NEIGHBOURHOOD PLANNING AND THE LOCALISM BILL

NEIGHBOURHOOD PLANNING AND THE LOCALISM BILL

The Localism bill is aimed at de-centralising power from Central Government and bringing it back to Communities and local government.The Localism Act takes power from central government and hands it back to local authorities and communities giving them the freedom and flexibility to achieve their own ambitions

There are 5 key areas the Localism Act covers:This is the one we are able to get involved with (primarily) local people will have genuine opportunities to influence the future of where they live.

THE PURPOSE OF THE FORUMWe believe it will give us the opportunity to make sure that the right amount of homes are built, and when planning applications are put forward, they are in the locations which we, as a village have identified, consulted & agreed on. It will give us the ability to protect and enhance the village with its listed buildings, historic setting, green space, rural nature and diverse environment and to guide the future of what we consider to be a thriving community. We hope youll agree that its worth the effort well be working for the future generations!

To us, its not only about planning where the houses can goIts about finding out the factsThinking ecologically and protecting our wonderful countrysideWorking out how many houses well really need, how we want the houses to look, to be sensitive to their surroundings and the impact they have on the environment Being realistic when weighing up the positives v negatives, and not ignoring things which are important to all of usEnsuring that we have enough spaces in the schools & doctors to accommodate village growthMaintaining our village identityEnsuring that we dont have to drive for miles to access servicesProtecting our public transportEnsuring its possible to continue all the wonderful community groups were so lucky to have on offer in the village. Looking after people, and trying to make sure that needed services are available to them, somehow.

TIME LINE

Taking it forward

Why Its Important to make our decisions nowThree main reasons for getting involved in the Village Forum at this stage.

It is much easier to make decisions about how we want our village and our community to evolve, when we are working in a positive frame of mind. What we need, what we want, and what wed like to happen.There will inevitably be pressures from the outside, maybe county, maybe district council pressures in the future, about planning, education, transport, and other services. If we already have a template for the village, we can see not only whether any proposals actually fit what we want, but how we may be able to negotiate to build on the proposals so that in the end we get what we want.Not every village is going to bother with a village forum. We have already shown how Westcott can work together, to oppose an unwelcome planning application. If you were a planner, or a council trying to force unwelcome change onto a community in Mole Valley, would you choose one which already had a detailed plan of what was acceptable, or would you opt for a village that hadnt woken up to its danger? We must let the authorities know that we, the people living in our village, know what is best for its future.

MAP OF OUR WARD

SOME FACTS ABOUT OUR COMMUNITY:

DID YOU KNOW 2,256 PEOPLE LIVE IN OUR COMMUNITY?20% OF OUR COMMUNITY ARE 15 YEARS AND UNDER10% OF OUR COMMUNITY ARE 75 YEARS AND OVER

CRIME RATE IS LOWER THAN THE NATIONAL AVERAGE

1.2% OF PEOPLE OF WORKING AGE ARE UNEMPLOYED THERE ARE 955 HOMES IN OUR COMMUNITY77% OF HOMES ARE OWNER-OCCUPIEDTHERE ARE 44 LISTED HISTORIC BUILDINGS

MOLE VALLEYS ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT IS 3 TIMES HIGHER THAN THE NATIONAL AVERAGE

THE SHORT SURVEY REVEALED THAT YOU LIKE:

EASY ACCESS TO THE COUNTRYSIDEVILLAGE IDENTITY SEPARATE FROM DORKINGGOOD FACILITIES, SHOPS AND SERVICESSTRONG COMMUNITY SPIRITA SAFE PLACE TO RAISE CHILDREN

THE SHORT SURVEY REVEALED THAT YOU DISLIKE:

LACK OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT IN THE EVENINGS AND ON SUNDAYSFOOTPATH AND CYCLE PATH ISSUES TO DORKINGTHREAT OF DEVELOPMENT INTO COUNTRYSIDELITTER

LACK OF PARKING SPACES AND CROWDED RESIDENTIAL ROADSTHE HEAVY FAST TRAFFIC RUNNING THROUGH THE VILLAGEDOGS FOULING PAVEMENTSINCONSIDERATE CYCLISTSPOOR MOBILE AND BROADBAND CONNECTION SPEEDS

WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE IN WESTCOTT?

TRAFFIC CALMING?MORE OR LESS HOUSING DEVELOPMENT?RESIDENTIAL ROAD CHANGES/IMPROVEMENTS?MORE RECREATIONAL FACILITIES FOR ALL AGES?MORE GRIT BOXES?

- ITS YOUR VILLAGE- HAVE YOUR SAY- FILL IN YOUR FULL SURVEY IN 2013- SUPPORT THE SUCCESSFUL EVOLUTION OF WESTCOTT VILLAGE

BIKE RACKS?PARKING MEASURES?

HELP

The Forum The Forum will be made up of 21 members, all of whom will be volunteers, who need to represent different sections of the Westcott community this way, we can ensure everyone has a voice. The purpose is to receive and digest information on local community demographics, helping to establish village needs for the next 10 years and eventually make the policies which will guide Westcott forward well into the next decade, in a way we all agree on. Neighbourhood forums will lead the creation of neighbourhood plans, supported by the local planning authority. Once written the plan will be independently examined and put to a referendum of local people for approval. It will go to a vote, where depending on the outcome (50% approval by local voters) it will become an adopted policy which the local council have to use.

The Working PartyThere will be a need for another group the working party who will be responsible for collecting the data which is needed, from all sorts of places weve made a start with the village questionnaire (which 10% of the village population completed). This work will continue with the Village Survey. There will be lots of research, analysis, and report writing to be done all of which will be passed to the Neighbourhood Forum for them to digest! volunteers at the ready - please support your community to do something positive for its future generations.

We need to represent the whole community otherwise it wont be possible to take this forward. We will need at least 21 representatives from the community including:CommutersFamiliesElderlyRetiredBusinessesLand ownersHomeownersSocial Housing residentsPrivate residentsAnyone elseWe are also looking for people who are Skill Based with potentially the following skills:Data researchAnalysis of dataReport writingComputer inputProject planningExperience in planning processExperience in local government Experience in contract/policy writingMarketingCommunicationsConference co-ordination & deliveryAdministrationPublic speaking

Becoming a Forum VolunteerWe will need plenty of volunteers to achieve this goal

Would you like to take part?Are you interested in taking part in:A - The Neighbourhood Forum?B - Working Party?If so fill in a form and hand to a volunteer.