ne of America’s most astute politicians once opined that “all politics is local.” In this new century, he would probably add that “all land use is political.”

Throughout the world, citizens are organising to oppose all forms of new development projects - from shopping centres and office buildings to affordable housing and even churches. The “new jobs and new taxes” that developers traditionally promise no longer have the resonance they once enjoyed. Development is no longer synonymous with progress, nor is growth necessarily perceived as good.  Over-prescriptive conservationism and the fear of change often drive the planning process.

At the same time, many organisations now recognise the value of protecting their interests from highly aggressive competition. Businesses have discovered that it is more cost effective to use the planning system to stop new market entrants than to compete with them after they have opened.

In all cases, local elected officials clearly understand that there is no political upside in approving projects that their constituents overwhelmingly oppose. Back room deals and promises made between developers and planning officers fall apart when an elected member is faced with a room full of angry constituents.

To be successful in this environment, a skillfully crafted and executed campaign must apply appropriate levels of targeted political pressure at critical points in the process and generate widespread grassroots support in order to win.

hile there is a traditional belief among developers that there are advantages to using either planning consultants or allegedly well connected local public relations firms, this belief overlooks the reality that widespread grassroots support has become key to winning planning and land use battles. In this current climate, people with campaigning experience - and no local interests to protect - can operate more professionally and get the job done more quickly.

We have been in business since 1983, with more than 1,400 client engagements. We have had double figure annual growth since 1997 and have won more than 90 percent of the battles we have been called upon to fight. Bearing in mind that we are only ever engaged on the toughest assignments, this is a truly enviable record.

We welcome your questions and comments about what you are experiencing in your industry, and what we can do to help.