Scenario

The local unitary authority plan to develop a plot of waste ground adjacent to a mainly residential area. They propose to level the ground and use it as a car park to serve the nearby businesses and the housing estate. This has caused an outcry within the local community and has received widespread press coverage. Several pressure groups have been formed in order to lobby the authority to develop the land in different ways. Some of the developments supported by the group might include:

• Recreational facilities;
• Industrial units;
• Large retail outlets;
• Sheltered housing.

The Pressure
Groups

The pressure groups might include any or all of the following: Environmentalists (Keep Green Park Green Group), Resident's Association, a Youth Organisation called KIDS (Kids In Drenewydd Schools), the Police, Senior Citizens and the Chamber of Commerce. In addition, there might be a group responsible for reporting the proceedings to the Drenewydd Herald newspaper.

Resources
available

Press cuttings, council memos, newspaper articles, posters and (optionally) database files containing information on criminals and motor vehicles.

Task

Taking the part of one of the groups, children can prepare a two minute presentation to put before a public meeting where the plans for the waste ground are to be discussed.

Children will need to:

• decide what use should be made of the land;
• search through the literature to gather evidence to support their cause;
• make themselves aware of opposing arguments and be prepared to answer them;
• produce a variety of materials (eg. leaflets, pamphlets, posters and letters etc.) to canvass support for their campaign and to display at the public meeting.

  It might help the debate if groups are encouraged to exchange ideas and information during the build up to the meeting. They might also seek to manufacture support from other organisations.

Outcomes

As well as the publicity materials produced to support their campaign, there are opportunities for children's writing which might be included in GCSE coursework folders. An opinion article for the local newspaper on the merits, or otherwise, of the various proposals, or an information piece  on how to organise an effective campaign, perhaps related to a local issue, would be eligible for inclusion in the transactional category. Imaginative writing might come from a senior citizen reflecting on the changes and how whether life has been affected by them, if you haven't already had enough of Drenewydd and Green Park!