PARISH PLAN - WHAT OUR COMMUNITY HAS TOLD US

In autumn 2012, the Steering Group studied public documents to identify policy issues which could affect our Parish. We also carried out an exhaustive photographic survey of all our open spaces and residential areas to give us detailed knowledge of our locality. Together, these provided information to enable us to carry out surveys consulting businesses, young people and households on the state of our parish. From our research, observations, and the communitys responses to our surveys, we believe we now have amassed a robust base of information and opinion ready to begin drafting the Plan. We presented a summary of our overall conclusions to a meeting of the Great Boughton Parish council on 18th November 2013, and broadly this is what we told them: Overall, residents feel our Parish is a good, safe place to live and want this to be maintained. It does, of course, have some problems, and our community has identified a number of improvements. The following main points have emerged from our consultations: Litter and dog mess are widely perceived to be problems by residents and local businesses. Solutions proposed are designated dog-walking areas, more waste bins, more frequent bin emptying, and a local anti-litter campaign. To improve the state of our pavements, more frequent/effective weeding is needed, hedge and tree trimming (both public and private), and more layered hedges. There is support for measures to restrict parking on pavements and verges. More action is needed to repair potholes in roads and damaged pavements. Residents are concerned about speeding on local roads. The most favoured methods of control are speed indicator signs on through routes, and consideration of a general 20mph limit on some residential roads. Speed bumps are the least favoured control measure, and those on Green Lane are not seen as being effective in preventing speeding. Congestion problems are reported less often than speeding, but the hamburger junction receives most complaints. Queens Road is the most congested residential road. Local bus services should have lower fares, buses should be more frequent, and more shelters provided with more seating in them. Most children have bicycles but very few use them regularly to go to school. Cycling is perceived as the least safe mode of travel in the Parish, and there is support for more cycle-ways plus better information on safe walking and cycling routes. Parish residents would like more independent shops locally; a greengrocer, butcher, baker, fishmonger and sub-post office would be welcomed by many residents. Many older residents would like to have a caf or similar place to meet and socialise.

Most people think that local facilities for teenagers are inadequate. There is also scope for improving the play areas for younger children. There is general support for the proposed development of Square 1 to provide a range of community facilities, but not for car boot sales.
Most people would like to see more widespread availability of schools facilities for wider community use, e.g. for clubs and societies to meet. Most residents told us it is not easy to find out about local clubs and societies, but they would like there to be more activities in the community. Local clubs and societies would welcome easier ways of publicising their activities and cheaper, easier access to places to hold meetings and events. There was one other key finding from our household survey - majority of people rely on the weekly free papers for information. Fewer than 30% thought they were kept well informed about local developments, and only half know how to contact the Parish Council. In our Parish, with its stable and settled population, this is clearly an issue.

REVIEW OF COMMUNITY GOVERNANCE - WHAT IS IT?

Late last year, each household received a short questionnaire from Cheshire West and Chester Council. It requested residents views about aspects of the local arrangements for community governance. These regular reviews look at how effective parish councils are at representing their communities, and whether the boundaries of each parish need to be changed to reflect new developments such as roads or housing estates. We believe there could be some minor changes to our Parish after this review which would rationalise our boundaries. For example, land east of the Ring Road may become part of Littleton Parish, aligning our eastern boundary with the A41 rather than with Hare Lane. This review could also result in: the creation of new parishes (and parish councils) where they dont already exist the abolition of parishes where they are no longer working or relevant to local people the grouping of parishes under a single parish council to create more effective, efficient and viable arrangements, for example combining Great Boughton and Huntington parishes We strongly urge you to complete the questionnaire and influence the future of our Parish. Our website www.gbvxparishplan.org.uk will help you find a copy of the questionnaire and a map showing the boundaries of Great Boughton and Huntington parishes. The deadline for comments and submissions is by midnight on 21 February 2014. For more information on this important local survey, please visit: www.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk/communitygovernance

Great Boughton and Vicars Cross Parish Plan Steering Group

January 2014

See our website www.gbvxparishplan.org.uk for more information about our local Parish Plan.