Press Ctrl+F5
simultaneously to
check page is
updated
Salhouse Parish Plan
Background
Now that a large part of Salhouse
village is a Conservation Area, Broadland District Council has actively
encouraged the Parish Council to initiate the work on a Parish Plan, which, if
adopted by the Council, can influence decisions made under the new Local
Development Framework procedure that will be introduced in the near future.
The Parish Plan should not to be written by the Parish Council but by a Steering
Group (SG) made up of villagers and drawn together by the Parish Council.
What is a Parish Plan ?
Parish Plans are part of the Countryside Agency’s “Vital Villages” initiative.
The Government wants local communities to take more control of their own lives,
to say what they want doing in their own neighbourhoods and to engage with other
powers to get it done.
The Parish Plan sets a framework for communities to plan their own futures. It
should set out a vision for how the community wants to develop and identify the
actions needed to achieve it.
It should include everything that is relevant to the people who live and work in
the community, from employment and playgrounds to the design of new buildings
and protection of hedges and ponds. They can also include any social,
environmental or economic issues.
In essence, the Parish Plan:
- Reflects the views of all sections of the community
- Identifies which features and local characteristics people value
- Identifies local problems and opportunities
- Spells out how residents want the community to develop in the future
- Prepares a plan of action to achieve this vision and this includes:
- Action which the parish itself proposes to undertake;
- Policies, decisions and action carried out by bodies that the plan might
influence.
Who is involved in the writing of the Parish Plan
The Steering Group actually writes the Parish Plan but the Parish Plan belongs
to the community and therefore we need to involve everyone in the community:
- who lives or works or plays some part in the community.
- who has an impact on what goes on in the community.
We need to involve the outside bodies we wish to influence.
It is particularly important to include people who traditionally are unable to
involve themselves in parish affairs, eg. Young people, senior citizens, less
able-bodied people, people living in outlying areas (eg. Station Road) and
people who work shifts or long hours.
Where do we go from here?
The Parish Council need to make sure there are enough people interested and
willing to help and the decision to go ahead needs to be made jointly with the
community.
The community needs to be fully informed and involved right from the beginning.
In this respect, the key is plenty of good publicity. This will be achieved
through the proposed village web site, through village meetings, consultations
with village bodies, notice boards and through SAGA magazine.
The Parish Council will approach nominated villagers and ask them to be part of
the formed Steering Group which will drive the project forward with the full
support of the Parish Council. At least 1, and hopefully 2 Parish councillors
will sit with the Steering Group.
The Steering Group will be given grants to enable outside professional
consultations to take place.
The final report will be written and submitted to the Broadland District
Council.
In Summary
The Parish Plan is potentially very wide ranging and is the way forward for the
village for at least 10years. Hence, the research and consultation needs to be
searching and in-depth to make the final produced document one that is accepted
by the District Council as a worthy consultative document for future local
planning. It is also an excellent vehicle for obtaining grants for projects in
the village.
It is absolutely essential that the village, all the village, not just that
within the Conservation Area, gets involved in determining how we see Salhouse
in the future. There is great potential to improve the quality of life in the
village, to influence local decisions and to maintain those qualities we value
so highly in this village.
The Parish Council will be seeking your interest, suggestions, comments and
support in the early phase prior to setting up the Steering Group.
The Steering Group will be seeking consultation with every activity and group
organisation, every age group and business, and many others in writing the Plan.
It will need your commitment if we are to succeed in producing a document of
real value to the village.
Please support your village of Salhouse.
Look to the future.
Involve yourself in the future and, in the future, benefit from your involvement
and your commitment.