Here are some key points on how consultations should be conducted:
1. Objective Information
The consultation should provide objective, clear, and comprehensive information about the proposed development, including both potential benefits and impacts.
2. Transparency
All relevant details should be transparently shared, including possible negative effects on the environment, local amenities, and infrastructure, as well as mitigation measures.
3. Engagement
The process should genuinely seek to understand and address the concerns and suggestions of the community and stakeholders, rather than simply promoting the development.
4. Balanced Presentation
Information should be presented in a balanced manner, avoiding leading questions or promotional language that could bias respondents’ views.
Pre-application consultations should be unbiased, transparent, and genuinely aimed at understanding and addressing the views and concerns of the community. This approach ensures that the feedback gathered is valuable and that the development process is fair and inclusive.
Instead, we are witnessing learned helplessness, a behaviour exhibited by a subject after enduring repeated aversive stimuli beyond their control.
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