Regional transport
All aboard: Building buy-in for sustainable transport
Copper has built consensus, developed community buy-in, generated advocacy and ultimately secured planning consent for some of the most sensitive and contentious major transport projects in the UK – from Cumbria to Cornwall, Cambridge to Kent.
The UK’s transport system is on the brink of sustainable transition
But change is hard; doubly so when it affects access to work, loved ones or the shops. Copper builds understanding, creates acceptance and empowers communities to shape their transport system of the future.
For example, we have worked on the A417 Missing Link for more than seven years, helping to transform a complex array of historical ideas into an accessible and popular set of proposals. We aligned strong and diverging stakeholder priorities, building consensus around a landscape-led scheme through the Cotswold escarpment. Demonstrating tangible social value through STEM outreach in schools, we built community relationships based on trust and secured planning consent with strong public support.
Michael Goddard, former Senior Project Manager, A417 Missing Link says:
“Copper has helped us deliver the project from the start and supported us in developing a unique ‘landscape-led’ approach to project development that put the protected Cotswolds National Landscape at the centre of our plans.
“Copper’s support has been critical to the project, helping us to build credibility with the local community and environmental conservation groups and forge critical relationships with regional and national bodies. Copper’s contribution was central to the project winning the National Infrastructure Planning Awards ‘Best Project’ in 2023, with its approach to stakeholder engagement cited as a deciding factor.”
West of England Combined Authority (WECA)
Copper engaged stakeholders early to support WECA’s mass transit vision, helping to align multiple councils to transform regional travel and tackle congestion, air quality and carbon emissions. We ran internal workshops and live webinars to align partner authorities and develop a compelling, unified narrative. Despite COVID-19 challenges and online-only engagement, Copper ensured broad stakeholder representation by using interactive digital tools to reach local communities and policymakers. This approach built trust, secured meaningful feedback and laid a strong foundation for the project’s future. Our transparent, inclusive strategy directly shaped a robust strategic outline business case.
A transparent, inclusive strategy
National Bus Strategy – Department for Transport
Copper delivered a clear, consistent communication for the complex National Bus Strategy programme across England. With five workstreams and many stakeholders, we helped local transport authorities and operators such as Arriva and Stagecoach create stronger bus service improvement plans. We developed guidance documents, shared best practices through case studies and improved internal communication with newsletters and media monitoring. We also gathered feedback from bus operators to inform future engagement. By building strategic, programme-wide communications, we helped drive collaboration and ultimately contributed to improving bus services and patronage across the country.
Creating stronger Bus Service Improvement Plans
Bath and North East Somerset Council
Copper led the public engagement and communications strategy for this ambitious “Journey to Net Zero” initiative, targeting the region’s transport sector to achieve net zero by 2030. We introduced the project to a broad audience, generating momentum among residents and hard-to-reach groups through accessible digital content, targeted social media and interactive webinars. Despite COVID-19 restrictions, Copper removed barriers to participation, securing over 1000 responses and diverse community input that shaped actionable solutions for sustainable transport and a more inclusive, climate-ready future.
View more regional transport projects
Get in touch
We can help empower communities to shape their transport systems of the future.
transport@copperconsultancy.com
