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Engaging stakeholders in Sustainable Estate Management

Exploring the potential of engagement and partnerships between estates, communities and other stakeholders

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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

4The evidence base

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

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 opportunities2. Access to wider knowledge, skills and

resources3. Releasing volunteer energy4. (Re)connecting people to the land5. Robust and accepted decisions6. 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 workingCHALLENGE: 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 UNDERACTIVETaking 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

Shareholding or shared equity

Business partnerships

Co-management and joint problem solving

Engagement in decision-making

An open-door policy

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

Incr

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of en

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men

t, op

portu

nity

and

trust

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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

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Project supervisors: Professor Martin Price (Centre for Mountain Studies)Dr Charles Warren (University of St Andrews)Professor Alister Scott (Birmingham City University)

AcknowledgementsFunder: The Henry Angest FoundationProject team: Dr Jayne Glass, Dr Rob Mc Morran, Annie McKee and Pippa Wagstaff

The Sustainable Estates Advisory Group:

Knowledge Exchange support from: