A visit to the museum (at the drop-in exhibition)
I love a visit to a museum to learn about our history. Especially museums dedicated to the evolution of the human race and our many achievements from the Industrial Revolution through to the 20th century.
I think this stems from my grandfather who was a lawyer and keen historian. He was born in 1899 at the height of the British industrial and imperial might. My grandfather who was born on a farm in Southern Africa was sent to Cambridge University in 1919. He boarded a ship in Cape Town harbour and 22 days later he arrived in Southampton. He stayed there for four years because a very expensive three-and-a-half-week journey wasn’t an option.
He then travelled to Britain in the early 1950’s on a BOAC De Havilland Comet. This flight was a bit like a bus journey. It stopped to pick up passengers (a maximum of 44) along the way… It went from Johannesburg to Livingston, then on to Entebbe, and on to Khartoum, then to Beirut, then on to Rome and finally London. And this only took 23 hours and 20 minutes. Absolutely stonking.
Today, a BA flight directly from London to Johannesburg is 10 hours. And the Airbus A380 (the one BA uses for this route) can carry 500 passengers. Twice Daily!
Now, let’s think about the good old “drop-in” exhibition… in the village hall. You have a team of consultants standing around in front of boards trying to explain to angry people what you are trying to achieve.
This is on a rainy, cold Saturday afternoon from 2pm – 8pm and you can think of a thousand other things that would be more productive to do. But you have to be there.
30 people show up. All of them absolutely fuming. Mr Jones lives on the west of the site and is shouting at you. Mr Smith lives on the east of the site and joins in. They are both angry and nothing you can do or say is going to placate them, they are losing the “view” they purchased with their house, and you are going to ruin it. They have never met before, but they both hate you now. They stomp off to the Dog-n-Duck for a pint and form the opposition group. The whole thing set you back c.a. £10k and all you have to show for it is a newly formed opposition group.
The drop in exhibition really is that 22-day steam ship or the 23 hour and 20 minute start-stop flight. It belongs in the museum as a curiosity of yesteryear.
These days you need to take the consultation into the homes of busy people, at a time that is convenient for them, in a format that will engage them on a platform that they access regularly. This is all on the other great British invention… the World Wide Web.
So, are you still chugging along at a snail’s pace or fooling yourself by thinking being shouted at by 30 people is a good use of time? Or do you want to engage with lots of YIMBYs who actually agree with you and will support your plans if only you could reach them and motivate them?
I think you had better call me!
Henry 07736121014 henry@theccp.net