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Report of the Walford Parish Plan Steering Group
Should you have any comments or questions on the Parish Plan please feel free to contact the
Steering Group using this link. Minutes for the past meetings can be found using the navigation button on the left of the screen.
PARISH PLAN Parish Plan - itself!Here is the Parish Plan that has resulted from all of the hardwork in the community - it is not a document grwon from or by the Council but is a reflection of
the views, preferences and hopes of those living and working in the parish. The next steps will be to start actioning those points highlighted within this document. Walford Parish Plan - click here
Results of Questionnaire The following files show the results of the recent questionnaire:
Front PageSummaryComments MORE BACKGROUND TO PARISH PLANS At a recent conference at Worcester University called "Engaging the Community & Small Business in the
Planning Process" organised by West Midlands Planning Aid (WMPAS) and sponsored by DEFRA, one of the chief topics was Parish Plans. Leading speakers were Deborah White from the Countryside Agency, and Malcolm Reid
of WMPAS. Other local speakers contributed to the debate. Deborah White explained that one of the chief purposes of parish plans was to test local councils' abilities to plan, and to engage their communities by
encouraging them to participate in the process. There is an increasing emphasis on community planning and relationship building both at local level and at the level of the revised national planning framework, with
Local Development Documents replacing Structure Plans (UDPs). This might be regarded as the "top down" process. Parish plans, "the bottom up" process, will look at a planning horizon of 5 – 15 years and
will include all issues that the community feels to be relevant. These will vary from place to place, but nationally the most common ones have been shown to be transport and traffic, sport and recreation, housing,
environment, crime and land use. Parish plans are also strongly linked with local governance. An application by a parish council for quality council status will be treated more favourably if there is a completed
parish plan in existence. The plan will demonstrate that the parish council is attempting to build a better understanding with the unitary authority and a closer relationship between councillors and their
community. Furthermore, parish plans will provide a clear and well-documented expression of what it is that the local community most needs. It will be a catalyst for improvement and desired change. Over
the country as a whole 850 parish councils have started preparing parish plans. The average grant handed out for the purpose by the Countryside Agency is £3,600 but not all parish councils have had grants
approved. Priority has been given to those councils that have never before undertaken such an exercise and to those that have been able to show unique characteristics, for example economic or environmental. Some
131 have already completed and are now moving forward to develop their own action plans for implementing the identified improvements. Further government grants are available to help implement requirements
identified by parish plans. But in addition there is now evidence that private funds providers are themselves coming forward to offer money, having identified parishes through their published parish plans. Some
concern was expressed at the conference that parish plans might find themselves shelved by unitary authorities that have neither the will nor the resources to develop them further. It was generally recognised that
a culture shift is going to be needed if this is to be avoided. But there is clear evidence that such a culture shift is beginning to take place already. More and more there is recognition and acceptance,
among officers and councillors at unitary or county level, that parish plans do serve an important role in the planning process. Even at national level parish plans have been identified as having a vital part to
play in the new planning processes mentioned earlier. Parish plans are catalysts for improvement and change. They are expressions of need, desires and priorities, to be referred to by developers, planners and
all those who need to know what the community wants. But parish planning is a dynamic process, subject to regular review and updating. The parish plan will be the shop window that will present a clear
picture of the way the local community sees the future. Much of it will indeed form Supplementary Planning Guidance, endorsed and authorised by the planning authority. Without the parish plan a local parish
council will remain on unsafe ground in its claim to represent its community. For any parish council armed with it, predatory unitary and regional authorities will need good grounds for ignoring or failing to
recognise what local people have clearly indicated they want. CONCEPT The Walford Parish Council has now given its public commitment to the creation of a Parish Plan.The purpose of the plan (see The Ross Gazette, Thursday April 24th 2003
) is to give the local community (the whole of Walford Parish) the opportunity to create a complete vision for the future development of its area. It will also meet a requirement by central Government that Parish
Councils should assume greater responsibility for local matters. A good Parish Plan is evidence that a Parish is capable of going some way towards meeting its responsibilities and is worthy of increased funding to
provide for its planned needs. The Plan will encompass a whole range of issues and include those things in which people are interested, and which affect their daily lives. The emphasis will be on listening to what
people have to say and eventually setting out those views in a single document. The Plan will eventually be adopted by the County Council as supplementary planning guidance. It will show clearly the aims and
objectives of the Parish community. WHAT ARE WE AIMING TO DO? This is a project for the Parish. Hopefully many people, young and old, will see it as an opportunity to have a say in the way the area develops in the longer term. Instead
of Walford and its surrounding villages developing in a random manner, reacting to changing forces as they occur, we now have the chance of influencing the pattern of development. Consideration can be given to a wide
range of issues and not just where houses should be built. Issues discussed might be about earmarking future open spaces. Should pavements be planned so that people can walk safely along main roads? Where would people
prefer shops to be situated and what would they like to see them sell? Should Village Halls be expanded to provide additional services? Should there be an identifiable centre to Walford and the other main villages, and
if so, how should buildings be planned around them? What particular beauty spots should be preserved for future generations? Should there be a museum in the area to preserve its history? These are the types of questions
that people can address. The first stage of the process will identify those local people who may be interested. We shall want thinkers and doers! Those people who will be particularly valued are those who have the
experience and skills of running meetings, marshalling discussions, getting views and opinions, assembling facts etc. And if they are also capable of using e-mail and have their own computers, they will be even more
sought after. Those who have lived in the area for many years and know it well will also be able to make a valuable contribution. Their services will be required for giving advice and imparting their knowledge.
Additional people will be needed to carry out small-scale studies and to collect data about people's views. This will require people with lots of physical energy as well as "people skills". The
whole process is expected to take at least a year and maybe a lot longer. It may even be a continuing process. If you are interested in becoming involved, either personally or as part of an organisation within the
Walford Parish, send a message and say what you would like to do.
Tell us if you are interested in helping out The project leader for the Parish Plan is Peter Dewhurst with Philip Heath, Marc
Thomas, John Ward and Colin Price as members of the steering group. |
