RESPONSES to the last Local Plan consultations in Warrington amounted to around 1.5 per cent of the adult population in the borough.
This compares to around just 0.56% of local populations nationally following new analysis from the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI), with the Institute warning that low public participation could undermine trust in planning reform.
The finding suggests that most people are not taking part in formal conversations about the future of their local area, despite local plans shaping the location of homes, high streets, schools, parks, roads and railway stations.
The analysis was published alongside a new white paper, Communications in planning: How better engagement can build trust with communities from the RTPI and its member magazine The Planner. The report argues that planning authorities need to communicate clearly, engage early and reach beyond the people who already participate in planning consultations.
A previous RTPI survey with YouGov found that 33% of the British public did not know how to get involved in the planning process, while 39% felt their participation would not make a difference. The same polling found that only 7% of the public had engaged with the planning system.
However, earlier research supported by the RTPI and delivered by Demos, The MIMBY Majority, found that 63% of the UK population would accept development under certain conditions.
The white paper warns that the challenge is becoming more urgent. Changes to the National Planning Policy Framework could mean every English local authority will be required to have a local plan in place within 30 months.
Without better engagement, the RTPI said, decisions risk feeling more remote, more opaque and more vulnerable to mistrust, misinformation and public opposition later in the process.
Simon Creer, Director of Communications and Engagement at the RTPI, said: “Planning, no matter where it is done, relies on proper communications and consultation. The public expect their voices to be heard. But there is an emerging feeling that planning is something that is done to people, not with them.
“There is a real risk that changes to the National Planning Policy Framework, as well as the additional layer of spatial development strategies, will add to this. The communities being consulted will be larger, the decisions more opaque and further away. Many people may not even be aware of which combined authority they are in, let alone be motivated enough to engage with planning at that level.
“Taken all together, we can see a system that will require more engagement, more communication and clearer explanation of what the system does and does not do. If we are to bring the more positively inclined communities along with us and make this system work, then there is a large job of work to be done.”
Robin Hutchinson, Director of The Community Brain CIC, said: “I’m not sure we should be overly surprised by the low figures of engagement currently experienced through formal and traditional routes. The language used and approaches taken can be a turn off even when if it does come to people’s attention. Conversations need to be brokered earlier and in different ways so they are not directly linked to the need for specific responses.
“Create events and moments that allow people to talk openly about their area, their thoughts, concerns and hopes. Make space for them to tell their stories. You will find more insight and information from someone in this atmosphere than ever through a ‘consultation’. We are always delighted by how open and ambitious people can be about where they live.”
In response to the findings, a Warrington Borough Council spokesperson said: “We recognise the importance of engaging residents and stakeholders in the planning process and have undertaken extensive consultation throughout the preparation of the adopted Local Plan.
“Across the various stages of consultation, thousands of people and organisations took part and shared their views. This included:
1. 78 responses to the Regulation 18 Part 1 (Scope and Contents) consultation
2. 4,500 responses to the Regulation 18 Part 2 (Preferred Development Option) consultation
3. 3,185 responses to the Regulation 19 Proposed Submission Version Local Plan consultation in 2019
4. 2,597 responses to the Regulation 19 Updated Proposed Submission Version Local Plan consultation in 2021
“The 2021 consultation received responses from 2,597 individuals and organisations, resulting in 6,922 individual representations, as many respondents commented on more than one aspect of the plan.
“Public consultation is a key part of the planning process and all representations submitted during Local Plan consultations are carefully considered as plans are prepared and progress through to examination and adoption.
“In March 2026, the Government introduced its new plan making system which emphasises the importance of early and meaningful engagement in the plan making process. In April to June 2026, we carried out the first stage of consultation on our new local plan: Scoping Consultation and Call for Sites. A key element of this consultation was to seek feedback on how we engage with local residents and stakeholders, to understand what has worked well previously and what we can improve upon as we prepare the new plan. We are currently processing all feedback received to this stage of consultation.”
In response, Warrington Council’s Independent Group leader, Cllr. Stuart Mann, who has already questioned the Local Plan process said: “It’s encouraging to see attention being given to how few people take part in the Local Plan process, because these decisions shape our communities for decades. I’d urge every resident to get involved as early as possible. Once a plan reaches the later stages, many of the key strategic decisions have already been made, so early participation really does matter.
“At the same time, we have to ask an uncomfortable question: have many Warrington residents simply lost faith in the Local Plan process? If people look at an adopted Local Plan and then see proposals for well over 1,000 additional homes on Green Belt land in North Warrington that wasn’t allocated in that plan, it’s understandable that some will ask, ‘What’s the point?’
“For many communities, there was an expectation that by accepting the Green Belt releases identified in the adopted Local Plan, the remaining Green Belt would continue to be protected unless there were exceptional reasons to do otherwise. Rebuilding confidence means showing residents that local plans have real meaning, that infrastructure comes first, and that engaging with the process genuinely makes a difference
Methodology: The key figure is that the 2021 consultation received responses from 2,597 individuals and organisations. The 6,922 representations were individual comments made by those respondents on different parts of the plan—they do not represent separate people.
Using the estimated adult population of 168,112:
• 2021 respondents: 2,597
• Adult population: 168,112
• Participation rate: 2,597 ÷ 168,112 × 100 = 1.54%
So, around 1.5% of Warrington’s adult population responded to the 2021 Local Plan consultation, and the true figure would be slightly lower because the 2,597 total includes organisations as well as individuals.
For the previous consultations:
• Regulation 18 Part 1: 78 responses = 0.05% of adults.
• Regulation 18 Part 2: 4,500 responses = 2.68% (assuming each response came from a unique respondent, which is unlikely).
• Regulation 19 (2019): 3,185 responses = 1.89% (again, assuming unique respondents).
The important point is that you cannot add together the consultation figures to calculate overall participation because many of the same residents and organisations are likely to have responded at more than one stage.
Even at its highest level of engagement, the Local Plan consultation attracted responses from fewer than 3% of Warrington’s adult population. The final 2021 consultation involved 2,597 respondents—around 1.5% of the borough’s adult population—and that figure includes organisations as well as individual residents. While those respondents submitted 6,922 representations, many commented on multiple aspects of the plan, so the number of representations should not be confused with the number of people who took part.
