Consultation and Engagement Consultant - Lymington Sea Water Baths

Lymington and Pennington Town Council is seeking to appoint one suitably experienced Consultation and Engagement Consultant to design, manage and deliver an inclusive public and stakeholder engagement programme for Phase 1 of the Lymington Sea Water Baths Restoration Project.

The project is supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and will develop the technical, heritage, community, business and operational evidence required to inform the future restoration and sustainable use of the Baths.

The Lymington Sea Water Baths were established in 1833 and are one of the earliest surviving open-air seawater bathing facilities in the United Kingdom. The site is an important heritage and community asset with strong connections to local identity, leisure, health and wellbeing. The Phase 1 engagement programme must ensure that community values, needs, aspirations and barriers to participation inform the development of the project and the RIBA Stage 0 to 2 design proposals.

The appointed consultant will be responsible for providing accessible opportunities for residents, users, community organisations and other stakeholders to participate in the project. The programme must seek broad and representative participation and actively engage people and groups who may otherwise be underrepresented.

The services required will include:

Engagement strategy and delivery planning

The consultant will prepare a comprehensive Engagement Strategy and Delivery Plan setting out:

• The purpose and objectives of the engagement programme.
• The proposed engagement methods and timetable.
• Target audiences and stakeholder groups.
• Arrangements for reaching underrepresented communities.
• Accessibility and inclusion measures.
• Communications and public-facing messaging.
• Data protection, consent and ethical arrangements.
• Risks, dependencies and mitigation measures.
• Methods for recording, analysing and reporting feedback.

Priority audiences are expected to include young people, older residents, disabled people and accessibility groups, lower-income households, leisure and sports users, local residents, community organisations, heritage stakeholders and environmental groups.

Engagement Round 1

The consultant will design and deliver an initial round of engagement focused on community values, needs, aspirations and priorities for the future of the Baths.

This is expected to include:

• An online public survey, with a target of at least 300 responses.
• One or two public drop-in engagement sessions.
• Three facilitated stakeholder workshops.
• Accessible materials explaining the project, its purpose and the matters on which feedback is being sought.

The engagement will explore matters including:

• Community aspirations for the Baths.
• Current and potential future uses.
• Barriers to access and participation.
• The heritage and cultural value of the site.
• Priorities for accessibility and inclusion.
• Desired improvements, facilities and activities.
• Concerns, opportunities and community expectations.

The required outputs will include survey materials, workshop plans, facilitation, analysis of responses and a summary findings report for the Council and Design Team.

Targeted engagement

The consultant will undertake focused outreach with groups and individuals who may not participate through general public consultation.

The targeted programme is expected to engage approximately 40 to 60 participants and may include small group sessions, facilitated discussions, interviews, outreach activities or other suitable methods.

The consultant must identify barriers to participation, adapt engagement methods where necessary and ensure that the findings are incorporated into the wider project evidence base and the development of the RIBA Stage 1 and Stage 2 proposals.

The required outputs will include a Targeted Outreach Plan and a report summarising participation, findings and recommendations.

Engagement Round 2

The consultant will deliver a second round of engagement to gather feedback on the emerging RIBA Stage 2 design proposals.

The consultant will work with the appointed Architect, Engineering and Cost Consultant Team to ensure that drawings, visualisations and technical information are presented in a clear and accessible format.

The second round is expected to include:

• One in-person public exhibition or consultation event.
• An online presentation of the emerging proposals.
• Digital and in-person feedback opportunities.
• Structured collection and analysis of responses, with a target of at least 100 participants or responses.

The consultant will facilitate the engagement, analyse feedback and identify matters requiring consideration by the Council and Design Team.

Analysis and reporting

The consultant will maintain appropriate records of participation throughout the commission and provide qualitative and quantitative analysis of the engagement findings.

The final Engagement Report must include:

• A summary of the methodology used.
• Details of engagement activities undertaken.
• Participation and demographic information.
• Evidence of the groups and communities reached.
• Key themes, concerns, aspirations and priorities.
• Identified barriers to access and participation.
• Accessibility and inclusion findings.
• An explanation of how feedback informed or influenced the project and design proposals.
• Matters that could not be incorporated and, where appropriate, the reasons.
• Recommendations for future engagement and community participation.

The consultant must also prepare a concise National Lottery Heritage Fund formatted summary suitable for inclusion in project reporting, evaluation and future funding submissions.

Collaboration and project coordination

The appointed consultant will be expected to work collaboratively with:

• The Council's client team.
• The appointed Project Manager / Project Coordinator.
• The Architect, Engineering and Cost Consultant Team.
• The Heritage Consultant.
• Business planning and market research specialists.
• Relevant museums, community organisations and project partners.

The consultant will attend project meetings and coordination sessions as reasonably required and provide timely findings to ensure that engagement evidence can influence the project while proposals are still being developed.

The consultant must manage expectations through clear communication about the scope of the Phase 1 project, the matters that remain subject to further funding and approval, and how consultation feedback will be considered.

Required Phase 1 outputs

The required outputs will include:

Engagement Strategy and Delivery Plan.

Inclusive engagement methodology.

Engagement Round 1 survey, workshop and public engagement materials.

Facilitation and reporting for Engagement Round 1.

Targeted Outreach Plan and findings report.

Accessible materials for Engagement Round 2.

Facilitation and reporting for Engagement Round 2.

Participation and demographic analysis.

Final Engagement Report.

National Lottery Heritage Fund summary and contribution to the Phase 1 evaluation evidence.

All engagement materials and reports must be written in clear, accessible language and be suitable for use by the public, the Council, the wider consultant team and the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The contract value is up to £23,500 excluding VAT. The fee must include all consultant time, project management, meetings, travel, engagement materials, digital tools and licences, venue hire where required, analysis, reporting and delivery of the required outputs.

Appointment and mobilisation are expected in late September 2026. The consultant must coordinate the engagement programme with the wider Phase 1 project timetable. All engagement activities, reports and final contributions to the Phase 1 evaluation must be completed no later than 31 August 2027. The original brief establishes the requirement for two engagement rounds, targeted outreach, inclusive participation and a comprehensive final Engagement Report.