The aim of the thesis: to design the model of the consulting process of the preparation of development plans of municipalities and recommendations for the improvement of the advisory process of the preparation of development plans of municipalities. Tasks: 1. To carry out the theoretical analysis of the organisation of the development plan designing process and establish the main problems of practical designing as well as the defects of the organisation of this process; 2. To analyse the theoretical methods of consultation organisation and their place in the preparation of municipal development plans; 3. To carry out the analysis of the advisory process of the preparation of municipal development plans; 4. By employing a questionnaire survey, to find out the opinion of representatives from municipalities on the issues of consultations on the preparation of strategic development plans; 5. On the basis of the theoretical and practical researches, to establish the role of a consultant in the preparation of strategic development plans of municipalities and submit a summarised model of the advisory process concerning the preparation of development plans as well as recommendations for the improvement of this process. Research object of the paper is the advisory process of the preparation of strategic development plans of municipalities. During the process of research, material on the role of consulting in preparing development plans was collected from municipalities and analysed... [to full text]