1 Parish PlanPlan----QuestionnaireQuestionnaire Introduction Preamble

Welcome to the Westbere Parish Plan Questionnaire-Residential Version

Government initiatives have been established to ‘Engage Communities’ in assisting with improving the effectiveness and efficiency of public services and to develop Sustainable Community Strategies. A key reference for this will be Parish and Community Plans.

Westbere Parish Council has established a programme to consult widely with parishioners and businesses within the Parish to prepare a Parish Plan that is intended to capture the views and wishes of the respondents now and into the future. The published document will include an action plan to promote the ideas captured in the plan for the future.

The attached questionnaire has been prepared by the Parish Plan Steering and Peripheral Groups and will enable the Groups to collate the data to be included within the plan. It is hoped that you will find the time to complete all or most of the questions.

The Groups started from the point of view that Westbere is a unique community, which should be preserved. However, the issue is how best that can be achieved in the face of current pressures. What changes and developments would we be prepared to see or do we believe are necessary for Westbere to continue to be the attractive, interesting and valuable a place it undoubtedly is? That’s what the Plan will need to address and to help in its preparation we need your views on a range of issues.

The questionnaire therefore has a number of sections: A General Information B Planning, Development Control, Transport and Archaeology C Biodiversity, Sustainability, Recycling and Refuse D Crime, Personal and Road Safety E Health, Amenities and Education F Communication G Link to Businesses (Separate Questionnaire)

The Westbere Parish Council and the Westbere Village Preservation Society are very active on behalf of the Parish and are also keen that the Parish Plan should represent the views of as many as possible. It is therefore important that as many individuals and organisations as possible complete a questionnaire. Remember if you do not contribute your views will not be included.

2 Section A --- General Information If you require further background or assistance in completing the questionnaire, kindly contact any member of the Steering Group: Eileen Hill, Walnut Tree Lane 711232 Malcolm Marsh, Church Lane 712531 Gerald Mason, Walnut Tree Lane 713678 Tim Mead, Westbere Lane 713079 Wayne Murray, Church Lane 712990 Laura Shea, Westbere Lane 711612 Norman Smith, Westbere Lane 712463 Frank Rossi, Westbere Lane 711676 Libby Wingfield, Church Lane 711616

The questionnaires will be distributed and collected by the Peripheral Group who will arrange with you a convenient time for the collection of the completed questionnaire.

A1 Please circle your age: 11-20 21-30 31-45 46-65 66-75 76+

A2 How long have you lived in Westbere? (Please circle) Less than 1 Year 1-2 Years 3-5 Years 6-10 Years 11-20 Years 20+ Years

A3 Please circle your gender: Male Female

A4 Kindly circle your status: Homemaker Full Time Employment Part Time Employment Student Unemployed Retired

A5 Do you work from home? (Y/N)

A5a If you do work from home would this be Full Time or Part Time? (Please circle)

A6 Would you be willing to be more involved in the Parish? (Y/N) Please discuss this with the Peripheral Group representative when submitting your questionnaire.

A7 It is possible that many of the major beneficial changes that could be considered in the action plan will require funds to be raised. In this context would you be prepared to: a Help with fund raising? (Y/N) b Contribute towards the financial support for projects? (Y/N) c Accept an increase in, for instance, your council tax? (Y/N)

A8 How many people live in your household, please give numbers and ages

3 B --- Planning, Development Control, Transport and ArchaeArchaeologyology

Planning and Development Control Preamble

Planning and Development Control is often a very emotive area and one in which most people are interested and concerned. The purpose of this section is to identify what level of development parishioners would find appropriate/acceptable if perhaps any.

Applications for planning approval and development are considered in relation to The District Plan which is prepared by the local authority in consultation with the community and relevant groups from within the district. The plan sets out a ‘spatial strategy and vision for the district’ and in the case of the current plan lasts until 2011.

The diagram included here was taken from the Westbere Heritage Trail publication and identifies the Parish boundary

The village is defined in part by the varied buildings and could be said to focus on the village green radiating out via Westbere Lane, Church Lane, Bushy Hill Road and Walnut Tree Lane. The majority of the village falls within the Westbere Conservation area which was established in two stages, the centre in August 1973 and the greater area in April 1980. The plan included here has been taken from the District Plan and shows the conservation areas. The village boundary runs along the A28 to the North, as far as the lower fields to the West which are classified as Green Gap space in the district plan, to the South by The Stour and to the East by the Lakesview International Business Park.

4 Planning and Development Control

The key concerns may be: • The extent of development that is allowed within the Conservation Area • The level of development around the village • How the identity of the village is maintained • Should development zones be identified around the periphery of the village in order to retain the unique identity of the village (note possible zones are indicated as ‘P’ on the transport plan).

It is hoped that the responses on this topic may be considered with the preparation of the next Local Plan/ Development Framework.

B1 If you believe that Westbere is unique, we would be interested in your views on what makes Westbere special?

B2 Do you believe we should preserve the unique identity of Westbere? (Y/N)

B3 Should we support appropriate developments aimed at making Westbere a more self-sustaining community? (Y/N)

B4 The plan included under the Transport Section identifies areas that could be considered for future development, would you support the classification of these zones for development? (Y/N) If your answer is ‘no’, please explain your views

B5 The village is covered by a Conservation Area. Should we retain this? (Y/N) a Should we consider actions to strengthen the Conservation Area? (Y/N) b There are 21 listed buildings or structures within the Conservation Area, should we consider increasing the list? (Y/N) (see list on next page)

5 Planning and Development Control

National Register of Listed Buildings in Westbere • Bushy Hill Road junction-The Telephone Kiosk • Church Lane-The Church of All Saints • Island Road-Westbere Court • Walnut Tree Lane-Walnut Tree Farmhouse • The Barn and Granary to the North East of Walnut Tree Farmhouse • Stable to the East of Walnut Tree Farmhouse • Westbere Lane-Westbere House • Garden wall to Westbere House • 29 Westbere Lane-Kemp Hall Farmhouse • The Barn at Kemp Hall Farm • 35 and 37 Westbere Lane-North Cottages • 39 Westbere Lane-Yew Tree Cottage • 41 Westbere Lane-White Cottage • Ashby Cottage • Laurel Cottage • 20 Westbere Lane-Westbere Cottage • 26 and 28 Westbere Lane • Olde Yew Tree Inn Locally Listed Buildings • Walnut Tree Lane-Level Crossing Keepers Cottage • 10-18 Westbere Lane-Cecil Cottages

B6 Would you support some further housing development within the village or, alternatively, within the Parish but outside the village? (Y/N) If so where? (Please specify)

B7 Do you believe we should support some further commercial development within the Parish? (Y/N)

B8 Would you support development to the East of the village along the A28 up to the Canterbury Industrial Park? (Y/N)

6 Planning and Development Control

B9 Should we lobby for a Green Gap space to the East of the village? (Y/N)

B10 Would limited in-fill development within the village be acceptable to you? (Y/N)

B11 As Westbere’s housing stock comprises primarily of expensive detached properties, with limited opportunities to ‘trade down’ or for young buyers, should we promote low cost ‘cottage-style’ housing within the village? (Y/N)

Transport Preamble The transport infrastructure available to and within the Parish comprises of a number of separate elements that no doubt parishioners will use to varying degrees. The ideas that have been discussed consider working towards a more co-ordinated and responsive overall system that may try to encourage a reduction in car journeys whilst improving the amenities within the village and encouraging greater use of natural provisions.

The map included here suggests the general disposition around the village and links to some of the questions that follow:

7 Transport

Vehicles B12 Does your household own any of the following? (Please treat leased or company vehicles as owned) (Y/N)

a Car Scooter/Motorbike Bicycle Van Other

(Please circle the relevant vehicle/vehicles, If more than 1 please indicate the number)

b Would you support a car sharing initiative? (Y/N)

Roads B13 Do you believe the maintenance and condition of the roads in the Parish is acceptable? (Y/N)

B14 Is the street lighting adequate? (Y/N)

B15 The A28 which forms the Northern boundary of the Parish is heavily used. A bypass has been proposed in the past, is this something the village should support and campaign for? (Y/N)

(Note the congestion on the A28 along the village boundary is a factor that Canterbury City Council have in the past used to resist approaches for development)

Within the village, the 20 mph speed limit is frequently violated, particularly in Westbere Lane and the village centre. Though more frequent (and restored) marking might be useful (possibly extending to solar powered ‘reminders’), it is possible that this problem will not be resolved without some enforcement action. Such action against residents may result in personal resentments.

B16 Are you concerned about vehicle speeds in the Parish? (Y/N)

a If ‘yes’, would this be within Westbere village, on the A28 or both? (Please identify)

8 Transport

Roads B17 Should the 20mph limit within the village be reinforced by: The renewal of road markings? (Y/N) a Additional road markings? (Y/N) b Pictorial road signs e.g. an equestrian triangle? (Y/N) c Speed reminder displays (Commonly solar powered)? (Y/N) d Enforcement measures? (Y/N) If yes please specify

B18 Would you support: An eastward extension of the 30mph zone to Bushy Hill Road? (Y/N) a Additional A28 pedestrian crossings adjacent to Westbere and Church Lanes? (Y/N)

B19 Should Westbere Lane be single track with passing bays? (Y/N)

B20 Should a one way system be considered for the roads through the village? (Y/N)

B21 Should we consider any other form of traffic calming? (Y/N)

B22 Should we consider initiatives to trim back the vegetation along the village lanes? (Y/N)

Buses B23 Do you use the bus network? (Y/N) a If so how frequently? (Please circle) Daily Weekly Monthly Occasionally b If the frequency of service was improved would you use buses more regularly? (Y/N)

Cycling B24 The cycle routes tend to concentrate on Canterbury and the immediate surroundings, should a cycle route/system around the Parish be considered that links to the established cycle routes? (Y/N)

Walking B25 Would you support re-establishing the footpath route to Grove Ferry? (Y/N)

9 Transport

Walking

B26 Should additional footpath routes/footbridges be considered linking Westbere to Stodmarsh and other villages South of the Stour? (Y/N)

B27 Are the established footpaths around the Parish defined and signed adequately? (Y/N) ( Note there may be some restrictions as to the extent of signing that is permitted)

B28 Should we consider establishing a footpath link to Pennington Close? (Y/N)

B29 If additional housing were to be considered along the A28 should this be linked to the village? (Y/N)

Trains B30 Do you use the train network? (Y/N). a For leisure or for work? b What would make you use it more often? Please specify:

B31 Would you support the establishment of a train halt at Lakesview in effect recreating the colliery halt? (Y/N)

B32 Should a halt be championed for Westbere Village? (Y/N)

Aquatic Routes B33 The Parish boundary to the South is defined by the River Stour, would you support a review of the viability of using the river as a transport route? (Y/N)

10 Archaeology Preamble The Heritage Trail established a fascinating insight into the history of the Parish at a point in time, but it is clear that Westbere has a history that extends further than this and a consideration is whether to undertake an archaeological assessment of the Parish with possible specific points in time.

Archaeology has a legal status within the planning system. Should a known or suspected archaeological site become subject to planning permission, an archaeological condition (s) will be attached to it. In extreme cases, development might be stopped. When a significant but unexpected archaeological discovery is made during development, it is likely to stimulate a ‘rescue’ archaeology project, rarely a satisfactory outcome.

Quite apart from having a Roman road as one of its boundaries (the A28), it is known that Westbere has had significant archaeological discoveries over the last couple of centuries, including Bronze Age, Romano-British and Saxon burials and a large Iron Age/Romano-British settlement (now beneath the Lakesview International Business Park). All were discovered accidentally and it did not prove possible to assess their full significance properly. All relate to a relatively narrow time period, roughly 700 BC to 700 AD, after which there is a gap until the church appears sometime after the Norman Conquest. It is almost certain that there are further undiscovered archaeological sites within the parish and an assessment of the parish would not only be of value in its own right but also might prove a useful tool in guiding or possibly preventing future development proposals.

Such an assessment could probably in large part be carried out without extensive (or possibly any) excavations. It would commence with a desktop survey aimed at interpreting existing knowledge against, for example, a professional analysis of the numerous series of aerial photographs available. This could be supplemented by various non-invasive survey techniques such as field (garden)-walking, metal detecting and, possibly, geophysics.

B34 Should we use archaeology to learn more of Westbere’s past and as a tool when assessing future development proposals? (Y/N)

B35 Would you agree in principle to archaeological surveys not involving excavation of the grounds of your property? (Y/N) a If ‘no’, kindly give your reasons:

11 C Biodiversity, Sustainability, Recycling and Refuse Disposal Preamble The Parish of Westbere comprises of a range of natural habitats as well as the buildings and roads that define the ambience of the Parish from the Lakes in the South to the open spaces, wildlife and trees that provide unique and diverse habitats that should be preserved and enhanced.

Biodiversity (The variety of plant and animal life in a particular habitat) Preamble Westbere is an unusually densely wooded village with trees, shrubs and wild flowers and all their associated fauna, in abundance in hedgerows, private gardens and fields.

The felling of certain species of tree and trees above a certain size requires CCC permission, ‘Anyone proposing to fell or carry out work on trees in a conservation area must give the local planning authority six weeks notice of their intention. This enables the City Council to make a Tree Preservation Order if the proposed work is considered not to be in the interest of the tree or of the amenity of the area in which it stands’. (Canterbury City Council 2008).

Within the Parish of Westbere, four types of biodiversity which have public access can be described.

There is a right of way across the Two Fields (privately owned and designated Green Gap by CCC)* and this path is kept clear under a WPC contract. The biodiversity here is interesting but with an increasing dominance of birch trees. *the Two Fields constitute the land to the South and West of Westbere Lane The hedgerows and banks along the lanes are maintained by CCC or relevant neighbouring households. Mirabelle trees and Bifoliate Squills are examples of two of the rare plants found in our hedgerows. It is not necessary to obtain CCC permission to remove part of a hedgerow along a minor road. Westbere Churchyards, already developed as a small wildlife conservation area, with help and advice from the Stour Valley Conservation Project in 2005, are also maintained under a WPC contract. In addition, a volunteer group of WVPS members clears saplings, brambles, aggressive plants and ivy (from tombstones) and looks after the set aside wild margins. A survey of churchyard flowers was carried out by an amateur but well practised botanist in 2004/5. A natural environment of international importance on our doorstep is constituted by the wetlands adjacent to the Great Stour and the Westbere Lakes. This large area has the status of Site of Special Scientific Interest. It is also a Special Protection Area for the protection of wild birds, a Special Area of Preservation because of its rare invertebrate fauna and a Ramsar Convention Site for its support of rare species of plants and animals. Bretts, who were responsible for the restoration work of the 1980s, maintain footpaths that give public access to the area.

12 Biodiversity Since the millennium, information about the abundant wildlife has been available, free of charge to villagers, in the booklets, Westbere through the Ages and the Westbere Heritage Trail.

Westbere Village is at this moment in time still separated from nearby villages and housing developments by green areas, the land is all privately owned with very limited public access. Some of the fields support a dominance of aggressive plants such as Ragwort.

C1 Are you concerned about the deterioration of the Two Fields which are not maintained and are becoming overgrown? (Y/N)

C2 Do you consider the CCC approach to the felling of trees in private gardens to be appropriate? (Y/N) a If ‘no’ please give your reasons:

C3 Do you think that special measures should be put in place to protect trees and hedgerows in the event of new housing development or infilling? (Y/N)

C4 Are you content that the present level of sustained management of the churchyards is appropriate? (Y/N)

C5 In your opinion, are the wetlands adjacent to the Great Stour and Westbere Lakes, sufficiently protected? (Y/N)

C6 Do you think that public access to the Stour Flood Plain and Lakes is adequate? (Y/N)

C7 Do you think existing assessments and documentation of the biodiversity of your village are sufficient? (Y/N)

C8 As part of the Westbere Parish Plan a garden survey of wildlife, trees and plants was conducted by some of the children of the village. The object of the survey was to raise greater awareness of the precious biodiversity of Westbere. Would you be willing to support an extension of this project (perhaps by conducting surveys)? (Y/N)

13 Biodiversity C9 Do you wish to raise any other issues pertaining to biodiversity? (Y/N) a If ‘yes’ please specify:

C10 Are there changes you would like to see in the Parish that would improve the environment and appearance of the village? (Y/N) a If ‘yes’ please specify:

C11 Should the open spaces in and around the Parish be increased or enhanced? (Y/N) a If ‘yes’ please give examples:

C12 Should a scheme be established to increase planting, landscaping and trees around the Parish? (Y/N)

C13 Should we increase the hedgerows around the Parish? (Y/N)

C14 Is it in the village’s best interests to attract more visitors by utilising the natural attractions that we have here (the lakes and wildlife)? (Y/N)

Carbon Awareness and Sustainability Considerable emphasis is placed on carbon emissions resulting from greater awareness of the lifestyles we lead. Reducing individual and organisational carbon output contributes to preserving habitats and the environment. Should the Parish collectively raise awareness of individual carbon outputs and establish a Parish wide carbon plan, perhaps whereby parishioners trade off excess carbon output with parishioners who have worked within allocations?

C15 Should greater awareness of individual carbon footprints be promoted by the Parish? (Y/N)

C16 Should a Parish wide carbon monitoring plan be considered? (Y/N)

14 Carbon Awareness and Sustainability C17 Should we increase awareness in systems that can be added to properties to increase energy and resource conservation? (Y/N)

C18 Should we establish guidance on materials and products to be considered when refurbishing, extending or building new properties within the Parish? (Y/N)

C19 Should we consider greater use of shared systems such as district heating arrangements, solar centres or wind generation? (Y/N)

Recycling and Refuse Disposal The collection of refuse is undertaken by Canterbury City Council on a bi-weekly basis with recycling including paper, cardboard, cans and some plastics on the alternate week.

C20 Is the service adequate? (Y/N)

C21 Should we explore a greater range of recycling collections, this may include: glass, textiles, shoes, other? (Y/N)

C22 Should we consider having a recycling station within the Parish (Perhaps located within the Canterbury Industrial Park) for the items not currently collected by CCC? (Y/N)

C23 If recycling in the village was easier and more comprehensive (to include a wider range of items), would this encourage you to be more environmentally aware and committed to recycling? (Y/N)

15 D Crime, Personal and Road Safety

Crime and AntiAnti----SocialSocial Behaviour Preamble Recently there has been little reported crime in Westbere’s residential area, though there has been more on the Lakesview International Business Park. Although the Canterbury district is generally a low crime area, the adjacent communities of South and are less fortunate than Westbere. There has been little recent opportunity to assess the effectiveness of police emergency response.

All areas are seeing growing levels of ‘social’ crime, a term embracing identity fraud, ‘boiler room’ scams, bogus callers, ‘phishing’ and other on-line fraud. Isolated instances of anti-social behaviour ( e.g. random dropping of litter and the use of mobile handsets by drivers) occur at many different locations. However, a more acute problem is ‘fly-tipping’, particularly in Westbere Lane, which is becoming serious.

The growing trends suggest attention should be paid to formal crime prevention activities as well as encouraging individual vigilance and support of our Neighbourhood Watch Scheme.

Personal Safety Traffic congestion on the A28 at times reaches levels which would impede access to Westbere by the emergency services. While preventative measures and briefings may assist to some extent, particularly with fire safety, they do not offer a full solution.

When congestion is absent, the A28 east of Westbere Lane can be rendered unsafe and difficult to cross by heavy (and speeding) traffic. This suggests a need for further pedestrian controlled crossings on the A28 close to Westbere and Church Lanes and a possible an eastward extension of the 30 mph limit, questions on these suggestions are included within the Transport Section. Also, given the increasing number of village children, courses and talks on road safety and cycling proficiency could be useful.

D1 Do you feel secure in Westbere? (Y/N)

D2 Have you had occasion in the last 5 years to call the emergency services? (Y/N) a If so, which: Police Fire Service Ambulance? (Please circle) b If the answer was ‘yes’ was the response time: Prompt Slow Unacceptable? (Please circle)

D3 Do you have confidence in speedy responses by the police? (Y/N) a Do you have confidence in the other emergency services? (Y/N)

16 Crime, Personal and Road Safety D4 Do you consider Fly-tipping in Westbere Lane sufficiently serious to warrant some action? (Y?N) a Are you concerned about Fly-tipping in Westbere generally? (Y/N)

D5 Do you consider driving while using a hand-held mobile phone an offence? (Y/N)

D6 Do you consider the discarding of litter in the village an offence? (Y/N)

D7 Are you concerned about Bogus callers? (Y/N) a Are you concerned about one or more of Internet, email or phone scams? (Y/N) b If ‘yes’ please specify:

c Have you been affected by any of the above? (Y/N)

D8 Would you support the following if provided in the Parish: Becoming acquainted with the police officers assigned with responsibility for Westbere? (Y/N)

a Conventional crime prevention advice? (Y/N)

b Fire precaution advice? (Y/N)

c Social crime prevention advice against bogus callers and scams? (Y/N) d Road safety and cycling proficiency courses for children? (Y/N*) *answer only if parent of children under 15.

D9 If you have any observations on crime, antisocial behaviour or road safety in Westbere,

please give them give them briefly below:

17 E Health, Amenities and Education

Health Preamble ::: The closest NHS provider of acute and other primary services is Sturry Surgery, 53 Island Road, which is relatively conveniently located and is currently considering proposals to extend its opening hours. It is not known how many Westbere residents are registered there or with other GPs in the area. Even if there were demand it is unlikely that a major GP practice, or other significant provision, could be opened in Westbere. It is arguable that, like many other parts of the county, and of , Westbere is not well served with secondary and tertiary NHS services and with A & E facilities, at least as far as their physical location is concerned. These are major issues, outside the scope of a Village Plan. There may be “self- help” arrangements, which could be developed in the Parish.

E1 Should Sturry Surgery be approached to discuss whether certain services could be offered on a drop-in basis either at the Village Hall or in the Yew Tree? (Y/N)

E2 Is there demand (or if not should it be encouraged) for keep-fit type activities and other preventative action to be developed and offered on a self-help basis, perhaps based in the Village Hall? (Y/N)

E3 Although Sturry Surgery is on the A28 (bus routes) with reasonable car-parking, is travel to and from Westbere (Village) an issue? (Y/N)

E4 Could an information point for Sturry Surgery (and other purposes) be established and maintained in the Village Hall or in the Yew Tree? (Y/N)

Amenities and Education The primary amenities are the Village Hall, All Saints Church, the Olde Yew Tree PH and the Village Green. Each makes an essential contribution to the communal life of Westbere and it is suggested that efforts should be made to preserve them and to improve their use and viability. This might have consequences for advertising, traffic through the Parish, car-parking, noise, etc, especially if a wider range of services were offered (see questions below). The Village Hall is an outstanding amenity and is relatively well used, perhaps more by non-residents than by residents. It is managed through a Committee of local people who work hard to retain the facility. The Village Green is the only public open space in the Parish but it is small, too small to provide the traditional functions of a traditional village green even if such were required.

18 Amenities and Education

There is no formal educational provision in the Parish although Spires Academy is just the other side of the A28 and voluntary playgroup activity is based in the Village Hall. Anecdotally, it seems that most school-age children go in to Canterbury for formal schooling. There is considerable participation in lifelong learning mainly by the older members of the community.

E5 Does it matter that the amenities are clustered in the old village area of the Parish? (Y/N)

E6 Are there other amenities that the Plan should consider? (Y/N) a If ‘yes’ please specify:

E7 Do you think that the Church might provide a venue for non-religious activities e.g. small recitals, poetry readings? (Y/N) a Would you attend such events? (Y/N)

E8 Would you like to see the Church regularly open for visitors on weekdays? (Y/N)

E9 Would you like to see the Yew Tree offering a wider range of services e.g. a “hole in the wall”, information leaflets and maps for the surrounding areas, small items for sale e.g. postcards and other local memorabilia? (Y/N)

E10 Assuming that we do not want to lose any of the amenities, how can the Parish best cope with the consequences of their increased use?

E11 Would there be support for the development of a larger public open space, perhaps including a “recreation ground” with e.g. tennis courts and children's’ play area? (Y/N)

E12 Is there demand for the development of the Village Hall as a location for community-based activities e.g. day-time and evening classes? (Y/N)

19 Amenities and Education

E13 Should the Village Hall be relocated, perhaps in association with the development of a larger

public open space, with car-parking provision? (Y/N) (This could for instance be within the Lakesview International Business Park where a wider commercial leisure facility could be considered)

E14 Should we consider creating a car parking area in or near the village? (Y/N) (This may attract more visitors to the village)

F Communication Preamble Three forms of communication are available within the Parish, the Church and Parish notice boards, the Heritage Trail notice board and the Parish Council Newsletter.

There are also three publications available within the village for a nominal charge - Link-up Magazine and the Westbere Village Preservation Society Newsletter and The Parish Council Newsletter

Perhaps not directly relevant but distributed within Westbere – Canterbury Council produces “District Life” and City Council “Around Kent”.

Westbere Parish Council has a website www.westberepc.kentparishes.gov.uk . This is updated by the Clerk to the Parish Council. Most feedback from the website is received from previous residents of the village. Current residents tend to use the notice boards, newsletter and word of mouth.

It is important to understand how many people use the notice boards and newsletters as the main source of communication, how many parishioners would use a Parish website as an additional resource and what would parishioners like to see on it.

F1 Do you believe you receive sufficient notice of Parish Events? (Y/N)

F2 Do you have an Internet connection? (Y/N)

F3 Which of these do you read? (Please tick) a Village Notice Boards? b Parish Council Newsletter? c Heritage Trail Notice Board?

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F Communication F4 Do you receive the following? (Please tick) a Westbere Village Preservation Society Newsletter? b Link-Up Magazine? c Neighbourhood Watch Newsletter/ emails?

F5 Should the website be developed to supplement the other information sources within the Parish, this may include links to other websites and organisations and should be updated regularly? (Y/N)

F6 Should the following be included on the website? (Please tick) Village/Parish events? a Parish Council Meetings, minutes and reports? b History of the Parish? c Clubs and activities? d Local bus and train timetables, including service updates? e Local weather? f Are there any other subjects you would like to be considered on the website? (Y/N) g If ‘yes’ please specify:

F7 Should we promote the Parish more widely? (Y/N)

F8 Should we look to increase links with other Parishes? (Y/N) (This may include advertising events on other Parish websites, notice boards or newsletters)

F9 Should we seek to create closer links with the businesses in the Parish? (Y/N)

F10 Do you think a Parish Welcome pack should be developed? (Y/N)

21 F Communication F11 What single change would most improve your quality of life in Westbere? Please specify:

F12 Finally are there any other comments you would like to make that have not been covered by this questionnaire? (Y/N) a If ‘yes’ please specify:

Thank you for taking the time to respond. We will be publishing a draft Parish Plan once the Steering and Peripheral Groups have had the opportunity to consider your re- sponses. We may also need your help once again in order to consider the most appro- priate action plan for Westbere.

“This project is partly funded by DEFRA’s Parish Plan Grant Scheme”

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