Improve comment guidelines

[sabpop]

What is it? Improved guidelines for commenting on an application, that either pop-out or are static and accessed from the commenting section on an application https://github.com/openaustralia/planningalerts/issues/1693

What we heard?

• People are unsure if their comments are getting through to council
• Many people are commenting based on the little information on the alert or the planning application page, they are not going through to the council site to read the available documents
• There are a high volume of comments that come through to council that aren't at all relevant to the application eg. commenting on the person applying
• Some people are feel that the nature of some of the comments discourages them from commenting themselves for fear of harassment or bullying by others.
• Given the high volume of comments that come through from Planning Alerts, councils feel that it can be hard to distinguish between relevant and valid comments and general 'chatter'

Read more in the User Experience Map on Miro here: https://miro.com/app/board/uXjVPrTUbvg=/

Focus on the 'Engaging in discourse (making, reporting and replying to comments)' section of the map.

Hypothesis Improved comment guidelines would:

• Support people to make more informed comments that are more likely to be considered valid by councils
• Encourage respectful and cooperative commenting behaviour

Design specifications Review the following guidelines copy:

1. Explain how this development impact you and your neighbourhood.
2. Explain how your concern related to planning.
3. Be polite and respectful of others opinions.
4. Write clearly with full sentences. Check your spelling and grammar.
5. Create a focused points. Use bullet points or titles to help you structure your comment.
6. Be informed about the nitty gritty of the application by following the link to 'more information'.
7. Having something that you can have open while you are writing, that it stays there and doesn't disappear like the disclosure thing.

Sketch/ wireframe

[katska]

love it @sabpop . So I'm going to take a look at this copy to be ready for a first iteration and further discussion. In implementing this I reckon we'll want to change it every so often, as we learn from the shift in how people's comments go, and how they're received at planning authorities.

[katska]

Here's a go adding some context and informed by a talk I watched earlier with some slightly different takes on some of those points. They referred to a whole book "The Art of Commenting: How to Influence Environmental Decisionmaking with Effective Comments" that in turn influenced them. And all that said, I suggest something like this (with some slightly overly wordy intro but it's a first pass).

It misses out the issue of including feelings/emotional content which I think I need a clearer head to address. We don't want to encourage people to be inflammatory but we do want people to be connected to their inner experience and encouraged to include relevant feelings about the proposal they're writing in about.

Submitting feedback on proposed local developments to a local authority is an important way for community members like you to have their voices heard and have a positive influence on the outcome and direction of the development on your local area. Here are some tips to keep in mind to help you make a clear and persuasive submission:

When making your submission on a proposed local development, remember to:

• Refer to relevant details you have found on the application, so the authority knows your view is informed by available information.
• Keep it clear, concise, and focused on the most important points. Use bullet points or headings to structure your comments.
• Establish why you are qualified to provide feedback and why your opinion should be heard.
• Connect your personal experiences and background to the potential impact of the development on you, your family, and your community.
• Clarify who you are representing, whether it be yourself, your family, your business/organization, or community/neighbourhood group.
• Present your views and the facts while being respectful of others' opinions and avoiding insults.
• Write clearly with full sentences. Check your spelling and grammar.

[katska]

Could it be a series of questions?

[sabpop]

@katska I like the idea of them being questions, almost like a checklist of things to think about.

The points read clear to me and sound actionable. The only one small thing I notice in point 3 "Establish why you are qualified to provide feedback and why your opinion should be heard." The word qualified sounds like they need specific qualifications, perhaps we could use something softer like 'eligible' maybe. ?

[katska]

@sabpop nice pickup, this definitely needs more thought! It came from the word authority in another set of guidelines for people wanting to comment in different context. As in, 'establish your authority', what makes you an authority on what's going on - professional expertise? lived experience as someone living nearby, a long time visitor to the area (context was a wilderness area), landowner (specific to rural perhaps, and also problematic for other reasons). In cherry picking and adapting I've lost some of the thrust of their tips for effective commenting.

I think that words that help frame this as a thoughtful exercise, and gives them specific things to do will be helpful.

[katska]

@sabpop I had another look and short versions for you to consider. Aiming for specific and simple.

• Explain why your opinion matters and how you are qualified to provide feedback. or Share your personal experiences and background to explain potential impact ...?
• Refer to specific details in the application to show you have done your research. See 'more information'
• Share your personal experiences and how the development may impact you, your family, business, community or other interests.  
• Be respectful of others' opinions and avoid insults.
• Write clearly with full sentences. Check your spelling and grammar.
• To make your feedback clear and focused, consider using bullet points or headings.

@sabpop Specifically there's one I didn't include, which is 'Explain how your concern related to planning.' I wasn't sure, but I think you were meaning that it needs to refer to the kinds of thing are considered in when the planning authority assesses a DA at this stage of the process. What's in scope here in the decision making process. eg. "Some of the matters you might consider in a submission include: views, overshadowing, privacy, streetscape, bulk or scale of the proposal, landscaping, car parking, drainage, noise, and heritage. This list is not exhaustive and some of these matters may not be relevant to the application." (from Willoughby Council's Advice for Commenting on Development Applications) on the other hand, we've heard that people want to comment on issues that are not those before the decision makers at that time... I think we don't want to put people off from raising issues they want to be on the table but aren't.

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