Breaking down the site hoardings: attitudes and approaches to community consultation during construction

As the general public become more empowered, informed and educated about the impact of business activities on their lives, they are demanding more involvement in construction projects which they perceive to affect their interests. The process of community consultation is traditionally seen as the responsibility of urban planners but residual community concerns often spill over into construction requiring construction professionals to also consult with communities. To investigate current attitudes and approaches towards community consultation during construction, 150 construction professionals were surveyed and 10 interviewed. The results indicate that the majority of the professionals involved during construction consider community consultation a burdensome, costly and time-consuming exercise. The community is seen as a liability rather than an asset and few construction professionals have the skills to consult effectively. There appears to be a widespread assumption that community consultation is the responsibility of town planners before work starts on site and that further interaction with the community is a nuisance, once construction starts.