Opinion of tools

Name of the tool
Participatory Assessment Process (PAP)

Positive comments about the tool
• Hinshelwood E and McCallum D (2001b) stated that: "Overall the findings [from the PAP] demonstrated the value of undertaking a broad-based consultation about the proposed scheme. In particular it is worth highlighting that:
a. by identifying the criteria important to people, Awel Aman Tawe was able to address key concerns and feed local ideas into the scheme thereby tailoring the projects to local needs.
b. people’s opinions were formed, by their confidence in the project’s ability to provide opportunities for the area and by their own local context and informal networks".
• Hinshelwood and McCallum (2001b) concluded that the PAP was a valuable exercise "in that:
a. as a result of the consultation people generally moved in favour of the project, and the referendum results showed that a majority of local people supported the idea of the wind farm;
b. it helped to tailor the project to the local context, and identify appropriate benefits and opportunities for the local area;
c. it raised awareness of the issues of Renewable Energy in general and wind farms in particular across all ages and types of people in the area".

Negative comments about the tool
• This version of the PAP was a time intensive process, and one that is perhaps unlikely to be repeated so thoroughly due to the problems of obtaining repeat funding.