Planner-led community and stakeholder engagement
Engagement for planning, infrastructure and adaptation.
We design and deliver community and stakeholder engagement that meaningfully shapes planning, infrastructure and adaptation outcomes: led by planners, grounded in lived experience, and built for the long term.
Planner-led engagement, by design
Engagement designed and delivered by people who understand statutory and strategic planning, infrastructure sequencing and risk, so insights translate into tangible planning and design outcomes, not reports that sit in a drawer.
$6M+
Secured for implementation after three unanimously adopted CBD master plans.
15%
Increase in laneway utilisation following the YCK Laneways pilot.
About
Boutique practice. Planning depth.
Founded in 2023 by Nicole Dennis, Cobalt Engagement specialises in community and stakeholder engagement for strategic planning, master planning, infrastructure and climate adaptation. The practice competes on depth, not volume: fewer projects, director-level involvement, and bespoke methods tailored to each community and place.
We work face-to-face with people. We listen. We treat lived experience and local knowledge as the foundations of forward-thinking planning, and we make sure the conversation includes those often excluded from traditional consultation: young people, people with disability, people from diverse cultural backgrounds, and women and gender-diverse people.
- Director-led on every project
- Tailored methods for each community and place
- Approved supplier: NSW Government Performance and Management Services Scheme and NSW Local Government Procurement Panel
Acknowledgement of Country
We support a Caring for Country approach in all our work and acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the lands on which we work and live; we are grateful for their continuing care and connection to culture, community, land, sea and sky.
How we work
Four principles, every project.
Four principles structure every engagement we design. They’re the reason clients come back, and communities feel genuinely heard.
01
Collaborate
We work alongside clients, communities and stakeholders to achieve shared goals. Our inclusive, transparent approach builds trust and the long-term relationships that meaningful engagement depends on.
02
Cooperate
As a planner-led firm, we take a big-picture view and know when to step back and support others in achieving shared place-based goals. We bridge local knowledge and technical expertise across every stage of the planning process.
03
Community
Adaptive, resilient communities begin with listening. We treat lived experience and local knowledge as the foundation of forward-thinking planning, and we see ourselves as caretakers of the stories communities entrust to us.
04
Co-design
Co-design is more than a buzzword for us. We balance perspectives and invite the people most affected to actively shape outcomes, so projects do not just address a challenge, they become part of the local story.
What we do
Four service pillars.
Cobalt integrates community and place-led approaches into urban and regional planning, policy, public domain design, activation and economic recovery. As experienced planners, the team designs and leads complex technical workshops in accessible formats.
Community & Stakeholder Engagement
Research, facilitation and analysis designed to shape outcomes, not just document sentiment.
- Engagement and communications strategy
- Surveys, focus groups and workshops
- Research and insights
- Co-design and facilitation
- Walkshops and lived-experience audits
- Children’s and youth engagement
- Community panels and reference groups
Resilience & Adaptation
Engagement and planning for climate adaptation, preparedness, disaster recovery and community resilience.
- Resilience and adaptation planning
- Place resilience design briefs
- Preparedness and recovery plans
- Climate adaptation strategy
- Capacity building and training
- Community-led recovery programs
- Co-design with at-risk communities
Urban & Regional Planning
Planner-led engagement for CBD strategies, housing plans, master plans and the night-time economy.
- Place plans and placemaking strategy
- CBD, development and master plan engagement
- Strategic planning and policy
- Night-time economy strategy
- Special Entertainment Precinct advisory
- Engagement for renewable energy projects
Creative & Digital Engagement
Arts, digital and audiovisual tools applied where they meaningfully strengthen the engagement process.
- Creative engagement and activation
- Public art and placemaking integration
- Video reports and case studies
- HTML and interactive digital reports
- Social media and community comms
- Audio and immersive engagement tools
- Artist and creative partnerships
Projects
Selected work.
Cobalt specialises in three areas: strategic and master planning and major projects, resilience and adaptation, and placemaking and the 24-hour economy. The projects below show one from each.
Featured · Strategic Planning
Gilgandra Local Planning and Masterplanning
Tailored regional engagement strategy across surveys, in-person community workshops, drop-ins, stakeholder interviews and councillor sessions, including specialised youth engagement. The work directly informed the CBD Masterplan, Housing Strategy update, Aero Park Place Plan and new residential land planning.
Outcome: strong community support through public exhibition, with workshops and submissions analysis building genuine local confidence in the housing strategy.
15%
YCK Laneways CID Pilot
Transport for NSW
Lighting public artwork and Safer Cities Walkshops improving safety for women, girls and gender-diverse people, contributing to a 15% increase in laneway utilisation and a significant rise in perceptions of safety.
$6M+
Bellingen, Dorrigo & Urunga Master Plans
Bellingen Shire Council
Co-design and engagement for three CBD master plans involving nearly 1,000 participants (5.6% of the LGA population). All three plans unanimously adopted, with over $6M secured for implementation.
SEP
Manly Special Entertainment Precinct
Northern Beaches Council
Precinct working-group leadership shaping the future of Manly’s nightlife and establishing clear measures of success across the two-year SEP Trial.
More projects
Also on the board.
Bass Offshore Wind (BOWE)
Offshore wind community engagement strategy
Murray River Adverse Event Plan
Disaster preparedness and recovery
Campsie Street Festival 2022
Winner, Best Main Street Activation 2023
Surry Hills @Play
Place activation strategy
Ginninderry People & Place Group
Nicole Dennis was Chair from 2020-22
Inner West PRCUTS
Community engagement for housing rezoning
Team
Senior-led, specialist and compact.
Our experienced team comes from diverse backgrounds across the built environment, planning, community development and the arts, bringing the depth and respect that meaningful engagement requires.
Nicole Dennis
Founder & Director
Urban and regional planner with 20 years of experience in engagement, strategic planning, placemaking and resilience-based regeneration. Founded Cobalt Engagement to design bespoke approaches that build trust while ensuring engagement leads to meaningful inputs for decision-makers. Co-Chair, ULI Women’s Leadership Initiative, and Committee Member, PIA Women’s Planning Network.
James Peter Brown
Creative Director
Composer, sound designer and creative director with over 20 years across theatre, film, dance, VR and installation. Shapes creative direction at Cobalt, integrating artists, digital tools, activation and public art into engagement methodology.
Morgan Hannan
Resilience, Design & Engagement Senior Manager
Urban and regional planner and urban designer with a decade of international experience across engagement, placemaking, community and economic development, and project management. Specialises in data analysis and storytelling, translating local knowledge into actionable strategy.
Mia Stevens
Community Engagement & Sustainability Assistant
Bachelor of Sustainable Communities (Distinction). Supports the organisation and facilitation of in-person and online engagement, community building, analysis and report writing. Brings warmth and strong interpersonal skills to every engagement.
Gemma Edwards
Adaptation Planning & Engagement Manager
Designs and delivers engagement processes that help communities and governments articulate where they are, where they want to be, and how to track progress in terms meaningful to them. Place-based knowledge is the richest evidence a community holds.
Contact
Let’s work together.
We partner with regional and metropolitan councils, state governments, developers, infrastructure clients and precinct collectives.
Nicole Dennis
Founder & Director
nicole.dennis@cobaltengagement.com
Greenhouse Tech Hub
Level 3, Salesforce Tower
180 George Street, Sydney NSW 2000
