Was stakeholder consultation carried out effectively and were stakeholder views fully taken into account in the study recommendations?
• ES17 We believe that the stakeholder consultation activities have been a useful component of the multi-modal study process. Specifically, the steering group and wider reference group consultation activities were particularly useful, and a number of the consultants have commented that the studies could not have been carried out without input from the steering group and the wider reference group. • ES18 Public consultation and awareness-raising activities were also an important part of the MMS process. However, with the exception of smaller area studies, many stakeholders indicated that the public’s contribution to developing strategies and recommendations was less significant than the contributions of the steering and wider reference groups. • ES19 For future strategic studies we believe that there is a need to shift the emphasis away from public consultation and towards awareness-raising and the provision of information for the public, which would normally take place later in the stu
