Gloucestershire Parish & Community-Led Plan Case Study

Rodborough: 2007

What is a Parish Introduction and Community-Led plan?

t Rodborough is located in the r o F A Parish & Community- district of . Until 1974 a h g

Led Plan is a document u

large part of the parish was part of the o r

o

which sets out a vision for b Stroud Urban District Council and today e d r o

a community’s future i forms part of the Stroud Urban area with R based on sound local h Stroud, and Rodborough. s

research, looking at r social, environmental and e

Rodborough is a parish of contrasts, from the industry of Dudbridge to the t economic life. natural beauty of Rodborough Common. The bulk of the common was s e

donated to the National Trust in 1937 by the entomologist Thomas c It celebrates positive Bainbrigge Fletcher (1878-1950). The common contains Rodborough fort, u features and activities, o a tourist attraction for locals and walkers. l highlights community G

needs and contains a , The parish has around 2,600 households, two primary schools, four detailed action plan to h

public houses, a large hotel, several community meeting venues including g help the community meet those needs. A Parish & the Parish Community Hall, and is home to the historic Winstones Ice u o Community-Led Plan is Cream Factory and two churches. It has some 30+ clubs and societies r produced by and for the including a football club, a scout group and activities for all ages. o b

community, based on a d detailed survey and o

R consultation process which involves the whole –

community. It prompts The Process y action and influences d u others. t

In Autumn 2005, it was decided at a Parish Council meeting to pursue S

A robust Parish & the government initiative to create a parish plan. The idea was e Community-Led Plans is introduced to the community through a launch day to gauge response s a inclusive and can and to form a steering group. Subsequently, the parish plan initiative was C demonstrate a robust supported and volunteers and community members signed up to form a n process that ensures its steering group. A variety of public, working and parish group meetings a quality. It is steered by a l took place, led by the steering group, to gather information to formulate P group of people from

the questionnaire. d within the community, e including representation L The questionnaire was incorporated with the parish quarterly magazine -

from the parish or town y

and was delivered by hand to every household. 17% of questionnaires t council and follows good i practice and advice from were returned which the steering group recognised was a low n a neutral independent percentage, so the steering group kept the process alive by “piggy u body. In Gloucestershire, backing” onto parish events, talking to groups, schools and churches and m

GRCC is the lead using a community information map board to gather more information m provider of advice and while the questionnaire data was analysed. o C support for parish and community led planning. The results were fed back through the parish magazine which was also d n

distributed to other agencies and organisations. (This is an ongoing a

process, gathering more information as the working group receives h s

feedback.) i r a P

Case study produced by Gloucestershire Rural Community Council (GRCC) for the South West Acre Network (SWAN) May 2008.

Robdborough’s achievements

Community benefits Planning and Housing Traffic and Transport

• Housing Needs Survey with GRCC • Meeting with County Council “We feel that more completed in January 2008 and Highways to look at the road people are now aware distributed to agencies maintenance & improvements of how big the parish • Discussions with the NHS about especially the danger spots is, the breadth of the the possibility of a baby clinic • Signed up to Lorrywatch parish and the scheme to monitor illegal use activities that take Technology, Publicity, Activities of roads across the common place here. It’s great to and Venues by HGVs see more people • Highlighting the areas where there wanting to become • Increased information to is little or no telecommunication promote Ring & Ride and the involved with signal (dead areas) and informing volunteering and Volunteer Driver Scheme residents about digital changeover e r parish work. i • Improved website – invitations sent Environment h

out to all the community groups • More litter and poop scoop s There has also been bins in place after bin audit and r inviting them to submit articles and e an increasing uptake t events information discussions with Local of enquiries and s • Informed groups of access to free Authority e responses from c websites via SDC • Rodborough “Make a individuals to the u Improved interest and participation Difference” day held every o parish office, with the • l October prior to the plan has

with ‘The Commoner’ (parish G

community itself quarterly newsletter) which is now been extended to include a ,

benefiting by more h often over-subscribed with articles. Spring Clean each April funding being attracted g

• Planted area has been u to the parish. • The Parish Plan work has often extended to both sides of o dictated themes for The r

Butterrow West o We aim to keep the Commoner • Increased uptake of the parish b plan alive through d

newsletter by local businesses Community o reporting all progress • An older persons day has R to the Parish Council wanting to advertise

taken place to provide – • The parish has increased publicity and the appropriate information on services y committees, keeping about activities by local groups and organisations and venues for available for older people and d our community up to u to discuss what activities this t meetings date through the S • Increased publicity about activities age group would like to see in quarterly magazine, e the area and venues s the website and at a parish events. • Improved community display Partnership C boards

• Increased working relationship n

The planning process • Improved relationships with the a

with some sections of the local l local schools and churches adds another strand to authority P the Parish Council’s • Hall improvement and Working d

work and helps give Group in place e

L clear guidance as to - y what the community t i

wants the Parish n

Council to do.” u

m

m

o

C

d

n

a

h “Improved interest and s i

r

participation with ‘The a

P Commoner’ (parish quarterly

newsletter) which is now often

over-subscribed with articles”

Case study produced by Gloucestershire Rural Community Council (GRCC) for the South West Acre Network (SWAN) May 2008.

Working with partners

Key advice for others Rodborough Parish Plan has given the Parish Council the factual evidence from the community enabling them to work more positively for the future of “Ensure that you the parish. However, having completed the plan, it is frustrating to receive have all the little or no response from some authorities and agencies; the wheels turn very slowly and it can be months before getting a reply or even a meeting. resources in place before “The wheels turn starting the h c r

process – time, u very slowly and it h C finance and h s

i can be months capacity and the r a P

realisation that h before getting a g u

this is an ongoing o r

o reply from some b

process” e d o r i R authorities and h

Rodborough agencies” s r

considers that e t

this is an ongoing s

plan. Even though e the initial was Lessons learnt and future projects c u

completed in o

l 2007, it is a We have learnt that, although the process is very time consuming and you G

constantly have to encourage volunteers to give up their time, there are a great deal of , renewed and benefits to the parish planning process. h g evolving u

document It can be difficult trying to get all the community groups to meetings, the o r

workload for the Parish Clerk has needed to increase to keep the process o

alive and the steering group needs to have enthusiasm, drive and b community involvement experience to carry the process forward. It is also d o

frustrating trying to move actions forward, often receiving little or no R

response from some local authority departments and other organisations. –

y

We plan to improve the Community Hall, continue to lobby Gloucestershire d u

County Council, Council and the Police to act on the results t S

of the survey, progress works from the onsite meeting with Highways, lobby

for the community’s wishes against the proposed housing development on e s

the rugby club land, lobby Gloucestershire County Council, Stroud District a

Council and Health Services about the lack of sheltered housing, nursing C

homes, affordable housing and provisions for people with disabilities, and n a

lobby Gloucestershire County Council, and the l P

government about the poor TV reception and access to Freeview and DAB.

d e L - y t i n

GRCC is the lead provider of support for parish and u With thanks to community-led plans in Gloucestershire and can offer m

Rodborough m

support to communities dependent on the location of the o Parish Council for C their parish. For further information please contact d

contributions to GRCC n a this case study

h s

Community House i 15 College Green r a

Gloucester P GL1 2LZ Tel: 01452 528491 Fax: 01452 528493 [email protected]

Case study produced by Gloucestershire Rural Community Council (GRCC) for the South West Acre Network (SWAN) May 2008.