Parish Plan
PARISH PLAN
Results of the Community Workshop held in the Day Centre on Monday 17th October 2011
Participants
Total of 28 people
Male 14 Lived in and around Thaxted
Female 13 Less than 1 year 0
Undisclosed 1 1 – 5 years 3
6 – 10 years 0
Ages Under 11 0 11 – 25 years 9
11 – 17 0 Over 25 years 15
18 – 24 0 Don’t live here 1
25 – 44 5 Undisclosed 0
45 – 59 7
60 – 74 3
Over 74 10
Undisclosed 3
SUMMARY OF TOP PRIORITIES
37 Parking and traffic
24 Planning, development and housing
17 Promotion of business and tourism
10 Sports and recreational facilities
NOTE: It is important to remember that these are the priorities of those present at the Workshop. Consultations undertaken as part of a Parish Plan will enable the views and opinions of all village residents to be gathered. The information from the workshop will help with the design of a household questionnaire.
ALL COMMENTS
The number in brackets after the comments indicate the number of votes
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Special
· Pro-active Parish Council
Problems
· Groups do not work together or liaise with each other
· Proposed development with our infrastructure
· The way in which the VDS has been overridden by decisions of a planning inspector
· No medium and long term plan for infrastructure. School playing fields, employment, doctors etc.
Improvements
· District Council taking notice of Parish Council (1)
· Improve liaison between councils
HOUSING
Special
· Historic buildings
Problems
· Lack of support from Uttlesford planners (8)
· Threat of extra estates of houses being built (2)
· Availability of affordable housing (1)
· Lack of housing opportunities for younger people (1)
· The distribution of housing so that there are traffic bottlenecks
· The way in which the new developments do not connect together – too many cul-de-sacs
Improvements
· Prevent approval of new estates of houses and stop future large scale developments (13)
· A District Council planning committee that listens to the public! (5)
· More Council housing (2)
· Better targeting of grant money
· Still need more affordable housing
· Consider opening up the road layout so that it is more like a town layout or there are better connections between different parts of the town
EDUCATION AND TRAINING
Special
· Good doctors surgery and school at the moment (2)
· The stunning success of Thaxted primary school
Problems
· Children bussed out to secondary schools (1)
· Choice of secondary school (1)
· School overcrowded
· School site not suitable
Improvements
· New school (2)
COMMUNITY NETWORKS
Special
· Enthusiastic Thaxted Society
· Day centre – provides lunches to the elderly
· Activities
· Thaxted website
· Size of community
· The number of active local organisations
· Sense of community
· Atmosphere
· Locality
· Pleasant people
· Variety of places of worship
· Youth club
· Thaxted Bulletin
· A, B, C and U
Problems
· Very bad broadband
· Bad mobile phone signal
· Are we inclusive enough?
Improvements
· More evenings like these for people to air the views and communicate with each other (4)
· Imagination for projects and approach towards problems
SPORT, LEISURE AND OPEN SPACE
Special
· Pubs (1)
· Football team (1)
· Excellent opportunities for young children – beavers/football/youth club/tennis etc
· Recreational ground
· Green spaces
· Local footpaths
· Well maintained public spaces
Problems
· Poor quality community meeting space (1)
· Open spaces not protected from development
· Lack of walking space
· Lack of services for teenagers
· Lack of leisure activities on site for adults
· Litter
· More recreational facilities
· Shop owners allowing dogs to foul footpaths
Improvements
· Build a swimming pool (3)
· More sports facilities – small gym? Sports hall outside exercise equipment (3)
· Playing field for school (1)
· Some dedicated cycle routes linking communities (1)
· Use of public footpaths for cyclists to access Cutlers Green, Monk street, Stanbrook etc. (1)
· Sell rec for housing and buy land along the Sampford Road to provide football/cricket/tennis/community buildings/playground etc. etc. all in one area and car park large enough
CRIME AND COMMUNITY SAFETY
Special
· Everyone knows everyone else
· Safety and security
Problems
· Anti-social behaviour (4)
· Lack of Police presence (2)
· Parking outside school (1)
· Drug culture
· Speeding
· Jobs for the young and old
Improvements
· Full-time Police officer (4)
· Traffice calming on S/W main roads, i.e. Newbiggin Street (1)
· Creation of a youth council to address anti-social behaviour amongst the youth (1)
· Parking enforcement
· Stop cycling on the pavements
“CLEAN” ENVIRONMENT – Air, Water, Energy, Waste
Problems
· Flooding and drainage (1)
· Sewage
· Water
· Green waste recycling
· Mobile phone connectivity
Improvements
· Public section investment in drainage/sewerage (2)
· Build a combined heat and power (CHP) station locally to save all the heat wasted in electricity generation
· Better flood prevention
· Clearing up of spitting and rubbish
“GREEN” ENVIRONMENT – Landscape and Nature Conservation
Special
· Heritage (1)
· Footpaths/surrounding countryside
· Countryside, culture – Morris dancing etc
· Beauty of it
· Predominantly agricultural
Problems
· Stop aeroplanes (1)
· Pressure to build more homes in Thaxted
Improvements
· Acquisition/purchase of ‘wild’ space around Thaxted (behind Guelph’s Lane and Weaverhead Close) (3)
· Community orchard (1)
· More green areas
ARTS, CULTURE AND HERITAGE
Special
· Heritage buildings (5)
· Tourist attraction – church, Guildhall, windmill, Morris dancing, Clarence House (1)
· People who live here know each other and help each other (1)
· History
· Historic town – unique!
· Character of the town
· Surrounded by open countryside
· Rural environment
Problems
· Events focussed around church or Guildhall. Other areas underutilised (2)
· ‘Hidden’ history (1)
· No modern hall suitable for concerts, meetings etc. Cinema!
Improvements
· New community centre
· Wider entertainment programme both for children and adults. More sports – wider variety again
TOURISM
Special
· Historic buildings (1)
· Morris and folk
· The Thaxted Festival
Problems
· Not enough car parking (2)
Improvements
· Encourage more tourism other than through the internet, not everybody is on the internet (4)
· Local ‘Blue Plaque’ scheme to highlight local history (3)
· Use of whole town to display art (1)
HEALTH
Special
· Excellent doctors facilities (2)
· Excellent childcare, pre-school and school provision
Problems
· Ageing population (1)
· Dog mess
· Litter
· Surgery overcrowded
Improvements
· Larger doctors surgery
· New sewage system
SHOPS, LOCAL ECONOMY AND EMPLOYMENT
Special
· Has a school, shops and pubs, library
· Excellent post office, chemist, butchers, bakers, general stores, tea shops/wine and pubs
· Facilities – shops and services
· Market that attracts extra visitors from local villages
· Extended hours – petrol station. Good library, adult learning
Problems
· Limited local employment (1)
· Lack of small business opportunities
Improvements
· Local small industrial site, community networks (2)
· Community centre run as a social enterprise that meets the needs of many community groups, possibly provide additional light industry/retail – MP Drugs (2)
· Encourage local businesses (2)
· More local employment opportunities (2)
· Encourage more small businesses into the town and help them find property and finances (1)
· Small easy access business units, short-term start-ups (1)
· More shops, bus shelters
· More choice available at local market
TRANSPORT AND TRAFFIC
Special
· Rural bus network
· Good road links
· Proximity to airport and larger urban areas
Problems
· Non-maintainance of roads and pavements (4)
· Parking/ inconsiderate parking (1)
· Poor bus services going towards Chelmsford (or on Sundays)
· Airport positive and negative
· Proximity to airport
· Public transport – irregular/unreliable bus service
· Not enough public transport
· Paring on the rec on Sunday
· Lack of a by-pass
· Big lorries coming through town – not delivering or collecting in Thaxted
· Too dangerous to cycle on roads
· Traffic speed!
· Traffic issues/problems
Improvements
· Do away with yellow lines and give shared spaces, still too many signs (17)
· Build by-pass for Thaxted (8)
· 20mph speed limit in the town and the surrounding lanes (2)
· If we are going to get more development to the east of the town then a new access road from Sampford Road to Bardfield Road is needed (1)
· Remove pedestrian build-outs in town street
· Better public transport
· Traffic lights at staggered cross roads, Town Street/Tanyard/Orange Street
· Small buses running regularly to key sites (rail)
· Lamp lights to be left on all night
· A dial-up community bus service?
· Bus shelters, swimming pool, sports centre
Daisy Martlew, RCCE 01/11/11
