Dr Alison Golby Welsh Health Impact Assessment Support Unit Carolyn Lester

1. Community participation in HIA: a case study of a proposed extension to an opencast coal mine, Wales, UK Dr Alison Golby Welsh Health Impact Assessment Support Unit Carolyn Lester National Public Health Service

4. Community participation:the context in Wales Making the Connections (October 2004), a more citizen-centred approach to decision-making in Wales – “citizens at the centre” and “equality and social justice” Improving Health and Reducing Inequalities: a practical guide to health impact assessment Welsh HIA guidelines launched in 2004

5. Community participation: the challenge • Controversial and political • difficulties engaging others in the process • History of the planning application • residents’ distrust, frustration and emotions • Time consuming task • appraisal skills of local residents • managing conflicting perspectives

6. Evaluation of the HIA: methods • Reflection on experience of the HIA process • Examination of the Planning Applications - Recommended for Refusal document • Interviews with participants in the HIA process • Documentation submitted later as part of the Public Inquiry, Welsh Affairs Select Committee and resubmission of planning application

7. Evaluation of HIA: levels • Influencing the decision • Bringing together different perspectives • Improving knowledge and skills • Participation of local communities, advantages and disadvantages

8. Influencing the decision • Indirect influence: “Wonderful opportunity to draw people’s attention and make it more human” (Resident, May 2007) • Reference was made to loss of ancient woodland and visual amenity, noise due to close proximity and effects of dust • Not convinced about effect on health, and psychological wellbeing but acknowledged

9. Bringing together different perspectives • Developer (mining company) and community still at polar ends • Communication between decision-makers and communities improved

10. Improving knowledge and skills • Developer not understand the HIA process or methods • Raised awareness of AM and decision-makers of wider determinants and effect on local community • Officers gained skills in HIA • Local community skills not appear to have benefited – planning process ongoing

11. Participation of local communities:some advantages/disadvantages • Community - lack of focus • Difficult to disentangle from the environmental/health campaign • HIA report - document that has some professional status and authority • Public health director gave as an example of good practice

12. Advantages for the community? “It was very beneficial to me personally to be involved in the HIA, because as someone who has been concerned for many years with the effect on my community of opencast coaling in the area, it was the first time as a community member I have ever been asked for my opinion, and when speaking to other community members and discussing the HIA it appeared to give more credibility to their own feelings of the various effects of living with opencast”(Resident, May 2007)

13. Welsh Health Impact Assessment Support Unit Gareth Williams (Director) Eva Elliott (Manager) Alison Golby (Research Associate) Liz Green (Development Officer)