What was the brief?
Bath & North East Somerset Council (B&NES) is carrying out a range of initiatives to support regeneration, prepare for the future, drive economic growth and respond proactively to the climate and ecological emergencies.
In order to supplement a range of face-to-face activities, events and roadshows, B&NES sought to create a digital platform which would provide information and capture ideas, feedback and insights through a range of different types of digital tool, such as surveys and interactive maps.
What did we do?
Participatr was commissioned directly by the B&NES Regeneration team, through a competitive tender process, to create an interactive digital platform (BathNES Regen). The remit of the platform was initially to support public participation on the Bath Central Riverside, Milsom Quarter, IMAGINE Midsomer Norton and Keynsham Town Centre Regeneration Action Plan projects.
The first stage of public engagement was for IMAGINE Midsomer Norton, where B&NES, Midsomer Norton Town Council and Allies and Morrison LLP are working together to develop a new Town Centre Plan. The digital platform initially supported the public participation process by deploying an interactive map for Midsomer Norton residents to submit their ideas and aspirations for the town.
Given the success of this approach for the regeneration projects, the role of the Participatr digital platform has since expanded to include engagement on the B&NES Local Plan, bringing with it a change of name to 'BathNES Places'. Most recent engagement has focused on plans for the Fashion Museum in Bath and the Keynsham Town Centre Regeneration Action Plan.
What was the outcome?
- 4,140 people have visited the BathNES Places digital platform since it launched, making 929 interactions in total
- 110 comments were made on the IMAGINE Midsomer Norton interactive map
- 351 feedback responses on plans for Bath Central Riverside
- 157 feedback responses on the Place Vision for Midsomer Norton
- 60% of visits so far have been made through mobile devices
The IMAGINE Midsomer Norton interactive map - click to enlarge