The REAL Planning and Design process is a locally focused collaborative approach through which neighbours, stakeholders and other interested parties can become actively engaged in the planning and design of their community through collective involvement in meetings and workshops.

The process begins with the Courtesy Phase. Members of the RPD team meet separately with neighbours living adjacent to the proposed development site and members of the local community council. These meetings introduce and explain the process. The meetings are followed by the initial presentation and workshop, which provides an opportunity to explain the process to the wider community who form the stakeholders for the development. This is combined with interactive workshop exercises, which provide essential information to guide development proposals.

At all stages in the process feedback is provided to the community at each of the workshops as well as by web-site updates or newsletter where applicable. Only when the feedback information has been collated can the REAL design process begin.

Throughout the process the RPD team will be gathering information, taking photographs and recording comments.

The REAL Planning and Design Process is carried out over a period of three to six months and its success relies on the input of all the stakeholders throughout the process. The stakeholders consist of landowners, local businesses, community groups, local authority departments and other members of the community.