Barriers to Place Plans
Participant Information Sheet
Date: 13/06/2022
The Barriers to Place Plans in Wales
You are being invited to take part in a research project. Before you decide whether or not to take part, it is important for you to understand why the research is being undertaken and what it will involve. Please take time to read the following information carefully and discuss it with others, if you wish.
Thank you for reading this.
1. What is the purpose of this research project?
This research aims to explore the current extent of Place Plans in Wales, with a focus on the barriers preventing more communities from producing a Place Plan. In addition to forming the basis of a masters dissertation, this research aims to assist Planning Aid Wales in their understanding of Place Plans in Wales.
2. Why have I been invited to take part?
You have been invited as a Town and Community Council that is eligible to produce a place plan. Due to this, your views and experiences regarding Place will be highly valuable for the project.
3. Do I have to take part?
No, your participation in this research project is entirely voluntary and it is up to you to decide whether or not to take part. If you decide to take part, we will discuss the research project with you and ask you to sign a consent form. If you decide not to take part, you do not have to explain your reasons and it will not affect your legal rights.
You are free to withdraw your consent to participate in the research project at any time, without giving a reason, even after signing the consent form. However, once the data have been anonymised, it may not be possible to remove your answer, as it may not be possible to identify your answer.
4. What will taking part involve?
This research will involve the completion of an online questionnaire. Upon completion of this questionnaire, you will be invited to participate in a further interview. This will be a 1-1 with the researcher interview that will take place via zoom, and is an optional opportunity to further discuss the experience of your town and community council with Place Plans. This interview will be recorded for note taking purposes.
5. Will I be paid for taking part?
No. There is no form of payment for taking part in this research.
6. What are the possible benefits of taking part?
There will be no direct advantages or benefits to you from taking part, however, your participation in this research will help us to further understand the current extent of Place Plans.
7. What are the possible risks of taking part?
There are no potential risks associated with partaking in this research.
8. Will my taking part in this research project be kept confidential?
All information collected from (or about) you during the research project will be kept confidential and any personal information you provide will be managed in accordance with data protection legislation. Please see ‘What will happen to my Personal Data?’ (below) for further information.
9. What will happen to my Personal Data?
No personal data is being collected for this project, except for your consent form, which will be kept until the student graduates, at which point it will be destroyed.]
Cardiff University is the Data Controller and is committed to respecting and protecting your personal data in accordance with your expectations and Data Protection legislation. Further information about Data Protection, including:
– your rights
– the legal basis under which Cardiff University processes your personal data for research
– Cardiff University’s Data Protection Policy
– how to contact the Cardiff University Data Protection Officer
– how to contact the Information Commissioner’s Office
may be found at https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/public-information/policies-and-procedures/data-protection
After 7 days, the research team will anonymise all the personal data it has collected from, or about, you in connection with this research. This is with exception of your consent form, which, will be retained for one year after the dissertation is submitted and may be accessed by members of the research team and, where necessary, by members of the University’s governance and audit teams or by regulatory authorities.
Anonymised information will be kept for a minimum of one year after the dissertation is submitted but may be published in support of the research project and/or retained indefinitely, where it is likely to have continuing value for research purposes.
All personal data will be stored in encrypted storage once collected. Please note that that it will not be possible to withdraw any anonymised data that has already been published, or in some cases, where identifiers are irreversibly removed during the course of a research project.
10. What happens to the data at the end of the research project?
Data collected throughout the research will not be publicly available within or without the University. The data will not be placed in a data repository. Anonymised data may be shared with Planning Aid Wales.
11. What will happen to the results of the research project?
The results of this research project may be published. Participants will not be identified in any report, publication, or presentation, however, verbatim quotes from participants may be used. Participants can request a copy of the dissertation or any subsequent publication by emailing the researcher: [email protected].
12. What if there is a problem?
If you wish to complain or have grounds for concerns about any aspect of the manner in which you have been approached or treated during the course of this research, please contact Matthew Wargent via email: [email protected] . If your complaint is not managed to your satisfaction, please contact the Chair of the School Research Ethics Committee at [email protected].
If you are harmed by taking part in this research project, there are no special compensation arrangements. If you are harmed due to someone’s negligence, you may have grounds for legal action, but you may have to pay for it.
13. Who is organising and funding this research project?
The research is organised by Sam Whitehouse, an MSc student at Cardiff University.
14. Who has reviewed this research project?
This research project has been reviewed and given a favourable opinion by the School Research Ethics Committee at the School of Geography and Planning, Cardiff University.
15. Further information and contact details
Should you have any questions relating to this research project, you may contact us during normal working hours:
Researcher Name: Sam Whitehouse
Researcher Email: [email protected]
Supervisor Name: Matthew Wargent
Supervisor Email: [email protected]
Supervisor Office Contact Number: +44 29208 75281
Supervisor Office Address: 1.52/S Glamorgan Building, King Edward VII Avenue, CF10 3WA Cardiff
Thank you for considering to take part in this research project. If you decide to participate, you will be given a copy of the Participant Information Sheet and a signed consent form to keep for your records.