2 Liaison and Public Information

2.1 Objective

2.1.1 To provide information regarding the construction of the Project including works which may affect the public, in a timely manner and to facilitate constructive engagement with local communities during the construction of the project.

2.2 Engaging with Communities

2.2.1 Transport Scotland developed a community engagement strategy entitled ‘Engaging with Communities’ which has been implemented during development of the Project. This included commitment to a range of measures and activities to inform, engage and consult the public in the development of the Project.

2.2.2 Transport Scotland’s ongoing communications strategy for the project will reflect the construction stage of the Project and will include details of the procedures to be implemented to:

maintain effective community engagement throughout the construction period to build on existing relationships with the communities alongside the scheme;
consult with and inform affected communities about how the effects of construction activities will be mitigated;
consult with and inform affected communities about the timetable of the construction works; and
provide information on the enquiry and complaints procedures.
meet the other requirements of this CoCP regarding community engagement.

2.2.3 The communications strategy will be in accordance with the National Standards for Community Engagement. The strategy will include regular community engagement through established community groups. To ensure effective community engagement, a forum will be set up with each community council for consultation during the construction stages. The Scottish Ministers will discuss and agree the format and agenda with the community councils prior to construction works commencing. The consultation will be attended by the Employer’s Representative and the Community Liaison Officer, together with key members of the contractor’s site team as may be necessary to cover the matters to be discussed.

2.2.4 A focus of the engagement will be to share information, enable the community groups to advise of concerns so these may be considered and addressed as appropriate and, through constructive consultation, minimise complaints and ensure that any complaints are dealt with efficiently and effectively.

2.2.5 The Scottish Ministers will review the communications strategy regularly and also take consideration of the views of the community groups through the forum regarding the effectiveness of the community engagement. If necessary, the approach and strategy will be adapted during the construction period.

2.2.6 The contractor will contribute to and support the implementation of effective communications and fulfilment of the above objectives. The contractor will appoint a community liaison officer and liaison team who will be responsible for community engagement for the contracting organisation.

2.2.7 The contractor will liaise with:

local authorities;
other statutory bodies and regulatory authorities;
the emergency services;
other relevant organisations as set out in this CoCP;
community councils and relevant established community groups;
businesses and relevant established business groups; and
residents in local communities affected by the works

on matters relating to the construction of the scheme to meet the requirements set out in this CoCP.

2.2.8 The contractor will also support Transport Scotland in promoting awareness of the Project as part of a wider community engagement strategy through, for example, presentations to educational establishments such as local schools, centres for further education and industry institutions.

2.3 Community Engagement Requirements

2.3.1 During construction, a programme of high quality, effective and sustained communications will include:

Information website – Transport Scotland’s project website will be updated to reflect construction and community liaison requirements. It will provide up to date information on the progress of the construction works, current areas affected by construction, mitigation in place to reduce adverse effects of construction, information regarding planned construction works. The Scottish Ministers will consider any views expressed regarding the content of the website to ensure it provides information which communities and residents find informative and valuable. The various plans referred to in this CoCP and monitoring records will be made available on the website.
Project briefings and site visits – where reasonable, project briefings and site visits will be provided for groups arranging to visit the construction site. The contractor will contribute to and support project briefings and site vists. Transport Scotland’s project website will provide details of the procedure for arranging project briefings and site visits.
Newsletter – the project newsletter will be issued by Transport Scotland on a regular basis and will provide information regarding construction progress and planned construction works. The contractor will contribute to and support preparation of the project newsletter. The newsletter will include details of areas that will be affected by construction works; provide information regarding traffic management that will be in place affecting existing roads, cycle tracks and other paths; and will include details of the enquiries and complaints procedure to be implemented in accordance with the requirements below. The Scottish Ministers will consider any views expressed regarding the content of the newsletter to ensure it provides information which communities and residents find informative and valuable. The newsletter will be distributed to established mailing lists and published on the project website. In addition, the newsletter will be issued to local authorities, other statutory bodies, other relevant organisations referred to in this CoCP, the emergency services, community councils, other interested parties and local libraries.
Notification to local residents – the contractor will take reasonable steps, including as a minimum direct correspondence and/or mail drops, together with information provided in local community centres, to notify occupiers of nearby properties a minimum of two weeks in advance of the nature and anticipated duration of planned construction works that may affect them. The notification will also provide details of the enquiries and complaints procedure developed in accordance with the requirements below. Information included in the notifications will include, as appropriate:
- The location of the planned works.
- The type of planned works which are anticipated to give rise to effects on adjacent residents.
- The duration of the planned works and the periods within which works will be undertaken (i.e. whether during normal working hours, during the evening or overnight).
- The anticpated effects of the planned works.
- The measures to be implemented in line with the the Environmental Statement and this CoCP to mitigate the impact of the planned works.
Enquiries and Complaints Procedure – the contractor will establish a system for dealing with enquiries and complaints from the public. The procedure will include setting up dedicated freephone telephone hotline and fax numbers together with a dedicated email address and postal address for enquiries. The hotline will be staffed by personnel from the contractor’s community liaison team 24 hours a day. The relevant contact numbers, email and postal addresses for the enquiries and complaints system will be displayed on signs around the construction site and will be published on the website and newsletters. Enquiries and complaints will be logged in a register and appropriate action will be taken in response to any complaints.

The extent of the action taken will depend on the nature of the complaint. All complaints will be investigated to establish the cause of the complaint and whether the works comply with the Environmental Statement, CoCP and other relevant requirements such as legislation, standards and codes of practice. The investigations will also consider whether the effects which give rise to a complaint are unavoidable consequences despite the works being undertaken in accordance with these documents and requirements or whether they are avoidable. Where measures or actions in accordance with these documents and requirements can be provided or taken to resolve complaints this will be done. The contractor will employ reasonable endeavours to contact complainants within 48 hours of their complaint to advise them of progress being made in addressing the complaint and then again following completion of any actions taken to resolve the complaint. If it is not possible to resolve the complaint, an explanation of why this is the case will be provided to the complainant.

The contractor will make appropriate information from the register available to local authorities upon request. This may include, depending on the requirements of the local authority, both summary and detailed information regarding:
- The number of enquiries and complaints.
- The topics of enquiries and complaints.
- The measures taken to investigate, deal with or address enquiries and complaints.
- The timescale taken to respond to or address enquiries and complaints.