Beaudesert & Henley-in-Arden Joint Parish Council

This document presents the objectives, methodology and findings of a project undertaken on behalf of residents of the Joint Parish of Beaudesert and Henley-in-Arden.

The Committee elected to steer this vital project for the community of Henley included Parish Councillors and other volunteers and functioned as a Parish Council Committee.

For detailed reading this document should be viewed alongside the reports on the 1999 Parish Appraisal and 2002 Village Design Statement.

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 General Objectives

It is the intention of the Joint Parish Council to achieve Quality Parish status and as such it will have to produce an action plan defining a basis for the future direction of its activities. As a stage in this process, a Parish Plan is a document setting out how a community sees itself developing over the next few years and its findings are to be used in drawing up the action plan.

There are no rules prescribing exactly what should be included in or excluded from a Parish Plan. However, its central task is to use a democratic process to identify local problems and opportunities and to set out achievable aims, including a plan of action for the future. Its findings are to be established by consulting the community. It thus provides a vision of the future – where the Parish wants to be in five or ten years time - and forms a democratically-defined framework to inform local Council (Parish and District) agendas for the future. With the Parish Council's endorsement it becomes automatically the "action plan" to which the Parish Council should be working.

1.2 Previous Studies

Two previous exercises relevant to this project have already been completed and their results and recommendations formally adopted by Beaudesert and Henley-in-Arden Joint Parish Council, Stratford-on-Avon District Council and Warwickshire County Council. The two documents are:

• The Parish Appraisal, a study commenced in April 1998 and concluded with a report dated September 1999, setting out statistical results and the conclusions and recommendations drawn from them. The Appraisal was based upon a parish-wide questionnaire covering the 3,200 residents and 150 business interests in the parish and commanded an overall response of 72%.

• The Village Design Statement, launched in April 2000 and concluded with a report in June 2001 canvassed residents' views on the aesthetic and structural features of the town which contribute to its unique and historic character. 133 residents were voluntarily involved in the stages of this high-profile project.

Both studies followed the appropriate process guidelines set out by Stratford District Council and by other government publications. In the final analysis they proved to be complementary and in terms of many key issues, such as development, served to confirm each others' findings. The adoption of both documents by Stratford-on-Avon District Council gives them both the status of Supplementary Planning Guidance for that Council.

1.3 The Parish Plan

In view of the solidity of the two earlier reports, the approach taken for the Parish Plan has been as follows:

a) To determine statistically:

· Whether or not the demographic characteristics of the settlement have changed significantly since the 1999 Appraisal and:

· Whether or not the highest-profile issues have significantly changed relative to the findings of the Appraisal and the Village Design Statement..

b) To identify changes in needs and wishes, for instance where former needs have been satisfied in the intervening time.

c) Using widespread consultation with residents, to draw out an up-to-date view of what is of most concern to the community.

d) To draw out a new list of actions and guiding principles to ensure that policy and its implementation are on track to satisfy the needs and wishes of an enlightened and well-informed community.

The testing of earlier findings is a method expressly suggested in Countryside Agency guidelines for situations where appraisals and/or design statements have already been completed.

Far from being simply the end of a Parish Plan project, this document is intended to provide a basis for the beginning of a sustained and focussed programme of action aimed at addressing the primary concerns of the community. Section 7 of this report provides the framework for that programme.

2. OVERVIEW

The Parish Plan project concluded that the matters most in need of continuing supervision fall into two groups:

A. Preservation and enhancement of the settlement and its surroundings in terms of character and safety and the preservation of a pleasant environment.

This has implications in the areas of building design and density, the use of land and the structural development of the town as a whole.

B. Improvement in transport, security, education, child care, leisure, sport and health provisions.

Action in these areas will involve many agencies and the use of services not under the direct control of Parish, District or County Council authority.

Progress under the above general headings needs to be supported by structured monitoring against the declared objectives of the Plan. This in turn should provide a basis for routine reporting to the community in such a way that progress and problems encountered can be understood and shared.

3. HISTORY AND CHARACTER OF THE SETTLEMENT

3.1 The Built Environment

Both the Parish Appraisal and Village Design Statement reports tackle this subject in some detail. In essence, in spite of rapid post-war development the town has been able to preserve its general character as an historic strip market town with clearly-understood medieval origins. However, Henley is already strongly established as a dormitory town for people employed elsewhere (see 3.3 below) and there exists a threat of development pressure from the southward expansion of Birmingham. The High Street contains a rich and diverse mix of architectural styles and building materials, with a high proportion of listed properties spanning 600 years. Situated, as it is, on an important through route, the town remains under tangible pressure from traffic, with the attendant problems of the availability and control of parking.

3.2 Boundaries

Much of the town's built area, including the whole of the High Street lies within the Henley Conservation Area. The Green Belt is defined by the railway line on the Western side. The Eastern boundary is formed by River Alne in the Northern half of the town and by the existing built area in the Southern half. Maps included in the Appraisal show the Conservation Area and Green Belt boundaries.

3.3 Population and Employment

Henley's population has doubled in the last fifty years and currently stands at about 3,200. Simultaneously, certain types of employment, notably manufacturing, have swung away from the town. Three quarters of Henley's working population are employed elsewhere: conversely, three quarters of Henley's jobs are occupied by people who commute in from elsewhere. Businesses in the town itself are increasingly in the fields of financial and professional services.

4. METHODOLOGY

4.1 Testing earlier surveys:

Both the Appraisal and the Village Design Statement gave unambiguous views of what residents regarded as important for the future. These subjects were those which displayed the highest degree of unanimity among respondents to the Appraisal questionnaire and they were in many instances supported by the findings of the Village Design Statement.

However, for the Parish Plan project and recognising that time has moved on, it was felt that these views should now be tested to determine to what extent they were still truly representative of views now held. This called for two types of question to be put to a sample of residents, namely:

• Questions about the population's demographics - numbers, household size, age, sex, housing situation, work, etc.

• Questions about Henley, its character and its services.

From the Appraisal results the high-unanimity questions were extracted to construct a new, shorter questionnaire. This new questionnaire had 22 questions, compared with the 74 of the original (1999) Appraisal questionnaire.

4.2 The test sample

With the guidance of Warwickshire County Council's Statistical Department it was determined that a sample of 100 residents (representing about 5% of the original respondent total for the Appraisal) would suffice to give a reliable indication of any swing in opinions about the salient issues raised in both of the earlier projects.

Candidates were selected by taking every twenty-fifth entry in the electoral rolls for Henley and Beaudesert. The participants were thus randomly distributed across the town by virtue of the way in which the electoral register is constructed (by street, alphabetically), and there should be no bias as to the "type" of respondent.

The questionnaire was completed by these candidates during February and March 2003.

The numeric answers, comparing the Appraisal score for each question with the result for the Parish Plan questionnaire, are shown in the tables of Appendix 1.

5. CONSULTATION

The Parish Plan committee has taken the utmost care to provide residents with opportunities to get involved in the process of preparing the Plan, or, at least, to ensure that their views are heard. The main stages in the consultation process were as set out here:

5.1 Launch Meeting

A well-publicised launch meeting initiated by the Parish Council and attended by 40 people was held on 24 October 2002, to raise awareness and to canvass helpers. About thirty local societies were invited to this meeting by the Parish Council Chairman and many were represented.

The meeting set out by way of a formal presentation the case for preparing a Parish Plan, outlining how the project could be funded and what the stages would be. By means of a "game" in which syndicates attached ranking to a list of topics, a first useful guide was obtained as to the sensitive subjects in residents' minds.

A list of 22 willing helpers was also recruited at the meeting and a working committee was appointed to take matters forward.

5.2 Young People

In order to engage with the needs and aspirations of younger members of the community, committee members attended the High School, where views of pupils were sought. A summary of the findings is included in Appendix 1 (ii).

5.3 Main Public Meeting

A second public meeting was held in September 2003. Individual invitations were sent to all electors for this meeting – see Appendix 2 - resulting in an excellent response with 170 people present at the meeting. Individual wishes were explored and recorded with a view to establishing anecdotal support for the final findings of the project.

5.4 Surgeries

Subsequently to this meeting, ideas tabulated were listed and placed in twelve locations for residents to consider what had been raised and to provide an opportunity for comments. Open "surgeries" were then held at the Blue Bell Inn to enable Parish Plan committee members to take final questions and note responses to issues raised.

5.5 Visibility

Throughout the project, local awareness was maintained with articles, notices of meetings and progress updates in each issue of the Parish Newsletter: an example is attached as Appendix 3. Posters in the town were used to announce the main public meeting.

5.6 Specific observations

Comments made during public meeting and surgeries are summarised in Appendix 4.

5.7 Advice

Apart from the Countryside Agency's guidelines meetings were held with the Rural Communities Council to seek advice on possible bodies who might be engaged to help with implementation work. These dialogues were very constructive and the agencies suggested are attached as Appendix 5.

6. SURVEY FINDINGS

In this section the results of the sample questionnaire and comparisons with the 1999 findings are taken in sample question number sequence and reference should be made to Appendices 1which show the results in table format.

The paragraphs following highlight those matters which continue to receive a high degree of unanimity. Only those key issues are incorporated into the Action plan set out later.

6.1 Demographics, housing, employment: questions 1 to 6 inclusive

The age and sex distributions for the 1999 Appraisal population and the 2003 sample are almost identical, with no detectable overall trend. Similarly, household sizes remain little changed and with no general trend. The level of housing need remains at a low level (1.5%) although clearly for those concerned this may be a serious issue. In summary, the population is predominantly but not entirely home and car owning. 10% are residents of less than two years' standing and 9% have never lived anywhere else. Just under half are employed: 10% are self-employed. 33% are retired, a situation reflected in some of the subsequent responses to questions about safety and security.

6.2 Public transport: questions 7 and 8

Percentage responses confirm that views on this topic have not changed since 1999.

Bus services appear to be relatively little used for commuting to work but are used more widely for shopping and social or leisure transport. Commuting by train is more common (8%) but still at a low level, presumably reflecting car ownership and use. Better evening services to and from Birmingham are at the top of the list of young people's wishes – see Question 23 and later comments.

6.3 Development: questions 9 to 12 inclusive

The sample confirms the 1999 finding that there remain very strong prejudices against:

• Large scale industrial development (81% opposing)
• Further housing generally (78% opposing)
• Erosion of the Green Belt (68% opposing, with a further 22% prepared to agree to Green Belt release only under special circumstances)
• Release of existing employment sites for other use (81% opposing such release).

The Village Design Statement set out residents' collective views about the need to retain the unique character of the town's historically mixed buildings. Factors such as density, design, the use of building materials, signage and roadside details and the impact on visibility of the surrounding countryside are raised as being of real significance in the acceptability of any further development.

Any large-scale development in prospect should be rigorously tested against the criteria expressed by the community. On the face of it the prejudice against large scale (perhaps confused with "heavy") industrial – and to a lesser extent office or commercial – development flies in the face of the wish to retain and attract employment – see Question 13 and 14. Anecdotally this appears to be because Henley has never been a natural home for heavy industry – still viewed by many as characterised by smoke-stacks.

6.4 Factors affecting the environment: questions 13 and 14

This covers many subjects but all are factors bearing on the quality of life in and around the town. Results for both questions are a close fit with views expressed in 1999. The wish to retain the character of the settlement is reflected in the higher scores under this heading – 84% support for protection of the countryside (which tallies with the views on the Green Belt), 62% support for provisions for recreational activity and 57% support for local employment.

Other important factors under this heading include the impact of traffic (its reduction in volume and speed, provision and control of parking), public transport services and pedestrian safety.

6.5 Local Information: question 15

Opinions on this subject are little changed. Over 70% of respondents feel that information available about what is going on in Henley is adequate or good – to the credit of the Parish Council and other local organisations.

6.6 Services: questions 16 to 18 inclusive

Under the heading of emergency services there is a widely held view that policing has far too low a profile to be effective against the common minor irritations such as vandalism. This is confirmed to a moderate extent by the questionnaire results which record that only 14% view policing as wholly satisfactory.

Retail and other High Street services – banks, take-aways, the Library, the Market, the Post office, pubs, restaurants and shops are routinely or occasionally used by between 70 and 96% of respondents. A desire for further shops has been raised during consultations but it is acknowledged that the intitiative for these would depend upon the retailer.

There continues to be widespread support (76%, much as in 1999) for the view that the Market is good for Henley.

6.7 Education and Child Care: question 19

There remains a moderate level of support for better evening class provisions for adults and for after-school clubs, as in 1999

6.8 Sport and Leisure: questions 20 to 23 inclusive

Participation in local sport remains a minority (27%) activity. 80% of respondents – as in 1999 – said that they would make regular or occasional use of a public swimming pool if one existed.

A majority (74%, much as in 1999) wished for more open leisure space. It is not clear to what extent this reflects a lack of knowledge about open space improvements made in the last four years (the Riverlands, the Jubilee Play Area).

The views of teenagers have been carefully canvassed as described in 5.2 above. By far the most widely-expressed wish was for better evening bus services to and from Birmingham. This was followed by better sports facilities (but existing facilities seems to be under-used – see above) and more frequent access to the Youth Club and provision of a coffee bar and skateboard park. The last of these is the subject of a well-advanced project. The approval ratings for these subjects confirm the 1999 result.

7. ACTION PLAN

7.1 Preface

This section sets out a framework for the Parish Council's Action plan with an assumed horizon of five years. The content of the Plan is drawn from the salient subjects and questionnaire results in Section 6 of this report.

It is worded in such a way that it forms a draft statement of intent which the Parish Council can, after careful consideration, publish as its Action plan.

Some of the tasks listed here could be placed under other headings – for instance the retention of employment sites relates to employment and to planning.

The Parish Council will continue to welcome the support and assistance of volunteers on working parties set up to tackle the tasks implicit in the Plan.

7.2 Information: monitoring and reporting to the community

The Parish Council will put in place a monitoring process by which the Council can present to the community an up-to-date statement of the progress made towards the declared objectives. This reporting process will be:

• Short but precise

• In a standardised format

• Produced quarterly

• Readily available to all sectors of the community.

NB. The design of this procedure is critical: once established its format and frequency should not change.

7.3 Planning, the environment and the use of land

a) The Parish Council will resist green belt erosion as a fixed and permanent policy

b) It will strive to protect open space within the boundary of the town and to stand against further backland or riverland development within the existing town boundary.

c) It will strive to ensure that new development receiving consent is truly need-driven.

d) In considering planning applications (at whatever stage) the Parish Council will ensure that the design criteria set out in the Village Design Statement are automatically referred to and as far as possible enforced in respect of planning - the use of land, building style, colour, density and height, the town's structure and access to open spaces and signage.

e) The Parish Council will encourage an appropriate level of social housing in new developments.

f) The Parish Council will exert influence on the content of the next Local Plan and next Structure Plan to ensure that the above criteria are reflected.

7.4 Employment and business

a) The Parish Council will press at all times for the retention of existing employment sites for employment purposes.

b) It will seek to encourage and attract business and employment to the town and to support the facilities which make the town an attractive location for businesses, including those in the retail sector.

7.5 Security and Safety

a) In collaboration with Warwickshire Police the Parish Council will seek to agree an achievable higher level of policing for the town, with the objective of greater security, pedestrian safety, control of vandalism and of traffic behaviour, including parking.

b) It will set time targets, agreed with the Police force, for achievement of that better police presence and will press continually for its achievement.

7.6 Public Transport

a) The Parish Council will continue to stay abreast of current transport needs and to take appropriate steps to ensure that as far as possible they are met, taking particular note of the needs of the elderly, the partially sighted and young people.

b) In consultations with public transport service providers it will press for commitment to a defined, achievable level of improvement to match demand within the five year time frame of this Plan.

7.7 Education, sport and leisure

a) The Parish Council will promote and encourage the wider use of existing recreational facilities.

b) It will encourage and support projects aimed at upgrading the quality and scope of existing recreational facilities in the town.

7.8 Specific high-profile issues not featured in statistical results

Subjects included here are based on comments made during consultations.

a) The Parish Council will press for the retention of the attractive character of the railway station, notably its Victorian façade, to be preserved within any plan for development of the site, as called for in the Village Design Statement.

b) The Parish Council will continue to pursue the long-term retention of the Market and to support infrastructure improvements relevant to that aim.

c) Within the limits of its influence and authority the Parish Council will continue to support the High School in its quest for better funding for general refurbishment.

Appendix 1

BEAUDESERT AND HENLEY-IN-ARDEN PARISH PLAN 2004

RESULTS OF SAMPLE QUESTIONNAIRE

NOTE: ALL PERCENTAGES ARE EXPRESSED AS PERCENT OF RESPONDENTS ON THE PARTICULAR QUESTION EXCEPT WHERE STATED

DEMOGRAPHICS: AGE AND SEX

Figures are actual numbers and calculated percentages

Q1

		1999 result				2003 result
Ages	Males	Females	%M	%F	Males	Females	%M	%F
0-4	41	43	4.40	3.67	2	6	2.15	6.74
5-10	75	55	8.05	4.69	5	6	5.38	6.74
11-15	66	65	7.08	5.55	11	4	11.83	4.49
16-17	27	29	2.90	2.47	3	2	3.23	2.25
18-24	46	49	4.94	4.18	7	6	7.53	6.74
25-44	162	290	17.38	24.74	20	25	21.51	28.09
45-59	207	219	22.21	18.69	19	14	20.43	15.73
60-64	68	81	7.30	6.91	6	5	6.45	5.62
65-74	140	169	15.02	14.42	13	12	13.98	13.48
75-84	79	137	8.48	11.69	6	7	6.45	7.87
85+	21	35	2.25	2.99	1	2	1.08	2.25
Totals	932	1172	100.00	100.00	93	89	100.00	100.00

Q2 DEMOGRAPHICS: HOME

Figures are percentages 1999/2003

Housing	Private	Owner	Other
Assoc/	Occupier
LA Rent
17.0/12.2	3.0/2.7	76.0/82.4	2.0/2.8

Q3 VEHICLES USED

Sample results discarded because of a logic error in the question

Figures are actual numbers

Vehicle	1999
Cars	1271
Vans	35
M/bikes	28
Other	6

Q4 DEMOGRAPHICS: NEED FOR HOUSING

Figures are percentages 1999/2003

Need	No need
1.5/2.7	98.5/97.3

Q5 DEMOGRAPHICS: YEARS IN HENLEY

Figures are percentages 1999/2003

0-2	3-5	6-15	16-25	26-50	51+	Life
10.0/9.5	19/14.9	29/25.7	16/17.6	14/17.6	3.0/5.4	9.0/8.1

Q6 EMPLOYMENT

Figures are percentages 1999/2003

Self-	Self-	Employee	Training/	Retired	Unable
Employed	Employed		Education		to
and	not				work
employer	employer
4.0/2.7	6.0/4.1	42.0/40.0	8.0/1.4	32.0/33.8	2.0/2.7

Q7 USE OF BUS SERVICES

Figures are percentages 1999/2003

For	Often	Sometime
Medical	1.0/1.4	4.0/2.7
Shops	5.0/4.1	15.0/17.6
Social	2.0/2.7	10.0/5.4
Work	3.0/2.7	3.0/0.0
Other	0.6/0.0	3.0/0.0

Q8 USE OF TRAIN SERVICES

Figures are percentages 1999/2003

For	Often	Sometime
Medical	1.0/1.4	4.0/4.1
Shops	7.0/10.8	35.0/32.4
Social	4.0/6.8	26.0/27.0
Work	4.0/2.7	8.0/6.8
Other	0.6/0.0	7.0/9.5

Q9 DEVELOPMENT (DESIRABILITY OF)

Figures are percentages 1999/2003

Type of development	Srongly	Favour	No	Disfavour	Strongly
	favour		Opinion		Disfavour
Large industrial	2.0/2.7	2.0/2.7	2.0/12.2	4.0/5.4	81.0/77.0
Large office	1.0/0.0	1.0/5.4	4.0/12.2	6.0/12.2	60.0/70.3
Leisure	21.0/29.7	27.0/51.4	12.0/21.6	11.0/6.8	6.0/4.1
Shops	30.0/21.6	31.0/41.9	11.0/17.6	6.0/12.2	6.0/5.4
Small workshops	13.0/14.9	24.0/47.3	13.0/14.9	11.0/9.5	13.0/13.5
Small office	8.0/5.4	21.0/44.6	14.0/27.0	11.0/8.1	17.0/13.5
Tourism	9.0/8.1	19.0/35.1	17.0/28.4	12.0/18.9	14.0/9.5

Q10 DEVELOPMENT: EFFECT OF FURTHER NEW HOUSING

Figures are percentages 1999/2003

Housing would:	Agree
Improve environment	3.0/2.7
Damage environment	78.0/78.4
Have little effect	12.0/5.4
No opinion	7.0/10.8

Q11 RELEASE OF GREEN BELT FOR DEVELOPMENT

Figures are percentages 1999/2003

Allow it	Allow it	Do not	No
	under	allow it	Opinion
	special
	circs.
8.0/9.5	22.0/20.3	68.0/64.9	2.0/5.4

Q12 RETENTION OF EMPLOYMENT SITES FOR THAT PURPOSE

Figures are percentages 1999/2003

Favour	Disfavour	No opinion
79.0/81.1	6.0/2.7	15.0/16.2

Q13 PRIORITIES FOR THE ENVIRONMENT (UP TO SIX OPTIONS ALLOWED)

Figures are percentages

Subject	1999	2003
Protect countryside/wildlife habitats	74.0	83.8
Recreation facilities	39.0	62.2
Employment locally	40.0	56.8
Public transport	45.0	54.1
Limit development	47.0	48.6
Traffic reduction	47.0	48.6
Pedestrian safety	31.0	40.5
Protect/enhance built environment	38.0	40.5
Quality of new development	24.0	31.1
Provide for cyclists	20.0	28.4
Waste recycling	15.0	24.3
Rights of way	18.0	13.5

Q14 IMPROVING THE TOWN CENTRE (UP TO THREE OPTIONS ALLOWED)

Figures are percentages

Action required	1999	2003
Reducing lorry traffic	51.0	60.8
Better control of parking	48.0	59.5
Attracting retail businesses	44.0	32.4
Reducing car traffic	18.0	24.3
Controlling design in development	36.0	24.3
Improving pedestrian safety	19.0	23.0
Eliminating pavement obstructions	16.0	18.9
Reducing traffic speed	21.0	18.9
Calming traffic	18.0	13.5
Providing for cyclists	11.0	8.1

Q15 QUALITY OF AVAILABLE INFORMATION ABOUT LOCAL AFFAIRS

Figures are percentages

Verdict	1999	2003
Good	15	16.2
Adequate	50	58.1
Poor	30	20.3
No opinion	5	5.4

Q16 OPINIONS ABOUT EMERGENCY SERVICES

Figures are percentages 1999/2003

Service	Good	Fair	Poor	No Opinion
Fire	43.0/50.0	8.0/8.1	0.7/1.4	31.0/40.5
Police	14.0/13.5	25.0/14.9	25.0/45.9	18.0/24.3
Ambulance	16.0/29.7	14.0/17.6	4.0/4.1	46.0/48.7
Hospital Transport	5.0/12.2	8.0/9.5	9.0/9.5	58.0/67.6

Q17 USE OF LOCAL FACILITIES

Figures are percentages 1999/2003

Facility	Often	Sometime	Never
Bank	55.0/74.3	22.0/18.9	8.0/5.4
Food take-away	26.0/31.1	37.0/48.6	17.0/20.3
Library	21.0/14.9	29.0/45.9	31.0/39.2
Market	29.0/27.0	42.0/55.4	14.0/17.6
Post Office	54.0/68.9	28.0/28.4	4.0/2.7
Pubs	24.0/37.8	37.0/48.6	20.0/16.2
Restaurants	14.0/24.3	40.0/50.0	26.0/24.3
Shops	64.0/75.7	21.0/21.6	1.0/1.4

Q18 WHETHER THE MARKET BENEFITS HENLEY

Figures are percentages

Verdict	1999	2003
Benefit	74.0	75.7
No significant benefit	16.0	13.5
No opinion	10.0	9.5

Q19 EDUCATION AND CHILD CARE

Figures are percentages

	In favour
Type of provision required	1999	2003
Adult evening classes	53.00	50.0
After-school clubs	45.00	45.9
Holiday play schemes	36.00	35.1
More registered childminders	13.0	27.0
Playgroups	11.0	25.7
Nursery schools	14.0	23.0
Full day care	13.00	17.6

Q20 PARTICIPATION IN LOCAL SPORT

Figures are percentages

At present..	1999	2003
Participate	23.0	27.0
Do not participate	63.0	73.0

Q21 USE OF AN INDOOR SWIMMING POOL

Figures are percentages

	1999	2003
Would use regularly	50.0	52.7
Would use occasionally	27.0	27.0
Would not use	23.0	18.9

Q22 NEED FOR MORE OPEN SPACES FOR LEISURE

Figures are percentages

	1999	2003
Space needed	77.00	74.3
Space not needed	13.00	17.6
No opinion	10.00	6.8

Q23 NEED FOR TEENAGERS' RECREATIONAL FACILITIES

Figures are percentages

Facility	In favour		School *
	1999	2003	2003
Swimming pool	N/A	N/A	17.7
Fashion shops	N/A	N/A	15.6
Cinema	N/A	N/A	10.7
Macdonalds	N/A	N/A	10.5
Theme park	N/A	N/A	3.9
Internet café	N/A	N/A	2.1
Football field	N/A	N/A	1.4
Ten pin bowling	N/A	N/A	1.6
Ice rink	N/A	N/A	1.2
Broadband	N/A	N/A	0.6
Fitness club	N/A	N/A	0.2
Evening bus to Birmingham	66.0	73.0	N/A
More sports facilities	49.0	63.5	11.9
More Youth Club evenings	46.0	51.4	N/A
Coffee bar	51.0	50.0	N/A
Skateboarding/rollerblading	30.0	43.2	22.6
Basketball	N/A	39.2	N/A
Video club	16.0	29.7	N/A
Disco	33.0	21.6	N/A
Model building club	10.0	13.5	N/A

* Percent of the total responses at the school- see text. In this table N/A denotes item not included in survey. The table is ranked by the 2003 (sample) survey

PUBLIC MEETING INVITATION

25 September 2003

SPECIFIC VIEWS FROM CONSULTATIONS

BEAUDESERT & HANLEY-IN-ARDEN PARISH PLAN 2004

SPECIMEN PUBLICITY ARTICLE

(From Joint Parish Council Newsletter, October 2002)

SPECIFIC VIEWS FROM CONSULTATIONS

General note:

Throughout the consultation process the views of residents have been recorded without any judgement being applied to them. This section distils some of the specific views expressed and related them where appropriate to the main findings recorded in Section 5 above. It should be noted that many of these were "single-voter" opinions which cannot be taken as representing a majority concern except where they serve to confirm such a concern. The inclusion of any view here does not signify its agreement by the Parish Plan committee.

1. Public Transport: there were several requests for more comprehensive services in all the main directions. Better provision is needed for blind travellers on both train and bus. Some taxis do not accept the present vouchers/tokens used by pensioners, and taxis are expensive and unreliable.

2. Safety: the impact of the new Disability Discrimination act needs to be taken seriously in respect of access to facilities and general safety.

3. Traffic: a more clearly visible 30mph sign at the top of Blackford Hill was requested. There was a request for fresh exploration of the feasibility of a by-pass, and concern about the possible future traffic impact from the Studley by-pass. Traffic calming attracted support.

4. Leisure: the skateboard park had wide approval (but questions were raised about noise), as did the notion of a public swimming pool. Support for the arts should receive attention. A picnic area at the North end of the town was suggested but the site suggested appears to be the (little-known) wildlife reserve site! A play area warden was suggested for supervision of the riverside Play Area, where there has been some persistent vandalism.

5. Services: policing came up several times, in particular in respect of late evening activity and the behaviour of some youths. Also, it was felt that more visible policing would have a positive impact on traffic speed and parking offences. A permanent traffic warden was suggested to handle some of the traffic and parking problems. More shops, and preferably not charity shops, were a common request.

6. Information: in the comments and questions of residents it is possible to detect some lack of knowledge about what actually exists at present. A community directory of tradesmen and other services was suggested. The Parish Council received some criticism in the areas of its support for Henley-in-Bloom, for not providing visible evidence of compliance with the goals of the Appraisal and Village Design Statement. It was felt by some that the newsletter, already greatly improved, should be further exploited as an information medium.

7. Business: it was felt that tourism could and should receive more positive encouragement.

8. Factors affecting the environment: road and other signs were felt by some to be "a mess", with no general style prevailing. The Village Design Statement referred to this subject. Litter received several mentions, notably on the Lord's Waste and in the Croft car park. Action was needed in respect of heavy lorry traffic early in the morning. There was a request for permanent water supply to the public allotments. The possibility of restoring the old Market Cross was raised.

9. Education: childrens clubs would be welcomed, and also a youth club. This latter seems to be a further case of lack of information, for whatever reason A programme addressing drug issues should b pursued.

10. Development: there were many observations on this topic and the motives of developers are widely suspected. Statements included "retain River House", "keep the Abrasives site for employment", "protect the charm of the town", "clarify the timescale for the development of the Market site", "retain the Market – it's a market town", "provide affordable housing" (and "there is no need for social housing"!)

11. Transport: there were several requests for better bus and train services and for attention to Platform 2 access at the railway station. Blind persons experienced difficulties with public transport and the use of travel passes. The voucher/token systems used by pensioners are regarded as of limited use with taxis, which are sometimes unreliable, expensive and do not accept vouchers.

It should be noted that the inclusion or exclusion of any point raised during consultations does not imply any particular view on the part of the Parish Plan committee or of the Parish Council. The points included above are those which most served to support the key issues included in the Survey of Findings, Section 6 of the text of this document.

AGENCIES FOR IMPLEMENTATION AND ADVICE

The inclusion of any agency or contact in this list does not represent a recommendation by the Parish Plan Committee

Parking:

· Yvette Saunders, Stratford District Council Parking Services Manager.

Traffic control:

· Parishes can borrow a Speed Indicating Device (SID) for a short time to display speed to drivers. Graham Malcolm, Safety Engineering Manager (County Council)

· Mark Leyland, Safer Routes to Schools Project Officer (County Council)

· James Birbeck, County Landscape Architect has a small budget for environmental traffic calming.

Policing:

· Requires liaison with the beat policeman and the local inspector.

Encouraging wider retail facilities:

· The local Chamber of Commerce should be alerted to the potential demand for new retail operations.

Tourism:

· Kate Chapman (County Council) and Steve Newman (District) deal with tourism

· Alex Holmes, South Warwickshire Tourism

· Richard Chalk, the Countryside Agency, for local heritage initiatives and grant support for,eg, restoration of the Market Cross.

Cinema:

· Shropshire has pioneered a "flicks in the sticks" initiative.

Internet café:

· Linda Kay, Warwickshire Library Services, for possible extension of library hours.

Swimming pool:

· The District Council has voted funds for pools at Southam, Studley and Shipston so the issue is recognized. Education sites could be a prompt.

BEAUDESERT & HENLEY-IN-ARDEN PARISH PLAN 2004

SUMMARY OF PROJECT FUNDING