Exploring the potential of engagement and partnerships between estates, communities and other stakeholders - full text of research available at: http://issuu.com/cms_uhi/docs/working_together_for_sustainable_estate_communitie

1. 1
Engaging stakeholders in Sustainable
Estate Management
Exploring the potential of engagement and partnerships
between estates, communities and other stakeholders

2. 2
Outline
1. Why me?
2. What are the key sustainability
pressures for communities and estates?
3. Why might more engagement and joint
working help?
4. Does it always work?
5. How can we move forwards?

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Private landownership
Community landownership
NGO landownershipLandowner motivations
Sustainable estate communities
Sustainability assessment criteria
Partnerships and collaboration
Case studies
Land reform
Partnerships and collaboration
1. Why me?
Sustainable Estates for the 21st Century

4. The evidence base4
 Large postal survey of private landowners (2008)
 Over 200 hours of recorded interviews and discussions
 Household surveys of communities on case study
estates
 Research observations while studying, living and
working on case study estates
 Review and analysis of literature and case study estate
documentation

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2. Sustainability pressures for
communities
► Access to assets and services
► Employment and business challenges
► Community spirit and social capital

6. Sustainability pressures for estates
► Financial viability/sustainability
► Asset limitations
► Social/physical distance between the
estate and the other stakeholders

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Community Estate
Lack of career development opportunities
Lack of diversification opportunities
Economic security/viability
Employment and business challenges
Impact of market variance and loss of large employers
Land or premises availability
An illustration…

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Making the links
A SOLUTION = Engagement and joint working?

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3. Why might more engagement help?
“We have strong,
resilient and
supportive
communities where
people take
responsibility for their
own actions and how
they affect others.”
- Scotland’s National
Performance Framework
“People should have
opportunities to
contribute to debates
and decisions about
land use and
management
decisions which affect
their lives.”
- Scotland’s Land Use Strategy

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Mutual benefits of engagement
1. New business and asset opportunities
2. Access to wider knowledge, skills and
resources
3. Releasing volunteer energy
4. (Re)connecting people to the land
5. Robust and accepted decisions
6. Reducing a perceived disconnect between
estates, communities and wider
stakeholders

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Developing new business and
asset opportunities
“…he [estate owner] has actually
stuck his neck out…he has
allowed people to come in and
do things…he’s given people
opportunities…”
Community member

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Accessing wider knowledge, skills
and resources
“The process of doing things gives you
the confidence and ability, and the
aspiration, to do more.”
Community member

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Releasing volunteer energy
“When we have our open days…the
community really get involved…a lot of
it is letting people know what we do
and what we can do…”
Estate representative

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(Re)connecting people to the land
“If you go back 100 years, everybody
was farming these bits of ground,
because their livelihood depended on
it. Now their livelihood doesn’t depend
on it, thankfully you might say…
Estate representative

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Making robust and accepted
decisions
“…the community needs to
feel that it is truly a
consultation.”
Estate representative

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Reducing a perceived disconnect
“There is a lot of crossover between the
Development Group and the Estate…
[estate manager] can answer you then
and there…It is communications and
involvement – directly.”
Community member

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4. Does it always work?

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Challenges of engagement and joint working
CHALLENGE: Resource limitations
“…it is very difficult indeed to get
people to meetings. They would go…if
you proposed to put in a
Heathrow…through the fields…
something really big.”
Estate representative

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CHALLENGE: Communication difficulties
“Never been made to feel part of
any estate. There's no
cohesion…We only know we're
on an estate because of
occasional interference.”
Estate community member

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CHALLENGE: Contrasting perspectives
“…they’ve every right to
put in their two-pennies
worth…a lot of them have
bought expensive
properties…but they come
out with some affa
claims…”
Estate community member

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CHALLENGE: Developing accountable
decision-making processes
“To hear what locals have to
say, and not be "directed by"
faceless wonders from
government [would promote
estate sustainability]...”
Sustainability professional

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5. How can we move forwards?

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PROACTIVE ACTIVE UNDERACTIVE
Taking a
leadership role
at or beyond
the estate scale
(showing
initiative)
Willingness to
collaborate
with other
organisations,
partners etc.
(open-door
policy)
Unwilling to
collaborate
(closed-door
policy).
MORE SUSTAINABLE LESS SUSTAINABLE
A proactive approach from all partners

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Visible and
approachable
estate
representatives

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Suitable methods and timings
e.g. community shareholders
in estate business
e.g. tenancies and contracts
e.g. liaison group or forum
e.g. consultation on estate
management planning
e.g. community surgeries,
involvement with local groups

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Benefits of a
facilitator?
“…to help develop the capacity within the community
to develop their own ideas…to get involved at various
levels, in how things are taken forward”
Government representative

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When benefits were
recognised and
productive engagement
and partnerships were
developed, our
research found
evidence of stronger
local governance and a
spectrum of examples
of mutual gains.

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►Taking forward our
findings
►Focus on evidence of
engagement and
partnerships
►Practical booklet based
on practical examples
Working Together for Sustainable Estate
Communities

29. Project supervisors:
Professor Martin Price (Centre for Mountain Studies)
Dr Charles Warren (University of St Andrews)
Professor Alister Scott (Birmingham City University)
Acknowledgements
29
Funder: The Henry Angest Foundation
Project team: Dr Jayne Glass, Dr Rob Mc Morran, Annie McKee and Pippa Wagstaff
The Sustainable Estates Advisory Group:
Knowledge Exchange support from: