Forum Message

Topic: Four Communications
Posted by: Mark Evans
Date/Time: 30/01/20 10:21:00

It has been suggested that the tactics being used by TfL to limit opposition to their scheme are those of barrow boy private sector property developers but this isn’t really true.

The community involvement for the Bollo Lane project  is being handled by a company called Four Communications. This was set up in 2001 by a group of Labour councillors from Lambeth and Southwark to advise developers on how to manage major schemes through the planning application process. It has had a number of senior councillors and other politicians on its payroll including Florence Eshalomi who recently became MP for Vauxhall.

They specialise in gaining ‘political support’ from members of planning committees and have regularly featured in Private Eye over the years for various ruses they have undertaken to get what their clients want.

One of the key services they provide is to produce the Statement of Community Involvement which allows the developer to show that they have consulted with local residents and perhaps even that there is broad support for a scheme. With this they can try to persuade decision makers on the planning committee that any opposition is limited. What the link below shows is that Four Communications have  a track record of tactically structuring consultations so as few people as possible are aware of them and that any survey makes it difficult for those that do find out to express opposition.

http://35percent.org/2014-10-19-gamekeepers-turned-poachers/

So making as little effort as possible to make people aware of a consultation event and then holding it in an obscure location as they did with the Bollo Lane proposal is standard operating practice.

Four Communications is now quite a large company and makes over a million a year in operating profit given the size of the fees that developers are willing to pay them. They pay no tax, even benefitting from a tax refund last year because of write off of investments allowing them to report an overall loss.

What is shocking about that this company was set up by people who gained their knowledge of the planning system after being elected by residents to elect their interests. They have now chosen to use that knowledge to personally enrich themselves by showing developers how they can get their projects approved in the face of local opposition by gaming the system.

As an habitual Labour voter I cannot help but feeling anything but shame at the behaviour of these people. If it was Conservative politicians doing this there would be an outcry.


Entire Thread
TopicDate PostedPosted By
Bollo rd new development 800 homes06/10/19 10:58:00 Jon morris
   Re:Bollo rd new development 800 homes06/10/19 20:54:00 Chris Hurley
      Re:Re:Bollo rd new development 800 homes10/10/19 12:31:00 Peter Evans
         Re:Re:Re:Bollo rd new development 800 homes10/10/19 13:28:00 Jon morris
            Re:Re:Re:Re:Bollo rd new development 800 homes10/10/19 23:23:00 Peter Evans
   Bollo Lane new development 800 homes08/01/20 11:19:00 Paul Webster
      Re:Bollo Lane new development 800 homes09/01/20 01:06:00 Peter Evans
         Re:Re:Bollo Lane new development 800 homes16/01/20 09:54:00 Kevin Howard
            Re:Re:Re:Bollo Lane new development 800 homes16/01/20 10:48:00 Tony Mansell
               Re:Re:Re:Re:Bollo Lane new development 800 homes16/01/20 10:55:00 Kevin Howard
                  Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Bollo Lane new development 800 homes16/01/20 11:44:00 Tony Mansell
                     Reply16/01/20 13:12:00 Kevin Howard
                        Re:Reply16/01/20 13:24:00 Rosco White
                        Re:Reply16/01/20 13:41:00 Libby Kemp
                           Re:Re:Reply16/01/20 17:45:00 Rosco White
                              Re:Re:Re:Reply16/01/20 17:51:00 Kevin Howard
                                 Re:Re:Re:Re:Reply17/01/20 02:27:00 Peter Evans
                                    Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Reply17/01/20 08:57:00 Jon morris
                                       Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Reply17/01/20 09:23:00 Charlie Mawer
                                 MIPIM20/01/20 14:18:00 Libby Kemp
                           Re:Re:Reply22/01/20 06:12:00 Jacqueline Cloake
                        Re:Reply17/01/20 11:12:00 Tony Mansell
                           New builds along Bollo Lane.17/01/20 13:51:00 Cecilia Colley
                              Re:New builds along Bollo Lane.22/01/20 06:05:00 Jacqueline Cloake
                           Re:Re:Reply19/01/20 12:45:00 Mark Jarvis
                              Re:Re:Re:Reply19/01/20 13:00:00 Rosco White
                              Re:Re:Re:Reply20/01/20 11:03:00 Tony Mansell
                                 Re:Re:Re:Re:Reply20/01/20 12:10:00 Rosco White
                                    Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Reply20/01/20 16:19:00 Tony Mansell
                                       Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Reply20/01/20 16:26:00 Rosco White
                                 Re:Re:Re:Re:Reply20/01/20 19:43:00 Mark Jarvis
                                    Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Reply29/01/20 07:53:00 Mark Evans
                                       Four Communications30/01/20 10:21:00 Mark Evans
                                          Re:Four Communications30/01/20 11:11:00 Rosco White
                                             Re:Re:Four Communications31/01/20 08:38:00 Mark Evans
                                                Re:Re:Re:Four Communications31/01/20 15:41:00 Andy Jones
                                                   Re:Re:Re:Re:Four Communications31/01/20 15:49:00 Rosco White
                                                      Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Four Communications01/02/20 09:14:00 Andy Jones
                                                         Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Four Communications01/02/20 11:10:00 Rosco White
                                                            Reply03/02/20 12:23:00 Andrew OSullivan
                                                               Re:Reply03/02/20 18:43:00 Rosco White
                                                                  Stanley Road block04/02/20 01:24:00 Peter Evans
                                                                     Re:Stanley Road block04/02/20 07:32:00 Rosco White
                              Re:Re:Re:Reply04/02/20 20:19:00 Philippa Bond
                                 Re:Re:Re:Re:Reply07/02/20 08:54:00 Andy Jones
                                    Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Reply07/02/20 13:55:00 Rosco White
   Re:Bollo rd new development 800 homes07/02/20 14:41:00 Vanern Vastra
      Re:Re:Bollo rd new development 800 homes08/02/20 12:45:00 Andy Jones
         Re:Re:Re:Bollo rd new development 800 homes08/02/20 13:06:00 Rosco White
         Re:Re:Re:Bollo rd new development 800 homes13/02/20 08:00:00 Tony Mansell
            Re:Re:Re:Re:Bollo rd new development 800 homes25/02/20 16:18:00 Andy Jones
               Reply26/02/20 21:56:00 Kevin Howard
                  Re:Reply02/03/20 12:33:00 Mark Evans
   Re:Bollo rd new development 800 homes23/06/20 11:59:00 Paul Webster
      Re:Re:Bollo rd new development 800 homes23/06/20 12:00:00 Paul Webster
         Re:Bollo Lane new TfL development23/06/20 12:54:00 Peter Evans
            Re:Re:Bollo Lane new TfL development30/06/20 09:05:00 Mark Evans
               Re:Re:Re:Bollo Lane new TfL development09/07/20 13:58:00 Tony Mansell
   Re:Bollo rd new development 800 homes21/01/21 07:28:00 Paul Webster
   Re:Bollo rd new development 800 homes21/01/21 08:36:00 Jon morris
   Re:Bollo rd new development 800 homes03/04/23 09:48:00 Paul Webster

Forum Home