Stondon Village Plan

Final Report

September 2012

Contents

Summary of Recommendations

Introduction

What is a Village Plan?

Household Information

Personal Information

Health and Welfare

Employment, Education and Training

Crime and Safety

Facilities for Younger Residents

Housing and Development

Leisure Facilities

Community and Village Facilities

Travel and Transport

The Local Environment

What happens next?

Appendices

Location of Areas within the Village

Acknowledgments

Village Plan Steering Group

Contact Details

“Freeform Comments”

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Summary of Recommendations

The Village Plan Steering Group recommends that Stondon Parish Council:

a) Focuses its communications strategy around electronic based media whilst retaining traditional paper based communication strategies. b) Sets up a working party to review facilities for under-16’s in the village – these may need to be improved and extended. c) Consider measures to encourage bicycle usage in the village, through sign-posted leisure routes and support county and national sustainable travel and health initiatives d) Contact the willing volunteers and help coordinate the setting up of a voluntary car scheme. e) Looks for opportunities to support the provision of additional Health Services easily accessible to parishioners. f) Works with relevant Key Stakeholders to raise awareness education and training courses accessible to parishioners and encourage course providers to disseminate available course information in accordance with Stondon Parish Council Communications Policy. g) Work with the Police to increase their visibility in the village, improve parishioners’ knowledge and understanding of the Community Police Team. h) Investigate why a high percentage of residents do not agree that Stondon is a safe place to live i) Explore the possibility of setting up a youth club in the village and contact the residents who offered to help with running youth facilities and leisure time facilities. j) Oppose further development in the village beyond that identified within Central Bedfordshire Council’s Local Development Framework. k) Where development does take place there should be an emphasis on provision of affordable housing and new community facilities for the village. l) Sets up a working party to review options for providing recycling facilities in the village. m) Sets up a working party to review options for providing a cash point within the village n) Endeavour to provide, or enhance existing, open spaces and wildlife areas which should be distributed throughout the village. o) Investigate the quality of the village’s Footways. p) Investigate the provision of a MUGA within the village.

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q) Look at the issue of parked cars in the village r) Support road safety measures in the Station Road East and West areas.

The above recommendations are discussed within the main body of the Village Plan report. The recommendations are listed generally in order that they are referenced within the report. The above recommendations are not listed in priority order.

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Introduction

This document, the Stondon Village Plan [SVP], has been prepared as a result of the contributions and responses of many parishioners and businesses of Upper and Lower Stondon.

This Village Plan is the culmination of a lengthy consultation exercise during which parishioners expressed views on what should be done to improve the village, whilst confirming the high level of satisfaction with our existing way of life and facilities. The Village Plan is intended to be a Summary of Recommendations for Stondon Parish Council [SPC]. It is also intended to communicate to parishioners a vision for the future of the village and identifies where appropriate action, timescales and possible participants to make the necessary changes happen.

The support of residents in the village will eventually determine the success of the Village Plan. Many people will be involved in taking forward the proposed actions and progress will be made in proportion to the support and effort of many in the village.

The Village Plan does not intend to solve problems and overcome challenges - only people can do that! Everyone in the village is invited to participate and contribute their skills and enthusiasm to facilitate successful outcomes to the recommendations and Summary of Recommendations contained within this Village Plan.

This Village Plan draws on responses to a questionnaire that was circulated to all households in the village in early 2012.

Within the Village Plan Questionnaire, discrete areas of the village were identified. These areas were used in some questions to help “narrow down” responses to a specific part of the village. Discrete areas are described in Appendix 1.

512 responses to the questionnaire were received. Some of the responses were received late and consequently some of the analysis by the Village Plan Steering Group was performed on the basis of 509 responses rather than 512. This Page 5 of 60

difference in number of responses analysed is not considered significant to the scope of this report.

Due to the volume of data received, the full database of responses is not included within this report. The database of responses to the questionnaire is available via the Parish Council’s web site – refer to www.stondon-pc.gov.uk for details.

Some respondents included additional handwritten responses on the returned questionnaires. These are detailed in the Appendices under “Freeform” comments.

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What is a Village Plan?

In November 2000, the Government’s Rural White Paper “Our Countryside - The Future” launched the concept of Parish and Town Plans.

Village or Parish Plans are intended to help local communities to have a greater say in local affairs. A Village Plan is the opportunity for a local community to identify its own vision of its own future. A Village Plan can also provide an opportunity for everyone in the community to voice their views and wishes for the direction of their village, its facilities and services, now and in the future.

This document is a report that has been called the Stondon Village Plan. The report identifies the issues of general concern, topics for discussion that are considered of importance by the parishioners and that need tackling, and the opportunities that could lead to positive action and overall improvement to the village.

This Village Plan is intended to form the basis of the collected vision for Upper Stondon and Lower Stondon over the medium term, up to say the next ten years when perhaps a similar activity will once again be undertaken.

How did we proceed?

The beginnings of the Stondon Village Plan started in spring 2010 under the auspices of the previous Stondon Parish Council [SPC] administration. A presentation was made by Bedfordshire Rural Communities Charity [BRCC] to SPC in July 2010. At that July 2010 meeting it was agreed that SPC would support a Parish Plan and that SPC would notify their intent to Parishioners via the Parish Council Notice Boards and the Stondon Recreation Association [SRA] newsletter and website. SPC also notified all key stakeholders of this desire and asked for their involvement.

At the SPC meeting of August 2010 it was agreed that the first Parish Plan group meeting would be in October 2010.

The Parish Council together with representatives of village organisations formed a Steering Group.

At initial meetings, the Steering Group decided that the plan for Stondon should be titled “Village Plan” rather than “Parish Plan”. This decision was to emphasise that the plan was discrete from the Parish Council.

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All residents and businesses in Stondon, including our younger residents, were encouraged to provide their feedback to the Village Plan Steering Group either through attendance at Steering Group meetings or through a Stondon Village Plan Facebook page.

Consultation was carried out with Bedfordshire Rural Communities Charity (BRCC) and meetings held with representatives from Parish Plan Steering Groups for Shillington village and Henlow village. From these initial consultations and meetings, the Steering Group gathered an understanding of the scale, complexity and amount of work required in producing a Village Plan.

A programme was produced for the completion of all work required preparing a Village Plan. BRCC assisted us through the initial stages of the process; a Village Plan grant was generously provided by SPC to facilitate the preparation of the Village Plan.

During initial meetings of the Steering Group, an outline for the scope of the Village Plan was developed. Within this scope the Steering Group initially identified a number of key areas/subjects that the Village Plan should consider:

 Leisure e.g. sporting/community/leisure facilities, "Village Days", etc  Employment, including opportunities with local shops and businesses  Education and Training, including options from local schools and libraries  The Environment, including footpaths, cycle paths and bridleways, street lighting  Travel including Traffic, Parking and Transport  Housing  Safety  Facilities for younger residents

The first significant stage in the development of the Village Plan was a “Planning for Real” event. This was held at Stondon Lower School on 21st May 2011. The event was attended by an estimated 250 adults and 70 children. The levels of attendance were far in excess of those expected by the Steering Group.

The Planning for Real event used a map of the village with “hands on” participation to help people put forward and prioritise their ideas on how the village and surrounding areas might be improved.

Participants placed suggestion cards on the map indicating what they want to see happen and where (e.g. playground, parking, sports facilities, traffic calming, recycling facilities, bus stop, shopping, etc).

In excess of 1,000 suggestion cards were placed on the Page 8 of 60

map of the village.

The suggestion cards were collated, sorted and prioritised to establish primary areas of need/concern which were to be followed up by the Village Plan Steering Group.

From the collated and analysed suggestion cards a series of “section headings” and associated questions were developed. Section headings were developed from the earlier key topics and responses to the Planning for Real Day as follows:

 Introduction/Household Information  Leisure Facilities  Employment, Education and Training  Travel and Transport  Community and Village Facilities  Crime and Safety  Health and Welfare  The Local Environment  Housing and Development  Facilities for Younger Residents

The Section headings and associated questions were developed by the Steering Group and incorporated into the Stondon Village Plan Questionnaire [SVPQ]. The SVPQ was the penultimate step in the process of preparing this Village Plan.

A Pilot Version of the SVPQ was “road tested” by 20 randomly selected households in late 2011. The responses and feedback from the Pilot Version were used to develop the final version SVPQ.

The final SVPQ was delivered to every household in the village during January 2012 and completed SVPQ’s were collected during February 2012. In addition to filling in a paper version of the SVPQ, households could also enter their responses/ comments online using “Survey Monkey” (The Survey Monkey facility was kindly hosted on behalf of the Steering Group by BRCC).

The collected SVPQ responses were manually entered into Survey Monkey by the Village Plan Steering Group. These responses and the parishioner directly entered responses formed the database upon which this Village Plan is based. The database can be viewed on Stondon Parish Council web site; www.stondon-pc.gov.uk

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The Survey Monkey Stondon Village Plan Database included responses from around 510 households representing about 1,300 parishioners/villagers ranging in age from new born to octogenarians and older!

The responses to questions within each section of the issued SVPQ are considered in detail, with an interpretative commentary also provided, in the following sections of the report.

At the conclusion of each section, a set of recommendations is provided for consideration and adoption by Stondon Parish Council. The primary recommendations from each section have been used to form the Summary of Recommendations for Stondon Parish Council.

This Village Plan is the result of the hard work of a number of individuals who are listed in the Appendices.

Finally, thanks are also due to the many people who contributed to the development of the Village Plan, including most importantly those who attended the Planning for Real Day and who returned completed SVP questionnaires. These people are in the main anonymous and where known unfortunately too numerous to list in detail!

Household Information

This was the first section of the Stondon Village Plan Questionnaire [SVPQ or SVP Questionnaire]

This section gathered some basic information about the size and age range of each household. Additionally it gathered some basic information on the person completing the SVPQ on behalf of the household

The analysis below and throughout this

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report should be read in the context of a total of 509 responses to the SVP Questionnaire considered by the Committee at the time this report was prepared.

The first question in the section – H1 - asked: How many people including children of all ages normally live in your household?

This question was answered by 509 SVP Questionnaire respondents. Responses were received by as follows:

Question H1: How many people including children of all ages normally live in your household? Total Number of Response 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 People in Household Count Responses with total number of people in 103 213 61 93 30 5 2 1 0 1 509 household answered question 509 skipped question 3 Total Number of 103 426 183 372 150 30 14 8 0 10 1296 Residents

By multiplying the number of respondents for each household size by the size of the household, shows that the SVPQ responses gives the “Total Number of Residents” included within the survey – this figure represents nearly 1,300 residents/ parishioners of Upper and Lower Stondon. This was a phenomenal response far in excess of the Steering Group’s expectations – many thanks to all that responded.

The response data above is illustrated in the following bar chart. Most households in the village who responded are of two persons, about 40% of those that responded to the question. Families of 6 or more were very few in number.

Responses vs Household Size

250

200

150

100

50 Household Size 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

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The second question in the section – H2 - asked: How many people live in your household for the applicable ages?

This question was also answered by 509 or 99.4% of the total SVP Questionnaire respondents.

The response data for this question was sophisticated/well broken down, with number of male and female household residents identified. Additionally the approximate ages of each resident was also identified, with 18 options for age ranges provided.

Due to the scale and complexity of the data provided, only a sample selection of this data is analysed below.

The information provided from question H2 showed that of 1,270 household residents identified through the SVPQ only a few more were male [646] than female [624].

A review of the information provided from responses to question H2 which looked at the age of household members shows:

 No. Of Children in Respondent Household [0-15 years] = 292  No. Of Young Adults in Respondent Household [16-24 years] = 68  No. Of Adults in Respondent Household [25-64 years] = 686  No. Of Adults in Respondent Household [65+ years] = 224

Number of Children and Adult respondents in Household by their age and sex:

800

600

400

200

0 Age Group 0-15 Age Group 16-24 Age Group 25-64 Age Group 65+

Male Female

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The third question in the section – H3 - asked: Where does your household live?

This question was also answered by 509 or 99.4% of the total SVP Questionnaire respondents. Responses were received as follows:

Question H3: Where does your household live? Response Response Answer Options Percent Count Bedford Road Area 17.1% 87 Cherry Trees Area 14.9% 76 Fakeswell Road Area 10.4% 53 Hillside Road Area 7.9% 40 Pollards Way Area 8.3% 42 Station Road East Area 16.5% 84 Station Road West Area 21.6% 110 Henlow Camp Area 3.3% 17 answered question 509 skipped question 3

The total number of households in Upper and Lower Stondon that the SVPQ was delivered to was 1,019. Respondents from Henlow Camp area were not provided with a hard copy SVPQ, but instead responded via the “Survey Monkey” facility.

In total 509 responses were received from the 1,019 households located in the sub-areas of Upper and Lower Stondon; equivalent to a 50% response rate. Whilst Hillside Road was the smallest area, it provided the best response rate, equal to 68% of households in that area returning the SVPQ – a big well done to all those who live there; the rest of the village will be after that “trophy” when the SVPQ is done next!

The fourth and final question in the section – H4 - asked: how many roadworthy vehicles are kept in your household?

This question was answered by 486 or 94.9% of the total SVP Questionnaire respondents.

Responses received were as follows:

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Question H4: From the list below how many roadworthy vehicles are kept in your household?

Number Response Answer Options 1 2 3 4 5 6 Count Cars 210 229 40 1 1 0 481 Vans 50 2 0 0 0 0 52 Motor bikes 32 10 1 2 0 0 45 Specially adapted vehicles 8 0 0 0 0 0 8 Lorries 1 0 1 0 0 0 2 Bicycles 42 54 30 24 14 14 178 answered question 486 skipped question 26

Assuming that those households that skipped this question do not have a vehicle of any type, then the key findings from this question were that:

 94% of Households have at least one car  45% of Households have two cars  35% of Households have at least one bicycle  10% of Households have a van  There are 4 lorries in all the households that responded

With reference to question TT4 (which is about cycle use), around 25% of households cycle less than once per week and yet as identified in response to question H4, 35% of households have a bicycle.

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Personal Information

The Personal section of the SVPQ asked for a little information from the parishioner/householder completing the blank SVPQ form as opposed to the overall demography of the household covered in the questions above. This information is relevant when considering answers to some of the subsequent questions and the groups within the community that issues apply to or affect the most.

The first question in the Personal section – P1 - asked: What is your gender/sex?

This question was answered by 501 or 98% of the total SVP Questionnaire respondents.

Responses received were as follows:

Question P1: What is your gender/sex? Tick ONE box only Response Response Answer Options Percent Count Male 39.5% 198 Female 60.5% 303 answered question 501 skipped question 11

This shows that whilst the male:female ratio in the village (measured by this survey) are nearly 50:50, the SVPQ was completed by more women than men.

The second question in the section – P2 - asked: What age group do you belong in?

Again, this question was answered by 501 or 98% of the total SVP Questionnaire respondents.

Responses received were as follows:

Question P2: What age group do you belong in? Tick ONE box only Response Response Answer Options Percent Count 11 - 18 years 4.8% 24 19 - 25 years 1.0% 5 26 - 44 years 27.5% 138 45 - 64 years 39.1% 196 65+ years 27.5% 138 answered question 501 skipped question 11

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Question P2: What age group do you belong in?

65+ years

45 - 64 years

26 - 44 years No. of responses

19 - 25 years

11 - 18 years

0 50 100 150 200

The SVPQ was mainly completed by adults rather than younger adults/children.

The response by age group is illustrated graphically above.

The largest section of SVPQ “form fillers”, nearly 40%, were in the 45-64 age groups. It is interesting to note as detailed elsewhere in this report that the clear demand for community facilities identified by respondents appear to be more “desirable” to younger residents than the age group completing the SVPQ. Perhaps illustrating the community spirit and good nature of the parishioners?

The third and final question in the section – P3 - asked: Do you have access to e-mail and the internet?

Again, this question was answered by 501 or 98% of the total SVP Questionnaire respondents.

Responses received were as follows:

Question P3: Do you have access to e-mail and the internet? Response Response Answer Options Percent Count Yes 83.0% 416 No 17.0% 85 answered question 501 skipped question 11

The UK Office for National Statistics indicated that in 2011, 77% of households in the UK had internet access1. This is less than the figure for internet access in Stondon. i.e. household internet access in Stondon is more than the UK average.

1 http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/rdit2/internet-access---households-and-individuals/2011/rft-tables-2011.xls Page 16 of 60

The responses to this question suggests that the greater majority of Stondon parishioners have internet access and that the Parish Council’s communication strategy should therefore for maximum efficacy focus on electronic media, whilst retaining some traditional, paper based media for the one-sixth of the village that doesn’t have internet access.

Based upon the data from SVP questionnaire respondents and commentary above from the Household and Personal sections of the SVPQ, the following recommendations have been reached.

Recommendation – the Steering Group recommends that Stondon Parish Council should  Focus its communications strategy around electronic based media whilst retaining some traditional paper based communication strategies.  Review facilities for under 16’s in the village – these may need to be improved and extended. See also the recommendation in the Younger Residents section  Consider measures which could be implemented to encourage more bicycle usage in the village. See also the recommendation in the Travel and Transport section

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Health and Welfare

This section looked at which healthcare facilities are used by respondents and which ones they find difficult to access. A high number of respondents answered questions in this section.

The first question in the section – HW1 - asked: Where is your Doctors Surgery/Medical Centre?

476 respondents answered this question. Responses were as follows:

Question HW1: Where is your Doctors Surgery/Medical Centre? Response Response Answer Options Percent Count Arlesey 0.4% 2 Hitchin 3.4% 16 Shefford 19.5% 93 Stondon 74.2% 353 Other 2.5% 12 answered question 476 skipped question 35

The 35 people who skipped question HW1 were mainly in the under 18 category.

The second question in the section – HW2 - asked: Do you have difficulties in accessing any of the following Health Care Services?

108 respondents answered this question. Responses were as follows:

Question HW2: Do you have difficulties in accessing any of the following Health Care Services? Tick all that apply Response Response Answer Options Percent Count Chemist 39.8% 43 Chiropodist 32.4% 35 Dentist 42.6% 46 Doctors 17.6% 19 Hospital 28.7% 31 Opticians 15.7% 17 answered question 108 skipped question 403

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Even though there is a dispensary within both the Doctors Surgery in Stondon and the Medical Centre in Shefford, there were 43 respondents spread across the village who have difficulty in accessing a Chemist. Could this be due to residents wanting to purchase “over the counter” medicines?

With regards to accessing the hospital the respondents who selected this option were mainly over the age of 65.

The third question in the section – HW3 - asked: Would you use any of the following Health Care Services if available in Stondon?

395 respondents answered this question. Responses were as follows:

Question HW3: Would you use any of the following Health Care Services if available in Stondon? Tick all that apply Response Response Answer Options Percent Count Dental Surgery 65.3% 258 Chiropodist 30.9% 122 Volunteer Car Scheme 12.4% 49 Chemist 70.4% 278 answered question 395 skipped question 116

As the analysis shows, a significant number of respondents would like to see further health service provision within the village, with 258 respondents or 65% of respondents wanting to be able to access a local Dental Surgery and 70% or 278 respondents wanting to be able to access a Chemist.

The fourth question in the section – HW4 - asked: Would you be willing to be a volunteer driver for a voluntary car scheme?

450 respondents answered this question. Responses were as follows:

Question HW4: Would you be willing to be a volunteer driver for a voluntary car scheme? Tick one box only Response Response Answer Options Percent Count Yes 4.4% 20 No 95.6% 430

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From question HW3, 49 respondents said that they would use a voluntary car scheme which leads onto the final question in this section. There were 20 respondents who have offered to become a voluntary driver.

Recommendation – the Steering Group recommends that Stondon Parish Council should  Contact the willing volunteers and help coordinate the setting up of a voluntary car scheme.  Look for opportunities to support, through the planning system, the provision of additional Health Services easily accessible to parishioners.

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Employment, Education and Training

This section was deliberately kept relatively short, as the responses from the Planning for Real Day intimated that this wasn’t a subject/topic of significant interest to Stondon’s Parishioners/ Residents.

The questions relating to Employment, Education and Training [EET] focused around the education and training aspirations of Residents.

The first question in the section – EET1 - asked: Are there any training or education courses you would like to attend locally?

This question was answered by 455 or 90% of the total SVP Questionnaire respondents. Responses were as follows:

Question EET1: Are there any training or education courses you would like to attend locally? Tick ONE box only Response Response Answer Options Percent Count Yes 14.9% 68 No 85.1% 387 answered question 455 skipped question 57

As can be seen above, from those who responded, a significant majority of over 85% said there were no training or education courses they would like to attend locally. A total of 68 parishioners said there were education or training courses they’d like to attend.

The second question in the section – EET2 - asked: If you answered "Yes" to Question EET1, what courses would you like to access locally?

Despite 68 parishioners saying in the first question there were education or training courses they’d like to attend locally, only 66 people actually provided details of the type of training/education course they’d like to attend.

Of the 66 responses received there was an eclectic mix of course types/content required – these are detailed in the table that follows the recommendation of this section.

Geographically, a higher percentage (36%) of those who expressed an interest in education/ training live in the Cherry Trees/Pollards Way area than other parts of the village.

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From the responses received the two predominant requests for education/training appear to be for

 IT/Computer related training and  First Aid training

Based upon the data from SVP questionnaire respondents and commentary above the following recommendation has been reached.

Recommendation – the Steering Group recommends that Stondon Parish Council  Works with relevant Key Stakeholders such as Central Bedfordshire Council, Samuel Whitbread Community College, Bedford College etc with the objective of course providers raising awareness of appropriate education and training courses easily accessible to parishioners  Encourages course providers to disseminate available course information in accordance with Stondon Parish Council Communications Policy

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Resident Responses to Question EET2 – sorted alphabetically

Requested Course Requested Course

A Range Of Courses, From 1st Aid At Home Knitting, Painting ,Improving IT Skills To More Structured Courses Languages E.G Btec Or HNC Leisure Courses I.E. Sports, Crafts.Floristry,First Adult Education Aid Adult Education Maths Adult Learning Trade Courses - Carpentry, Microsoft Package Training: Plastering, Tiling Etc Beginners/Intermediate/Advance Any Music - Classical Guitar Catering / Cookery Night School Options E.g. Language, Poetry, Art. Child Minding. Social Skills Such As Ballroom Dancing. Dog Childcare Courses. Training and Agility Personal Computer Skills / Broadband Etc Childcare Related, Dog Training, Practical Sessions On DIY - Tiling, Carpentry, Decorating.... Photography, French, Structural Engineering Computer Photography/Photoshop Computer Course Plastering, Photography Computer It, Electrical, Plumbing Pottery, Art, Craft Computer Literacy Training Recreational Suitable For Retired People Computer Skills Sign Language Bsl Level 1 Computer Skills; Digital Photography Taichi, Spanish, Yoga Computer Software Theories Teacher Training Course Computer, Art and Craft. There Seems To Be No Practical Education Or Computing Training In Central Beds For Things Like Carpentry, Plumbing, Mechanics, Construction Counselling Trades, Etc. - No Manual Education Whatsoever Counselling What's On Offer Countryside Maintenance / Conservation Woodwork And Gardening Craft and Needlework Club Crafts Creative Art Classes, Spanish Language Classes Domestic Plumbing Household Electrics Environmental Courses; Gardening First Aid First Aid First Aid First Aid Course First Aid For Infants. First Aid, Languages, First Aid; Night Computer Classes Flower Arranging Football, Coaching French French Language Hairdressing Healthcare Related Courses History; Advanced Computing How To Use Computer / Ebay / Internet Etc I Would Like Student Concessionary Fares To Get To College. It It Courses It Skills/Computers It, Maths, Accounting, Keep Fit For Over 60s; Art

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Crime and Safety

This section was as a result of significant interest expressed by Stondon’s Parishioners/Residents during the Planning For Real Day.

The first question in the section – CS1 - asked: Crime - do you consider the issues listed below as a problem in Stondon?

Responses were as follows:

Question CS1: Crime - do you consider the issues listed below as a problem in Stondon? Tick all boxes that apply. Response Percent of Response Response Answer Options Total Count Percent Questionnaires Received Burglary 89 25.4% 17.5% Domestic violence 3 0.9% 0.6% Drug taking or drug dealing 16 4.6% 3.1% Mugging / Theft from the person 4 1.1% 0.8% Speeding 314 89.5% 61.7% Theft from vehicles 40 11.4% 7.8% Vehicle damage 43 12.3% 8.4% Violent crime 3 0.9% 0.6% answered question 351 69.0% skipped question 158

Of the 351 who responded to this question, 89.5% (61.7% of all completed questionnaires) indicated that speeding is a problem in Stondon. 25.4% (17.5%) indicated that burglary was an issue. Only about 1% indicated that mugging or violent crime was an issue. About 12% (8%) indicated that vehicle crime was an issue. There is thus a clear message that the major issue for the majority of Stondon residents is speeding.

The second question in the section – CS2 - asked: Petty crime and Anti-social behaviour - do you consider the issues listed below a problem in Stondon?

Responses were as follows:

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Question CS2: Petty crime and Anti-social behaviour - do you consider the issues listed below a problem in Stondon? Tick all boxes that apply. Response Percent of Response Response Answer Options Total Count Percent Questionnaires Received Anti-social behaviour 80 53.3% 15.7% Drunkenness 28 18.7% 5.5% Fighting 1 0.7% 0.2% Graffiti 38 25.3% 7.5% Noisy neighbours 35 23.3% 6.9% Vandalism 67 44.7% 13.2% answered question 150 29.5% skipped question 359

Of the 150 who responded to this question, 53.3% (15.7% of all completed questionnaires) indicated that anti-social behaviour is an issue. 44.7% (13.2%) were concerned about vandalism. About 25% (7%) were concerned about graffiti and noisy neighbours. Drunkenness does not appear to be a major issue. Only 1 respondent thought that fighting was a problem.

The third question in the section – CS3 - asked: Policing in Stondon - do you agree with the following statements?

Responses were as follows:

Question CS3: Policing in Stondon - do you agree with the following statements? Tick all boxes that apply Response Percent of Response Response Answer Options Total Count Percent Questionnaires Received Our Community Police Team are easy 67 43.8% 13.2% to contact Our Community Police Team are well 18 11.8% 3.5% known The Police respond promptly to 95 62.1% 18.7% emergencies The Police respond promptly to reports 56 36.6% 11.0% of crime answered question 153 30.1% skipped question 356

Of the 153 who responded to this question, 62.1% (18.7% of all completed questionnaires) indicated that the Police respond promptly to emergencies but only 36.6% (11.0%) indicated that they respond promptly to reports of crime. Only 43.8% (13.2%) thought the Community Police Team was easy to contact and a worryingly low 11.8% (3.5%) thought they were well known.

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The fourth question in the section – CS4 - asked: Perceptions of Safety in Stondon - do you agree with the following statements?

Responses were as follows:

Question CS4: Perceptions of Safety in Stondon - do you agree with the following statements? Tick all boxes that apply Response Percent of Response Response Answer Options Total Count Percent Questionnaires Received I feel safe to walk in the dark to post a 334 82.5% 65.6% letter. It is safe for my children to play 149 36.8% 29.3% outside during the day It is safe for my children to play 70 17.3% 13.7% outside during the evening Stondon is a safe, law abiding place to 312 77.0% 61.1% live answered question 405 79.6% skipped question 104

Of the 405 who responded to this question, 77.0% (61.1% of all completed questionnaires) indicated that Stondon is a safe law-abiding place to live. 82.5% (65.6%) feel safe walking in the dark to post a letter. 36.8% (29.3%) felt it was safe for their children to play outside during the day and 17.3% (13.7%) felt it was safe during the evening. The low percentages here may be an indication of the percentage of households that have children. Although the majority felt that Stondon was safe and law-abiding, it is worrying that 23.0% of those who answered this question (38.9% of all those who submitted questionnaires) did not feel able to respond positively.

The fifth and final question in this section – CS5 - asked: Do you agree that the following changes would reduce crime levels and improve safety?

Responses were as follows:

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Question CS5: Crime and safety in Stondon - Do you agree that the following changes would reduce crime levels and improve safety? Tick all boxes that apply Response Percent of Response Response Answer Options Total Count Percent Questionnaires Received CCTV Cameras in the village 123 31.8% 24.2% More organised youth activities 258 66.7% 50.7% More Police presence 187 48.3% 36.7% More Police Community Support 207 53.5% 40.7% Officers answered question 387 76.0% skipped question 122

Of the 387 who responded to this question, 66.7% (50.7% of all completed questionnaires) indicated that provision of more youth facilities would reduce crime levels. About 50% (39%) indicated that a greater Police or Police Community Support presence would help. Only 31.8% (24.2%) would like to see CCTV cameras installed.

The main message from this section is the concern expressed by Stondon residents over speeding. It is therefore recommended that the Parish Council do all it can to address this issue, through Central Bedfordshire Council if at all possible or by utilising some of the Parish Council cash reserves allocated for Highways to provide traffic calming measures.

Petty crime and anti-social behaviour does not appear to be of major concern, bearing in mind that about 70% of those submitting questionnaires skipped this section.

Satisfaction with the Police responses to crime could be better. Lack of knowledge regarding the Community Police Team is a concern.

It is clear that the majority of Stondon residents believe Stondon to be a safe place to live, but a worryingly high percentage of those who submitted questionnaires did not register agreement.

Two-thirds of those who responded to the question (half of all questionnaires submitted) believe that provision of more youth facilities would help to reduce crime. This backs up the conclusion from the Younger Residents section that there is a need for a youth club in Stondon.

About half of those who answered would like to see an increased Police and Police Community Support presence.

There does not appear to be a great degree of support for CCTV cameras.

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Recommendation – the Steering Group recommends that Stondon Parish Council should  Work with the Police to improve the residents' knowledge and understanding of the Community Police Team.  Encourage the Police to increase their visibility in the village  Investigate why a high percentage of residents do not agree that Stondon is a safe place to live

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Younger Residents

This section considered younger residents in the village, i.e. under-18’s.

The first question in the section – YR1 - asked: Should Stondon have a Youth Club?

Responses were as follows:

Question YR1: Should Stondon have a Youth Club? Tick one box only Response Response Answer Options Percent Count Yes 88.5% 369 No 11.5% 48 answered question 417 skipped question 92

Respondents to this question showed an over whelming support for a Youth Club in Lower Stondon. We can only assume that the 92 that skipped the question were residents with no interest in children under 18 in the village.

The second question in the section – YR2 - asked: If Stondon did have a Youth Club, how often would you use these facilities?

Responses were as follows:

Question YR2: If Stondon did have a Youth Club, how often would you use these facilities? Tick ONE box only Response Response Answer Options Percent Count Every week 12.3% 51 Every fortnight 4.3% 18 About once per month 2.2% 9 A few times per year 2.7% 11 Never 5.1% 21 Not Applicable 73.5% 305 answered question 415 skipped question 94

Although this question looks like most people would not use the Youth Club, you have to take in to account that most people that filled in this question probably did not have children of the appropriate age group.

Of the 110 “applicable” responses, around 46% would use a Youth Club every week, around 16% every fortnight, around 8% once a month, and about 10% a few times a year.

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So overall, from “applicable” respondents that answered the question about 70% would use a Youth Club at least once a month if provided.

The third and fourth question in the section – YR3 and YR4 were interrelated and asked: Do any of your children under 18 take part in after-school activities?

Responses were as follows:

Question YR3: Do any of your children under 18 take part in after-school activities? Tick ONE box only Response Response Answer Options Percent Count Yes 52.4% 100 No 47.6% 91 answered question 191 skipped question 318

Question YR4: If not please give reasons why: Tick all boxes that apply Response Response Answer Options Percent Count Expense 56.3% 9 Lack of transport home 75.0% 12 Special needs not catered for 6.3% 1 Other (please specify) 75 answered question 16 skipped question 493

Of the 91 who answered no to YR3, 16 people ticked specific answers in YR4.

Of the 75 who gave “other” as their answer, 43 people had no children under 18 and 20 had no children yet at school.

Only 28 of those who answered no in YR3 had children of school age.

Detailed analysis of “Survey Monkey” responses showed that 128 respondents with children of school age answered YR3. Of these, only 22% had children that didn't take part in after school activities.

The clear message from the questions on younger residents is the desire for a Youth Club in Stondon. Nearly 90% of those that answered the question said that a youth club was needed. About 70% of families with children of the appropriate age group said that they would use a youth club at least monthly if it were to be provided.

It is encouraging to see that of families with children of school age, almost 80% made use of after school activities.

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Recommendation – the Steering Group recommends that Stondon Parish Council should  Explore the possibility of setting up a youth club in Stondon.  Contact the residents who offered to help with running youth facilities (question L6 in Leisure section)

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Housing and Development

This section of the survey considers the views of Stondon residents concerning housing and development.

The first question in the section – HD1- asked: Do you consider that there is a need for additional housing in Stondon?

Responses were as follows:

Question HD1: Do you consider that there is a need for additional housing in Stondon? Tick ONE box only Response Response Answer Options Percent Count Yes 13.8% 62 No 86.2% 387 answered question 449 skipped question 60

Over 86% of the respondents said ‘no’ to a need for additional housing.

The second question in the section – HD2- asked: If additional housing were permitted in Stondon, what type of development would you like to see?

This question attempts to put the size of a potential development in perspective.

Responses were as follows:

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Question HD2: If additional housing were permitted in Stondon, what type of development would you like to see? Tick all boxes that apply Response Response Answer Options Percent Count less than 5 homes 47.0% 179 Between 6 and 10 homes 33.6% 128 Between 10 and 50 homes 17.6% 67 More than 50 homes 4.2% 16 answered question 381 skipped question 128

Again the majority of respondents would rather a smaller than a large development – just over 80% wanting no more than a development of 10 homes.

Question HD2: If additional housing were to be permitted in Stondon, what type of development would you like to see?

50.0% 40.0% 30.0% 20.0% Response % 10.0% 0.0% less than 5 Between 6 Between 10 More than 50 homes and 10 and 50 homes homes homes

The third question in the section – HD3- asked: If additional housing is built, what type of housing should it mainly be?

This question attempts to ascertain the type of housing Stondon residents feel would be acceptable.

Responses were as follows:

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Question HD3: If additional housing is built, what type of housing should it mainly be? Tick ONE box only Response Response Answer Options Percent Count Affordable dwellings for key workers e.g. Nurses, Teachers etc 11.2% 44 Affordable dwellings for local people 34.5% 136 Bungalows 7.4% 29 Executive Homes - detached homes 9.1% 36 Family Homes - terraced or semi detached homes 13.2% 52 First Time Buyer/Starter homes - small homes, flats or apartments 11.4% 45 Retirement Homes 13.2% 52 answered question 394 skipped question 115

The most acceptable type of development is for affordable housing for locals with 34.5%. This number jumps to 57.1% if all the ‘affordable homes’ are added together (affordable key workers, affordable local, first time / starter homes).

Question HD3: If additional housing is built, what type of housing should it mainly be? - Chart below represents Response Percent

Affordable dwellings for key workers e.g. Nurses, Teachers etc Affordable dwellings for local people

Bungalows

Executive Homes - detached homes

Family Homes - terraced or semi detached homes First Time Buyer/Starter homes - small homes, flats or apartments Retirement Homes

The fourth question in the section – HD4 - asked: If additional housing is built, should it contribute towards the cost of new community facilities in Stondon?

This question simply asks if future developments should contribute to the cost of community facilities.

Responses were as follows:

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Question HD4: If additional housing is built, should it contribute towards the cost of new community facilities in Stondon? (See question CF1 for examples of possible community facilities) Tick ONE box only Response Response Answer Options Percent Count Yes 88.3% 356 No 11.7% 47 answered question 403 skipped question 106

From these results, nearly 90% of respondents considered additional housing should contribute towards new community facilities in Stondon.

In summary few parishioners [less than 14% of respondents] want further housing development & if there is development it should be less than 10 homes. Respondents have also identified that affordable housing is a key issue. By necessity, the questions in this section were brief and un-complicated. Respondents have however clearly identified that any future development should contribute toward the cost of new community facilities in the village.

The Village Plan Steering Group considers it likely that most parishioners will acknowledge that the scale of any future development will be directly proportional to the scale, complexity and value of any new community facilities consequently provided by the developer.

Recommendation – the Steering Group recommends that Stondon Parish Council should  Oppose further development in the village beyond that identified within Central Bedfordshire Council’s Local Development Framework.  Where development does take place there should be an emphasis on provision of affordable housing and new community facilities for the village.

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Leisure

The questions relating to Leisure focused around the footpaths (those that run around and across fields, etc.) of the village, and the need for various sports facilities. For information ‘footways’ are those paths that run alongside the road and do not form part of this analysis.

The first question in the section – L1 - asked: Do you experience difficulties using the local footpaths and bridleways?

Responses were as follows:

Question L1: Do you experience difficulties using the local footpaths and bridleways? Tick ONE box only Response Response Answer Options Percent Count Yes 28.1% 124 No 71.9% 317 answered question 441 skipped question 68

Of the 441 residents who responded to this question, 317 (71.9%) answered that they had not had any difficulty.

The second question in the section – L2 - asked: If you experience difficulties what are they?

For those 124 (28.1%) who had expressed difficulties, nearly half of their responses appeared to be more concerned with the footways (that run alongside the road). These responses have been separated out. For the remaining 77 (17.5%) there were a fairly even set of concerns, ranging from signage (not knowing where the footpaths were), the general quality of the footpaths (overgrown, ploughed and condition) and dog mess – more disturbingly, dog mess collected in plastic bags and then discarded in the hedgerow.

It should also be noted, whilst not analysed in detail, there was a considerable body of opinion (within the freeform comments against the “Leisure” section – refer Appendices) that highlighted the poor state of the footways within Stondon.

The third question in the section – L3 - asked: Do you think there are sufficient footpaths and bridleways in Stondon?

Responses were as follows:

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Question L3: Do you think there are sufficient footpaths and bridleways in Stondon? Tick ONE box only Response Response Answer Options Percent Count Yes 66.5% 284 No 33.5% 143 answered question 427 skipped question 82

When asked this question results were a bit more even. Out of 427 replies 284 (66.5%) said “Yes”.

The fourth question in the section – L4 - asked: Where would you like more footpaths and bridleways in Stondon?

Responses were as follows:

For the remaining 143 (33.5%) who said “No” to L3, the predominant location for more footpaths/bridleways was to join Station Road east with the new developments (Cherry Trees Area and the Pollards Way Area) off Bedford Road.

The fifth question in the section – L5 - asked: What Sports facilities does Stondon need?

Responses were as follows:

Question L5: What Sports facilities does Stondon need? Select all boxes that apply Response Response Answer Options Percent Count Badminton Court 23.6% 81 Cricket Pitch 24.2% 83 MUGA (all-weather multi sports area) 58.6% 201 Outdoor Fitness Area 31.2% 107 Playground (0-5 years) 25.1% 86 Playground (6-12 years) 32.9% 113 Skateboard Park 21.0% 72 Tennis Court 39.7% 136 answered question 343 skipped question 166

Of the 343 who responded over half (58.6%) would like to see a MUGA (Multi- User Games Area).

Remembering that more than one area could be selected, this was followed by; Tennis Courts (39.7%), Playground for 6-12 years (32.9%), Outdoor Fitness Area (31.2%), Playground for 0-5 years (25.1%), Cricket Pitch (24.4%), Badminton Court (23.6%) and finally a Skateboard Park (21.0%). Post survey note: A BMX Track has recently been constructed in the Station Road Play Site.

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When analysing the requirements for a MUGA by the respondents household location a breakdown of the responses is listed below.

Breakdown by Area for those residents who responded that they felt a MUGA was needed in Stondon Response Response Survey Response Area Percent Count Bedford Road Area 14.1% 28 Cherry Trees Area 16.1% 32 Fakeswell Lane Area 8.0% 16 Henlow Camp Area (on line only) 2.5% 5 Hillside Road Area 6.0% 12 Pollards Way Area 13.6% 27 Station Road East Area 17.6% 35 Station Road West Area 22.1% 44 answered question 199

Further, when analysing the preference for a MUGA by the respondents Age Group it is perhaps not too surprising that the greatest concentration falls within the 26 - 44 Year (45.2%) and 45 – 64 Year (47.7%) age groups. What is of more interest is the number of respondents within the 65+ Years (29.7%) age group who would also like one.

Breakdown by Age Group for those residents who responded that they felt a MUGA was needed in Stondon Response Response Respondents Survey Age Group Percent Count in Age Group 11 - 18 Years 12.5% 3 24 19 - 25 Years 20.0% 1 5 26 - 44 Years 45.2% 61 135 45 - 64 Years 47.7% 93 195 65+ Years 29.7% 41 138 answered question 199 497

The sixth question in the section – L6 - asked: Would you be prepared to help with leisure time activities for younger people, e.g. Youth Club?

Responses were as follows:

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Question L6: Would you be prepared to help with leisure time activities for younger people, e.g. Youth Club? Tick ONE box only Response Response Answer Options Percent Count Yes 8.2% 36 No 91.8% 401 answered question 437 skipped question 72

There was positive response for helpers on leisure time activities, for example a Youth Club. No less that 36 people expressed an interest. This must bode well if the Parish Council were to pursue this initiative.

Recommendation – the Steering Group recommends that Stondon Parish Council should  Appoint a Footpaths Officer. Post survey note: Stondon Parish Council have appointed a Footpaths Officer whose main task is to act as the primary interface between the Parish of Stondon and Central Beds Council. The Footpaths Officer can be contacted via the Parish Clerk or via e-mail ([email protected])  Investigate the quality of the village’s Footways.  Investigate the provision of a MUGA within the village.  Follow up the offers of helpers with leisure time facilities. Particularly in the light of the identified need for a Youth Club (see recommendation in Facilities for Younger Residents)

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Community and Village facilities

The percentages displayed in the following tables are calculated on the basis of the total number of respondents to this question. This section of the survey tries to ascertain the facilities that Stondon residents believe should be provided in Stondon.

There is a direct link to the Housing and Future Development section of the Village Plan, insofar as 88.7% of respondents believed that any future development should contribute to the facilities listed below.

The first question in the section – CVF1 - asked: Should any of the following (Community) facilities be provided in Stondon?

Responses were as follows:

Question CVF1: Should any of the following facilities be provided in Stondon? Tick all boxes that apply Response Response Answer Options Percent Count A community café 33.4% 153 Allotments 42.6% 195 An Internet cafe 9.2% 42 Cash Point 66.2% 303 Community Newsletter 38.4% 176 Cycle paths 41.3% 189 Dog waste bins 49.8% 228 Faster Broadband 64.4% 295 Footpaths 40.4% 185 Improved public transport 42.4% 194 Leisure / sports facilities 39.7% 182 Litter bins 40.2% 184 Local information point 18.3% 84 More pubs 23.8% 109 More restaurants 23.8% 109 Parks / Play areas 33.6% 154 Start up or small business premises 10.9% 50 Waste recycling facilities 66.4% 304 Wildlife preservation areas 49.8% 228 answered question 458 skipped question 51

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Question CVF1: Should any of the following facilities be provided in Stondon? Tick all boxes that apply

Wildlife preservation areas Waste recycling facilities Start up or small business premises Parks / Play areas More restaurants More pubs Local information point Litter bins Leisure / sports facilities Improved public transport Response % Footpaths Faster Broadband Dog waste bins Cyclepaths Community Newsletter Cash Point An Internet cafe Allotments A community café 0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0% 60.0% 70.0%

The results below are varied as more than one community facility could be voted on. The highest consensus was reached for waste recycling facilities to be available in the village. Over 66% of the respondents wanted that option. The aspiration for a cash point and faster broadband connectivity in the village is also clearly shown – again both these options have over 66% of respondents confirming they would like these facilities. The least popular option was for an internet cafe.

Recommendation – the Steering Group recommends that Stondon Parish Council should  Sets up a working party to review options for incorporating recycling facilities in the village

 Sets up a working party to review options for providing a cash point within the village

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Travel and Transport

This section of the survey considers the views of Stondon residents concerning travel and transport.

The first question in the section – TT1 - asked: In which areas of Stondon do you think there is a problem with parked cars?

Responses were as follows:

Question TT1: In which areas of Stondon do you think there is a problem with parked cars? Response Response Answer Options Percent Count Bedford Road Area 14.5% 47 Cherry Trees Area 11.1% 36 Fakeswell Lane Area 12.3% 40 Hillside Road Area 28.6% 93 Pollards Way Area 12.6% 41 Station Road East Area 59.7% 194 Station Road West Area 40.0% 130 answered question 327 skipped question 182

The analysis clearly shows that nearly 60% of the respondents identified the Station Road Area (both East and West) as having a significant problem with parked cars, followed by Hillside Road. Other areas (Pollards Way, Cherry Trees, Fakeswell Lane and Bedford Road) were identified by between 10-14% of the respondents to this question.

The second question in the section – TT2 - asked: In which areas of Stondon do you think there are major “danger spots” on the roads?

Responses were as follows:

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Question TT2: In which areas of Stondon do you think there are major “danger spots” on the roads? Response Response Answer Options Percent Count Bedford Road Area 28.1% 99 Cherry Trees Area 9.1% 32 Fakeswell Lane Area 9.7% 34 Hillside Road Area 28.4% 100 Pollards Way Area 7.1% 25 Station Road East Area 54.0% 190 Station Road West Area 48.9% 172 answered question 354 skipped question 155

Question TT2

Bedford Road Area Cherry Trees Area Fakeswell Road Area

Hillside Road Area No. of Responses Pollards Way Area Station Road East Area Station Road West Area

0 50 100 150 200

The profile of the responses is very similar to that for question TT1, where again 54% of the respondents identified the Station Road Area (both East and West) as having major “danger spots”. Next were Hillside Road and Bedford Road with 28% of the respondents; this was followed by Pollards Way, Fakeswell Lane and Cherry Trees.

The third question in the section – TT3 - asked: Would you support road safety measures in any or all of the following areas?

Responses were as follows:

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Question TT3: Would you support road safety measures in any or all of the following areas? Response Response Answer Options Percent Count Bedford Road Area 41.0% 136 Cherry Trees Area 20.2% 67 Fakeswell Lane Area 21.4% 71 Hillside Road Area 37.1% 123 Pollards Way Area 19.9% 66 Station Road East Area 62.4% 207 Station Road West Area 62.3% 210 answered question 334 skipped question 175

Question TT3

Bedford Road Area

Cherry Trees Area

Fakeswell Road Area

Hillside Road Area No. of responses Pollards Way Area

Station Road East Area

Station Road West Area

0 50 100 150 200 250

The analysis of the responses to this question shows a similar pattern to that for questions TT1 and TT2. Again, 63% of the respondents would support road safety measures for Station Road (East and West). Safety measures in Bedford Road were supported by over 40% of respondents; Hillside Road was supported by 37% of the respondents; Pollard Way, Cherry Trees and Fakeswell Lane sharing similar levels of support from approximately 20% of the respondents.

The fourth question in the section – TT4 - asked: How often do you currently cycle within Stondon?

Responses were as follows:

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Question TT4: How often do you currently cycle within Stondon? Response Response Answer Options Percent Count More than once per week 7.9% 36 Less than once per week 25.6% 116 Never 66.5% 302 answered question 454 skipped question 55

This question showed a high number of responses and the analysis shows that 66% of the respondents never cycle within Stondon, with the other 32% having some level of cycle activity within Stondon.

The fifth question in the section – TT5 - asked: What of the following would encourage you to cycle more often within Stondon?

Responses were as follows:

Question TT5: What of the following would encourage you to cycle more often within Stondon? Response Response Answer Options Percent Count Better traffic calming 47.2% 127 Guided group cycle rides 11.2% 30 Cycle Hire facilities 5.6% 15 Signposted separate leisure cycle routes 80.3% 216 answered question 271 skipped question 238

The results of the analysis showed that 80% of respondents favoured signposting of leisure routes to encouraging more cycling within Stondon followed by better traffic calming at a 47% response rate.

Recommendation – the Steering Group recommends that Stondon Parish Council should  Look at the issue of parked cars and support road safety measures in the Station Road East and West areas.  Encourage more cycling within the village through sign-posted leisure routes and support county and national sustainable travel and health initiatives

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The Local Environment

This section had questions that looked at the issues which affect the environment that we live in. It should be noted that questions in some of the other sections, such as Transport, also affect how we interact with the world around us.

The first question in the section – LE1 - asked: Where would you like recycling facilities within Stondon?

Responses were as follows:

Question LE1: Thinking of recycling facilities - if more were provided in your village, which area would you like them in? Tick all boxes that apply Response Response Answer Options Percent Count Bedford Road Area 45.8% 167 Cherry Trees Area 17.5% 64 Fakeswell Lane Area 15.9% 58 Hillside Road Area 17.5% 64 Pollards Way Area 6.3% 23 Station Road East Area 26.3% 96 Station Road West Area 26.6% 97 answered question 365 skipped question 144

72% of respondents answered this question and from the responses 45% would like recycling facilities in the Bedford Road area; this included 25% of responses from other areas of the village.

Station Road East and West were the next most popular and if one adds together Bedford Road and Station Road East, which are close together, then this would be the most popular area.

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Question LE1: Thinking of recycling facilities - if more were provided in your village, which area would you like them in?

50.0% Response %

40.0%

30.0%

20.0%

10.0%

0.0% Bedford Cherry Fakeswell Hillside Pollards Station Station Road Area Trees Area Lane Area Road Area Way Area Road East Road West Area Area

The second question in the section – LE2 - asked: Which of the following Local Environment Initiatives would you like to see provided within Stondon?

Responses were as follows:

Question LE2: Which of the following Local Environment Initiatives would you like to see provided in Stondon? Tick all boxes that apply Response Response Answer Options Percent Count Community gardens 40.7% 157 Community water features 17.1% 66 Natural open spaces 58.3% 225 Parkland areas 44.3% 171 Public seating 45.3% 175 Wildlife preservation areas 61.4% 237 Other initiatives (please specify) 27 answered question 386 skipped question 123

76% of respondents answered this question. The most popular local environment initiative would be wildlife preservation areas. This initiative was closely followed by natural open space. A community garden, parkland area and public seating were all close runners up.

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Question LE2: Which of the following Local Environment Initiatives would you like to see provided in Stondon?

Response % 70.0%

60.0%

50.0%

40.0%

30.0%

20.0%

10.0%

0.0% Community Community Natural open Parkland Public seating Wildlife gardens water spaces areas preservation features areas

The third question in the section – LE3 - asked: Do you think there should be renewable energy system installations in Stondon?

Responses were as follows:

Question LE3: With increasing pressure on our energy resources do you think there should be renewable energy system installations in Stondon, such as solar farms or community energy centres? Tick ONE box only Response Response Answer Options Percent Count Yes 39.9% 171 No 60.1% 258 answered question 429 skipped question 80

84% answered this question: the majority of respondents (60%) would prefer there not to be renewable energy installations around Stondon; while 40% of the respondents would be happy to support renewable energy.

Recommendation – the Steering Group recommends that Stondon Parish

Council should

 Endeavour to provide recycling facilities in the village.

 Endeavour to provide, or enhance existing, open spaces and wildlife

areas which should be distributed throughout the village.

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What Happens Next?

The Village Plan is a ‘work in progress’ – a dynamic document.

Following adoption by Stondon Parish Council, the Village Plan will be regularly discussed and reviewed by the Steering Group and the Parish Council.

The Village Plan Steering Group along with the Parish Council will seek to involve local people in finding solutions to the issues identified by the Village Plan. It’s a chance for anyone who wants to get involved in local issues to start making a difference.

A high level of community involvement has already been demonstrated throughout the Village Plan process and in particular through the exceptionally high response rate to the questionnaire survey and through attendance at the Planning For Real Day.

It is anticipated that Working Parties or Action Groups will be convened by the Parish Council to address the key issues identified by this report and summarised within the Summary of Recommendations. Terms of Reference will be defined for the Working Parties by the Parish Council. These Terms of Reference should identify activities, people who will need to be involved and target dates for completion of the Summary of Recommendations.

Some of the Summary of Recommendations will require sustained commitment and may not be completed for a number of years.

The Summary of Recommendations is therefore identified separately within the Village Plan so that it can be regularly, reviewed, amended and updated. Reviews are important and will be necessary to ensure that the Summary of Recommendations takes account of changing circumstances and continues to meet the needs of all sections of the community.

Effective communication is seen as critical to success and efforts should be made by the Parish Council to provide regular updates to all stakeholders.

Appendices

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Appendix 1 – Location of Areas within the Village

Within the Village Plan Questionnaire, discrete areas of the village were identified. These were used in some questions to help “narrow down” responses to an area. Discrete areas were identified as follows:

Bedford Road Area: Cherry Trees Area: Bedford Road Applecroft Birch Grove Cherry Trees Holwellbury Orchard Way Three Star Park Pear Tree Close Plum Tree Road

Fakeswell Lane Area: Hillside Road Area: Cooper Close Brookevale + Cottages Fakeswell Lane Hare Park Terrace Hawthorn Way Hillside Road Maple Close Meppershall Road Mayfield Crescent The Pastures

Pollards Way Area: Station Road (East) Area: Bluebell Drive Alton Road Lily Walk 95 to 223 Station Road (Odd's) Myrtle Gardens 96 to 224 Station Road (Even's) Pollards Way The Willows Caravan Park Rosemary Lane

Station Road (West) Area: Brittains Rise Shannon Close Endeavour Close Shillington Road Hunters Meet The Bungalow Long Close The Chase Meadowsweet The Hollow 1 to 85 Station Road (Odd's) The Old Coach House 2 to 84 Station Road (Even's)

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Appendix 2 – Acknowledgments

Thanks and recognition is due to:

 All residents of Lower Stondon and Upper Stondon who completed their

questionnaire and provided information for the collation of the Village Plan

 Members of the Stondon Village Plan Steering Group

 Stondon Parish Council

 Stondon Lower School

 Mount Pleasant Golf Club

 Station Road Surgery

 Stondon Recreation Association

 Central Bedfordshire Council

 Bedfordshire Rural Communities Charity

 Tiegan New - from Stondon Lower School who designed the logo on the cover

page of the Village Plan Report

 Phoebe Youd, Maya Morris and Kusum Dura - from Derwent Lower School who created the “strapline” The Village with a Smile on the Village Plan logo

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Appendix 3 - Village Plan Steering Group

Thanks are due to the following band of willing volunteers who were members of the Village Plan Steering Group:

Kevin Smith (Chairperson) Andy Banthorpe Astrid Hansen Carole Henderson Chris Markwick (p/t Chairperson) Courtney Gunn Deb Hathaway Dorothea Hellen Gavin Simkins Jill Davies Jim Jee Kate Hebblethwaite Kevin Goode Marion Hares Mike Campbell Mike Carragher Rita Drinkwater Ruth Simkins Sharon Markus Stewart Rataj Vernise Johal Zoe Ashby (BRCC) Village Plan Steering Group

at the Planning For Real Day

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Appendix 4 – Contact Details

For details of the work of the Village Plan Steering Group, Action Groups or full results of all the surveys contact Stondon Parish Council.

Please make your request to -

Lesley Hall Clerk to Stondon Parish Council c/o 10 Enslow Close Caddington Bedfordshire LU1 4HU www.stondon-pc.gov.uk [email protected] 01582 411657

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Appendix 5 – “Freeform” Comments

Some respondents included additional handwritten responses on the returned questionnaires. These are detailed below.

Question Comment Number Contact Details I know it is not part of your questionnaire but I am more concerned about elderly people who are not aware of savings of having a water meter fitted or the savings of comparing various fuel suppliers. People with no water meter pay a rate relative to property rateable value. I pay £60 pa with a meter without was paying > £400 pa. They are not interested. Cover It will be a village with a smile when those elected to serve Lower Stondon start to listen and deliver! Cover Nothing much to smile about, we are more of a laughing stock CS1 Speeding - others no more so than anywhere else CS1 Speeding a huge problem, nothing being done to stop this CS1 Against 'Domestic Violence' = "What can you do about this!" CS1 Traffic and Parking CS2 Where are the Yes and No options CS2 Drunkenness Friday/Saturday nights CS2 [Drunkenness] especially underage + [anti-social behaviour] for parking CS3 Where are the Yes and No options CS3 No - don't know how to contact them. Never had to contact them CS3 Didn't know we had a community police team, haven't had to call the police so far CS3 Recently moved here CS3 Policing in Stondon -answered first three questions as-Don't know CS3 Never seen a police person in 6 years CS3 [Police] where are they and when? CS3 [agree with Policing in Stondon Statements] definitely NOT to all CS3 No idea on these - not tried CS4 Stondon is safe - on the whole CS4 Just spoilt by occasional individual CS4 except traffic CS4 Only lived here a few months unable to comment. Have had no problems CS4 [Stondon is a Safe place to live] Don't think so; in Mayfield they think they're on a race track. What is the speed? They only need to do not over 30. As for the top of Fakeswell Lane coming over Shillington Lanes they are speeding over 50. That should be stopped. any way trying to get across the road CS5 Youth activities should have been more, not every youth plays golf CS5 Against 'CCTV' = "Too expensive - Already considered by PC", CS5 It is not only youths that commit crime CS5 [More PCO's] yes - years ago we had one on a bike coming around every day CVF1 Definitely (Footpaths) CVF1 Urgently needed. None in the area (Cash Point) CVF1 More needed. Emptied regularly (Dog Waste bins)

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Question Comment Number CVF1 Shame Stondon Times no longer published CVF1 Leisure / sports facilities - Only if centrally located. The so-called Stondon Park is closer to the centre of Meppershall than to hundreds of Stondoners CVF1 Multi-purpose community centre - why is this question not included? CVF1 Community café - various venues are listed CVF1 Cycle path - and running path CVF1 Leisure/sport Tennis and basketball would be lovely, just need people to use them CVF1 small businesses - some empty already CVF1 Against 'Faster Broadband' = "Due this Year" added, Parks...' = "Outside Gym", 'Start up…' = "these are already available" CVF1 Community hall nearer Bedford Rd as per last two plans CVF1 Village magazine CVF1 [cash point] Free! CVF1 [cash point] not a Link CVF1 [Faster Broadband] much needed CVF1 [litter Bins] then the place would not be a mess with tins and paper EET2 Music Classical Guitar EET2 Computer software theories EET2 Evening courses for woodwork/gardening EET2 Adult Learning Trade Courses-carpentry, plastering tiling etc. End I do not feel that Stondon requires any additional housing and would be strongly opposed to any future housing developments. End Police helicopters flying directly over properties are invasive late at night and early hours of the morning. Stondon is a residential village and this at times is overlooked End Nothing for additional concerns e.g. increasing noise from Luton Airport - Flight path changes/ volume changes H1 Missing No. of residents - 2 added H4 8 bikes in box - changed to 6 (max online) HD1 Too many houses being built here already HD1 No we don't need more housing here HD2 I thought this was already a done deal. HD2 Depends where hd2 We have no room for more; where would these go HD3 Why only one box? Why not option for a mixture? HD3 Unrealistic - should be a mix and sensibly planned HD3 Low cost housing (rented) added as another box and ticked HD4 If additional housing is authorised in Stondon it should be at the West end of the parish, not the Bedford Rd end which has absorbed the vast majority of the new housing in recent years. HD4 This questionnaire is appalling! Where is the opportunity for us to say what we really think? The people in the east of Stondon are not going to put up with having all the houses built at our end and all the facilities provided at the other end. We're sick of it. HD4 This is a poorly worded question. There will be a great % answering No because of the way it is worded. Should have been balanced with "if building development gave (x, y, z) amenities, would you support development?

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Question Comment Number HD4 Against 'Yes' = "But in a central location not all spending at far end of village please" HD4 A community hall nearer Bedford Rd end of the Village. HD4 Let me tell you, back in 1953/54 these houses where I have been for 57 years, there were 150 children in this Crescent. There was no trouble with kids who done damage like there is now. Breaking down trees. Fill the Broke up to stop the water running by my house. They need a football playing field to kick ball about. Stondon is the only place that don't have one HW2 All need car, bus available but difficult to utilise HW3 Happy with surgery pharmacy HW4 has ticked yes, but not at present as still working full time L1 Don't use L2 Footways near Stondon lower are too narrow and congested at school start/finish times with buggies and bicycles so have to use road which is dangerous because of fast traffic L2 Station Road footways, as above, also seen several near misses L2 Footways in Hillside rd very uneven. Footway to Church needs repair, also very dangerous to cross the road to the Church from Upper Stondon L2 Footways in Station Road in dire need of repair L2 Cars and lorries parking over footways L2 Cars and lorries parking over footways. Hedges encroaching onto footways restricting width. L2 Footways - dog mess, broken pavements, uneven surfacing, overgrown L2 Cars partly or fully parked on footways L2 Bicycles on pavements L2 Footpaths flooded when it rains L2 Dog dirt L2 Litter L2 Cars parked on paths L2 Uneven footpaths L2 Holes every where L2 Not enough footpaths, conservation areas, footpaths that are here are difficult to access, no nice walks L2 Footpaths overgrown L2 Sign posting L2 Full of holes L2 Having just moved here from Hertfordshire I find the farmers here do not leave an edge round the fields this limits greatly the walks-my only negative to living in Stondon . L2 No decent bridal way from Station RD to mobile home park. i.e. shortcut to doctors surgery L2 Cars being allowed to park on the pavements happens too often in Stondon and never a police officer about to stop it. The Bedford Road and Station Road I think are the bad spots along with the speeding that’s allowed in Stondon without a thing being done about it. L2 Dogs mess makes walking down footpaths which borders onto fields very unpleasant and it is a shame, because there are some lovely footpaths due to the thoughtless behaviour of some dog owners. L2 Don't walk to well

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Question Comment Number L2 Many footpaths are very muddy in the wet weather, these would benefit from loose gravel. Several footpaths that cross fields are regularly ploughed and crops cover the paths. When ploughed unsafe to walk on and very muddy. L2 Not maintained L2 Very poor footpaths L2 Some not signed properly. Dog fouling particularly along the field behind Long Close. L2 Not enough room at edges of fields to walk on. Not enough footpaths in areas for dog walkers L2 Due to health problems I do not go into village very much as there are no seats on walk down to shops and back again. It is easier for me to catch bus into Hitchin plenty of places to sit. I'd love to use the village more. A nice café to have tea/coffee would be really nice. L2 Muddy and flooding on footpaths and bridleways long nettles and growth L2 Towards Shillington so avoiding the road where people are speeding mostly. L2 Joining Bedford Road to Shillington Road also as there is no shorter way than following the road. L2 Sometimes I have to walk in road where footpath ceases. L2 All pavements are in a bad state of repair i.e. Station Road West L2 Uneven surface L3 Don’t know L3 Not to dump rubbish down the Lane by the Broke like they have done by folks moving here L4 More footpaths Bedford Road L4 All around this area L4 Wherever the natural beauty of the village could be more accessible L4 From mobile home site Bedford Road to Station Rd. L4 I think Stondon is fine but between Stondon and Shillington could be accessed. L4 From Stondon to Shillington L4 Between fields along edges of fields L5 What about something for older folk? L5 Bowls green for older people L5 We already have a good play area in sports field L5 MUGA - At rec L5 MUGA / Tennis court - Only if centrally located L5 Sufficient already L5 Access to existing field and play area behind school near roundabout (Station Rd West) would be helpful and play area would be more used. L5 Has ticked MUGA, but written - hire to local schools e.g. Sam Whit for evening matches. L5 Extra box added = "Gym" L5 Against 'MUGA' = "Outside Gyms, now more popular". Extra box added = "Central village green" L5 Additional facility = "Bowls" L5 MUGA should be built on field by The Pastures L5 Mayfield Crescent paid for Park Swing and that back in 1967 paid for by Tenants like me at xx

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Question Comment Number L5 They need a place to play football instead of in the road in Mayfield Crescent L5 Gym Le See answer to L2 LE1 Somewhere away from dwellings LE1 Hillside Rd - Rec Car Park / Village Hall Car Park LE1 Bedford Rd area / Station Rd East area - both Centrally LE1 Extra box added "Central placed" LE1 Glass/bottle disposable needed LE1 [recycling facilities] anywhere would be better than present situation LE1 Recycling Facilities should be where there is good parking and not outside Residential Buildings LE2 Conservation of natural features e.g. ponds LE2 More local food growing initiatives, e.g. community orchards, gardens allotments LE2 Retention of hedgerows and other wildlife habitats LE2 Reclamation of derelict and unsightly buildings for community use LE2 Creation of ESC (Energy Supply Company) within the village which could be a co- operative, providing renewable energy for the village LE2 More shops LE2 Dog Exercising areas LE2 Inadequate seating at bus stop LE2 A community hall nearer Bedford Rd end of the Village. LE2 A waste collection skips once a month like they have in Shortstown Nr Bedford and other villages. LE3 Huge tidy up of our 'village green' outside B and B Stores. It could be a beautiful focal point, but it is a dreary, dull untidy area. LE3 Against 'Yes' = "Not wind farms" LE3 Against 'No' = "No way" LE3 Because I would not like the green areas ruined by wind farms LE3 The noise from the Police helicopter at night is unacceptable when it "hovers" on landing directly over residences; this is sometimes in excess of thirty minutes LE3 Keeping the kids off the Road, not playing football in the street at any time and giving the 10-16 year olds something to do when not at school N/A As we have only just moved to the village we found it a bit difficult to answer some of the questions, but do however look forward to being part of any changes within the area. We love it already. N/A Very difficult to fill in. I am nearly 80 live alone. Have difficulty walking. Worn out inside so I don't think I would be able to go to Youth Clubs etc. Note Unable to access this questionnaire on the web. WHY P1 Tell me this, what is the field past the school for; Near Broke Field houses that would be a big football; grand for them to have any child. We have eight kids here in Stondon instead of more houses you want hear they can’t look after the playing field in Fakeswell Land. the tables and forms they got broking last year P2 and disabled TT1 Hillside Rd - at school start/finish TT1 Station Rd East - near roundabout; by Doctors during surgery times

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Question Comment Number TT1 Station Rd East - between Alton Rd and roundabout. Also the Bedford Rd bus stop opposite Bird in Hand Cottages should be put back to where it was (outside Flamez Pizzas) - the parked buses cause holdups TT1 Station Rd East - due to surgery having insufficient parking TT1 Station Road East near Henlow Camp Roundabout and Station Road West near Chapel and opposite Brittains Rise TT1 In Mayfield Crescent too many cars to the housing; no room, that's why you have to put your cars on the grass from no xx upwards - why don't you take some of the grass off to make the lay-by bigger? Some houses have 2 or 3 cars; one house has 4 or 5 TT2 Junction is unmarked (Pollards way area) TT2 traffic coming off the A600 too fast to Cherry Trees TT2 Hillside Rd - mini roundabout TT2 Station Rd West - bend near Chapel TT2 Station Rd East - where parked cars are on the road and many drive on the pavement because oncoming traffic will not stop TT2 Station Rd East, near pub / roundabout TT2 Station Rd East - speed TT2 Station Road East ticked commented near GP Surgery TT2 Bedford Road has Parish houses way beyond the 30pmh sign and should be moved to the Central Beds sign for safety to all - vehicles travel in excess of 60 mph along this stretch. TT2 Just coming into Stondon from Shillington speeding and no crossing for school kids TT2 [Cherry Trees Area] race track at blind corners - road layout TT2 The top of Long Close [is a danger spot] can’t see the shop hill. What is coming down the road to get out of Long Close for cars park there by the car coming over the Shillington Hills? One car coming from the hill at 90 that is like the hillside roundabout. Very bad. Why don't you have traffic lights instead of a roundabout? it would be safer TT3 Underlined 'support road safety measures - depends as past measures have exacerbated problem e.g. mini roundabout at hillside rd. TT3 Fakeswell Lane-re design roundabout TT3 Station Road East Area-Not speed Humps TT3 Against lumps of concrete in the road; against cameras; very definitely against encouraging neighbours to hold speed guns trying to entrap their neighbours TT3 Around Cherry Trees area the parking is terrible. People parking on corners with zero visibility are very dangerous. Double yellow lines should be applied for safety. Too many too often near miss crashes. Also some kind of give way as at the moment everyone just goes TT3 [Cherry Trees Area] Orchard Way 10-45 and 14-59 TT3 Measures for speeding to all areas TT4 [never] no access to bridleways without having to cross roads TT5 Don't be silly (guided group rides) TT5 Dedicated Cycle Lanes + Pedestrian Crossings YR1 Within a multi-purpose centrally located community centre YR1 There should be some clubs of sorts where young people can go, e.g. Music group or games club YR1 Against 'Yes' = "In a new central located building" YR1 Give kids a chance

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Question Comment Number YR1 [Should Stondon have a Youth Club] they burnt the first one YR2 Had to get outside activities for my boy, too late for him now YR2 [after School Activities] use but not in Stondon YR3 Transport is an issue YR4 No children under 18 YR4 We don't need kids lofting around the village - that’s when trouble would start YR4 Over 65 years only lived here since Oct 11

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