Armada Way, Plymouth
Designing a legally robust consultation after a city-wide loss of confidence
“Armada Way demonstrates the difference between consultation as an event and consultation as a governed process. Only the latter withstands political and legal scrutiny.”
Location: Plymouth city centre
Client: Plymouth City Council
Partners: ECF
Service: Engagement strategy, consultation design and governance
Following the nationally reported felling of over 100 trees on Armada Way and a subsequent judicial review, Plymouth City Council commissioned an independent team to rebuild trust and design a credible, legally robust public consultation for a revised scheme.
Coalface, working alongside ECF’s leadership team, shaped the strategy, governance model and risk approach for the new consultation programme.
Working from the outset with councillors, senior officers, businesses, campaigners and community groups, we co-designed the Engagement Strategy and Plan, developed the core scope for influence, and advised on legal and governance framing grounded in the Gunning Principles, equalities duties and case law. This created a transparent, defensible process capable of withstanding scrutiny from elected members, the public, the media and the courts.
The six-week “Let’s Talk Armada Way” consultation combined city-centre drop-ins, targeted outreach, digital engagement and structured reporting into Plymouth’s democratic system. It generated significant reach (including thousands of online participants), reframed public conversation beyond past controversy, and created a detailed evidence base for councillors to consider before taking final design decisions.
Outcome:
The Council gained a consultation approach that was procedurally fair, inclusive and clearly distinct from the process that had gone before. Coalface’s contribution ensured that governance, legal robustness and transparent audit trails sat at the centre of the programme, demonstrating how public trust can begin to be rebuilt after a major loss of confidence.
Armada Way shows how governance has to lead from the front: when trust is broken, only a transparent, process led-by experienced practitioners can rebuild credibility.
