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Our Parish Plan will be a holistic document bringing together the views, needs
and opinions of the whole community, covering the social, economic and
environmental issues of relevance to you and your local community. If
adopted (either in full or part) by the Parish Council the plan will be used in representing your
interests as residents. This FAQ section aims to answer your most burning
questions about our plan:
In due course, the completed plan will be shown here as well.
1. What exactly is a Parish Plan and who is putting it
together?
A Parish Plan is a government sponsored initiative which encourages villages
to write a plan of their aspirations for their community covering a variety of
topics. Parish plans don’t have a statutory footing but they have been
successful in many communities in raising issues and influencing those who
provide services such as councils
A group of villagers have formed a steering group to produce a parish plan
and liaise with the Parish Council as well as the rural community council for
Essex.
A summary set of slides is available which explains the inception, progress
and current situation of the West Bergholt Parish Plan it can be downloaded
here.
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2. What is the government expecting parishes to do?
The Government’s November 2000 Rural White Paper stated that Parish Plans
should “identify key facilities and services, set out the problems that need to
be tackled and demonstrate how distinctive character and features can be
preserved”. A Parish Plan provides one way to set out a vision for the future of
a Parish.
In order to be most successful a Parish Plan should be adopted by the Parish
Council which will then inform the further work and actions of the council.
After consultation with the villagers it identifies areas of concern,
problems and opportunities and suggests actions needed to achieve that vision.
Local views shape the Parish Plan and it reflects how the community sees itself
and how it wants to develop.
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3. How does the plan fit into other plans for the Colchester
area?
The Plan is not compulsory but it informs those who produce statutory plans
such as Colchester Borough Council which produces Development Plans showing
where new hoses and jobs will be encouraged.
Parish plans also inform other public bodies whether working in isolation or
in partnership such as those engaged in producing Community Strategies or more
specific proposals for a whole range of services from transport to health.
Parish plans form part of a new area of planning which aims to be
“grassroots” in nature fostering localism as the basis for making decisions
based on smaller units of government than has hitherto been used for decision
making.
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4. What aspects of village life are going into the plan and
what will it actually result in?
The Plan is developing eight areas:
- Social and Community Life
- Environment
- Public Amenities
- Shops and Facilities
- Housing and Planning
- Transport
- Community Safety and Crime
- Representation and Council Services
The Plan will have a number of ideas to take forward and some specific
actions. These ideas may be taken on board by the Parish Council, other service
providers or by people in the village itself. Ideas coming forward
include:
- Traffic calming for roads such as New Church Road or Chappel Road
- Somewhere for young people to meet
- More information about bus services
- Provision of cycle routes
- Improved Broadband coverage
- More information about village clubs and societies
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5. How have you gone about finding out what is important to
people in the village?
A number of surveys have been conducted, You may have come across these
through the Village Bulletin which surveyed households in September 2006.
Surveys were also conducted in schools, businesses, village organisations and at
local drop in events at the Village Hall and Village Fayre.
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6. Can I see the results of the consultations?
Yes. Copies of the survey forms, questionnaire results and reports are available
for download as follows:
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7. Do you have a timetable for preparing the Plan and what are
the key stages?
Yes. Our timetable and listing of key activities are shown
here.
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8. How does the Steering Group work and can I get involved
with the plan?
The Steering Group consists of 5 village people and meets monthly.
We welcome the involvement of those who want to play a practical role in
developing and publishing the plan. Please contact the Chairman (Chris
Stevenson: chrisstevenson@beeb.net) or the Secretary (Catherine Bailey:
catherine@bailey72.co.uk if you want to get involved.
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9. Where can I find out more about Parish Plans?
Information from Defra:
http://www.defra.gov.uk/rural/communities/parish-planning.htm
Information from the RCCE:
http://www.essexrcc.org.uk/community_led_planning-welcome.asp
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10. I want to make a suggestion, how do I do this?
We welcome suggestions on a number of topics in particular against specific
action areas as listed here:
- Social and Community Life - General
attractions about life in the village; range of community clubs and
societies; availability of recreational activities and range of events and
pastimes for all ages.
- Environment - Quality of open
spaces; rights of way and access to the countryside. Problems with noise,
pollution and litter.
- Public Amenities - Access to
services such as health care and the quality of services such as road
maintenance, street cleaning, street lighting and the like.
- Shops and Facilities - Adequacy of
shops and other local services such as banking and postal services.
- Housing/Planning - Levels of
existing housing, housing type; need for further housing in the future.
- Transport - Adequacy of road access
and public transport services. Also quality of walking and cycling
environments; road safety matters; parking.
- Community Safety and Crime -
Perceptions of safety, incidence of crime and levels of policing.
- Representation and Council Services
- How well the village voice is represented by the Parish Council and how
easy it is to obtain information and services from Colchester Borough
Council and Essex County Council.
If you would like to make a suggestion just fill in the form below and click
send:
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