Has anyone developed a property and faced significant vocal opposition on social media? How have you managed it? I am dealing with this at the moment and just choosing to ignore it and hope it quietly goes away. I am finding this difficult as there is a significant amount of incorrect information that is being posted.
Don't give the fire any oxygen, You can't win and any facts you post will be taken out of context anyway.
Community engagement is an important part of a lot of projects. Even more so during the development approval phase as their submissions can impact on your DA. A few options: - create a FB group where they can ask questions about the project and you provide responses - hold community consultation events so that they can speak with you in person - do a leaflet drop with further information on the project
Agree not to give it any oxygen. A lot of the time whilst it may drum up a lot of objection in numbers (i.e. 100 objections) they'll all say the same thing, and the planners assessing it will deal that one issue. A lot of the time it is a very small minority that have some misinformation, or simply a NIMBY attitude, that then go and try to drum up others to get on board. In saying that, it is always a good idea to go and see the known complainers (if there are any) before it is advertised and try your best to deal with any obvious issues (within reason) if possible. But once it's advertised and they've already whipped themselves into a frenzy, it's simply not worth it.
Doesnt matter how good or bad the process is people will always object and some are just irrational. Nutters sometimes. Community events can just attract conflict as may a FB page. Head down and dealing with council is a developers best interests since they approve the project not residents. Dont start a war before one is declared. Council will usually hold a conciliation conference for both sides to present if the grounds for approval are subject to objections that are likely to be valid in whole or even part. Council are pretty upfront about what they can consider and what just doesnt work eg : I dont like apartments because they will all be renters or NIMBYs with no grounds to object. Council has to manage resident expectations that can be way off. The ones I have seen are often very well managed by the developer team to address all concerns in a open forum that the council manages to avoid heated conflict. They bring their consultants like their town planner, lawyer even and address traffic, shading, parking and all the issues raised. And pull out all the pretty pics that make it look like a ten star hotel when in reality its for housos. I did see a developer bring images of its past completed projects that helped show they do build quality (Rouse Hill) Their team and council often explain the technical issues about what IS allowed that the residents think they dont want. eg Its five stories but they could have built 6, densities etc so the residents are on notice that it may already be a fair compromise. Typically council will list all the issues and advise which are not technically valid and why. And any that are non-compliant and why. And then there are always those that are sort-of compliant or push the boundaries. Then open the floor to the developer to present its case on these. And allow residents (often a limited number and time to speak) to address these too. Often half of the residents just bang on and miss the key issue but Council does tend to assist them to frame things so its not wasted time. Council staff handle it well. Occasionally a councillor may also join the opposition and challenge the team and a strong technical team helps address that. Council will then consider if the project can be approved or refused and provide reasons why a few weeks later. And tell residents of their decision and any modifications imposed. Developer may appeal. Thats a job for the devs lawyers
