THE PARISH PLAN
The Winterbournes and Hurdcott Parish Plan 2009
The last lap …
You may have read the article in Salisbury District Council’s very last issue of ‘The Citizen’ on its work with rural communities and ‘the parish planning process’. It is worthwhile reading as it demonstrates the value of preparing a Parish Plan and the solutions to local problems that can be achieved. The Council said that their approach ‘has been designed to help rural communities to drive forward priority schemes for their areas’. Over the last few years, 13 Parishes in South Wiltshire have completed their Plans. The Winterbournes and Hurdcott is just one of the local Parishes currently going through this process. As the new Unitary Authority commences work on 1 April, it was essential that our Plan was completed by the end of March and the Strategic
Planning Group has achieved this goal on your behalf. The last lap commenced just before Christmas with the distribution of a Questionnaire to each household on which everyone could have their say on how they would like to see our villages develop over the next decade. There was a very creditable response rate of over 50%. Following analysis, the Plan has been drawn up from the answers and the results of previous public consultations. The issues highlighted include such diverse concerns as (not entirely unexpectedly!) the problems of the A338/road safety, conservation, school parking and health service provision.
Whilst the Parish Plan can emphasize the areas of concern, it is not in the remit of the authors to carry out the recommendations. Each issue has been prioritised and the relevant authority designated for its implementation.
The Parish Plan is now completed and has been adopted by Winterbourne Parish Council. Annie
Scadden, of Salisbury District Council, has been involved at each stage of preparation to ensure validation. Full copies of the Plan have been sent to relevant official recipients. As promised, a summary version of the Parish Plan will be distributed to all households in the Parish in booklet form in January 2010. The full copy, together with supporting documentation, is available on the village website (see below).
With the completion of the task in the publication of the document, the Strategic Planning Group will be disbanded. Our grateful thanks to everyone who participated in and supported this community project which we trust will be of benefit to us all in future years.
Joan Davies- Brown
Parish Plan Steering Group
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