drivers is key to successDemographic or attitudinal/value-based clusters and affinity groups within local communities allow customised, targeted approaches to mobilising potential support and minimising the risk from opponents

20. Digital outreach & social media

21. Reporting to stakeholders

22. Social investment

23. Local business partnerships

28. Contacts For further information about LOCATION!, please contact: Europe, Middle East, & Africa (EMEA): Bill.Royce@bm.com North America: Diana.Shayon@bm.com or Eric.Biel@bm.com Latin America: Ramiro.Prudencio@bm.com Asia-Pacific: Ian.McCabe@bm.com 0

29. LOCATION! For further information, please contact: North America: Diana.Shayon@bm.com or Eric.Biel@bm.com Europe, Middle East, Africa & Russia (EMEAR): Bill.Royce@bm.com Latin America: Ramiro.Prudencio@bm.com Asia-Pacific: Ian.McCabe@bm.com