Comm Comm UK

Happy Friday - hope you're enjoying a scorcher! We have had a bit of a refresh of the Comm Comm website with some new projects and an updated banner. We've also added a new page about our new Client and Community RLO services, so if you're looking for additional community support to deliver on the ground comms, do check it out at https://www.commcommuk.com/

Comm Comm are delighted to be working with G12 housing association SNG - Sovereign Network Group on the planning consultation for Westfield in Harwell, in the Vale of White Horse.
Since starting in 2025, we have been working closely to undertake a phased consultation process, which includes a dedicated Resident Liaison Officer (RLO) on site every week to maintain continuity for the community and support both the tenants and client team to resolve challenges proactively.
Our fantastic colleague Lillian is heading up this service, including assistance with decanting, access, construction, handover and maintenance support. If you have a scheme that requires sensitive, experienced one-to-one tenant support, don't hesitate to get in touch and find out more about how we can help.

Client and Community — Comm Comm Welcome to Comm Comm’s Client and Community SUPPORT SERVICE Whether you are a social housing provider that requires specialist support for decanting tenants, a developer who is working within a community that needs a dedicated resident liaison officer (RLO), or a house builder in the handover sta...

AI was a hot topic at UKREiiF last month, but how is it really impacting planning and development? We've taken a bit of a deeper dive into what it means for community consultation and engagement, but would love to hear how it's changing the way you work - for better or for worse!

Share your views in the comments below. 💬

The Comm Comm team were out and about recently in Leicester Square talking to residents, businesses and visitors about proposals to create an exciting new London landmark on the site of 17–21 Leicester Square (Burger King - you know it!).

This proposed mixed-use redevelopment would include a rooftop restaurant with terraces offering new views across Leicester Square and beyond. At street level, there will be places to eat and drink, which could include a food court, restaurants, or casual dining options. And the pièce de résistance: a rotating LED screen facing Leicester Square displaying a mix of community, arts, and cultural programming as well as commercial content.

We're excited to be delivering the community consultation and planning comms for this exciting application for Soho Estates, and have run a successful social media and digital campaign to reach a much wider audience and capture the transient tourist traffic. Find out more about the proposals here:

London Leicester Square | Discover & Engage in London's Landmark Development Explore the future of London Leicester Square with project updates, history, and vision. Share your views and stay informed on this landmark development.

Since returning from UKREiiF last week (and enjoying a long bank holiday weekend!), we've been mulling over all the panels and discussions we attended and ruminating on the questions and topics raised. Over the next few weeks, we'll be taking a deeper dive into a few things that are on our mind. Let's talk about:

- AI in consultation 🤖: The impact on engagement, the pros and cons
- Let's talk tenders 💼: The bidding process for SME to get involved in large-scale projects
- London regen and new development 🏗️: Is good consultation and community engagement really happening?
- Exciting and innovative house builders 🏠: Co-living, multi-generational and sustainable homes

If you've got any thoughts or ideas on any of the above, drop us a line, we'd love to hear them. 📩

We're looking forward to up in Leeds next week. You'll mostly find us hanging out around the London Pavilion, or at the Housing Development Summit. The schedule is looking great - so much to see 👀, so little time!

We'd love to see familiar faces and meet some new contacts, so if you're in the planning world and want to connect with some of the best communications consultants in the biz, please drop us a line.

We specialise in:

- Effective community engagement 🏙️
- Confident stakeholder management 🤝
- Delivering construction comms 🏗️
- Client and community support services (RLO etc) 🌟
- Political intel and analysis 🧐
- Accessible, creative consultation materials 🎨

See you there!

Only one day to go!

London’s political weather is changing.

Our latest Labour Forecast looks at the boroughs where Labour is most exposed ahead of the 2026 London local elections.

The latest YouGov modelling points to a fragmented contest. Labour remains ahead across London overall, but is down sharply from 2022 and now faces pressure from several directions at once.

In some boroughs, the challenge is Green. In others, it is Liberal Democrat, Conservative, Reform or independent-led. In many places, the real risk is fragmentation at ward level.

This is all important for the built environment sector.

Changes in control, smaller majorities or more volatile council chambers could affect the politics of estate regeneration, affordable housing, planning, active travel, air quality, resident engagement and social value.

The report looks at key Labour-held boroughs including Hackney, Lambeth, Lewisham, Newham, Waltham Forest, Merton, Barnet, Wandsworth, Westminster, Barking and Dagenham, and others.

https://www.commcommuk.com/election-watch

London’s political weather is changing.

Our latest Labour Forecast looks at the boroughs where Labour is most exposed ahead of the 2026 London local elections.

The latest YouGov modelling points to a fragmented contest. Labour remains ahead across London overall, but is down sharply from 2022 and now faces pressure from several directions at once.

In some boroughs, the challenge is Green. In others, it is Liberal Democrat, Conservative, Reform or independent-led. In many places, the real risk is fragmentation at ward level.

This is all important for the built environment sector.

Changes in control, smaller majorities or more volatile council chambers could affect the politics of estate regeneration, affordable housing, planning, active travel, air quality, resident engagement and social value.

The report looks at key Labour-held boroughs including Hackney, Lambeth, Lewisham, Newham, Waltham Forest, Merton, Barnet, Wandsworth, Westminster, Barking and Dagenham, and others.

Election Watch — Comm Comm Election Watch: London’s Electoral Map RedrawnFrom April to June, Comm Comm will be publishing Election Watch reports, monitoring the May 7 London elections as they unfold. No one can say with confidence what the result will be. The old certainties are breaking down, long-established voting patter...

Jessica and Hannah will be returning to sunny Leeds for UKREiiF 2026 in May. We look forward to meeting with colleagues in the planning and development sectors and reconnecting with some old faces.

Do look us up if you'd like to chat about:

- Successful planning consultation 🗺️
- Confident stakeholder management 💼
- Effective community engagement 🏘️
- Delivering construction comms 🚧

We're also developing our RLO offer this year, so if you could be better supporting with your customers with decanting, handover, maintenance, complaints or aftercare services, we'd be happy to chat to you about how we can help.

We're delighted that our first data centre project, Redhill Data Centre, received planning approval from Reigate & Banstead Borough Council last week. With UK data demand expected to rise threefold in the next 5 years, it is vital that this important piece of infrastructure is developed.

We worked with the local community and political stakeholders on proposals, including the option to use excessive operational heat to supplement the local energy network, as well mitigating environmental impact through the use of solar PV panels and improved biodiversity in the surrounding landscaping.

If you have an energy project that would be strengthened by effective community consultation, don't hesitate to get in touch.