QMD Consortium
Community Consultation
Pagoda was contracted to provide community consultation support to the QMD consortium, the developers of a significant mixed use development on the site of the former BBC headquarters on Queen Margaret Drive, Glasgow.
Background
The former BBC headquarters consists of the old Mansion House, a significant historic, Listed property, a second smaller building by Charles Rennie Macintosh and the remaining sprawl of buildings added over the years since the establishment of BBC Scotland.
The site is surrounded by some of the most desirable residential streets in the West End of Glasgow and the local population includes influential leaders in politics, journalism and academia. Local conservation groups took a very keen interest in QMD’s plans, and a small but vociferous local residents’ group ran a noisy campaign of opposition. The site was at the meeting point of two constituency and four ward boundaries, with no shortage of elected representatives for objectors to activate.
What we did
- Canvassed local opinion and met with key residents and community leaders
- Circulated a summary of proposals to 800 residents and invited them to comment
- Proactively briefed local media throughout the consultation and planning application process, including rebuttal of misinformation
- Devised, prepared and organised an on-site public exhibition jointly hosted by the BBC and Applecross, the leading company in the QMD consortium
- Managed stakeholder relations with all elected representatives (MPs, MSPs and Councillors) and with conservation and residents’ groups
What we achieved for the client
- Good attendance at the exhibition with nearly 150 attendees, both individuals and representatives of local and conservation groups, with valuable information obtained which influenced the design and configuration of the proposed development before the formal application was submitted.
- Prepared a formal Consultation Report used to inform revisions in the design of the development and to support the planning application. The earlier consultation resulted in a low number of objections to the formal application, and speeded consent.
William Kyle, then Land Director of Applecross, said “We received a most impressive service from Pagoda. Their advice was thoroughly researched and very sound, and their knowledge of the local geography and contacts with key local people proved immensely helpful. The Exhibition was well organised, and successful in its objective of canvassing local opinion, and enabling us both to explain our proposals and respond to their concerns”.
