LOWER HEYFORD AND CAULCOTT PARISH PLAN 2010/11 INTRODUCTION AND WELCOME Welcome to the Parish Plan This plan has been put together by the Parish Plan Steering group, which had representation from the Parish Council. The steering group has taken forward some of the quick wins whilst the plan was in the process of being put together, but the Parish Council has adopted the plan and has agreed to drive forward implementation in the future. The Parish Plan Steering Group believes that this report has accurately recorded the opinions of those who answered the questionnaire. With a 70% response rate it is likely that those who mind most about the environment in which they live have given their comment. We trust that when decisions are made about potential changes in Lower Heyford and Caulcott the results of this report will be taken into account. We live in a beautiful place, and there are many people of goodwill in the villages who contribute to our community life and our surroundings in a range of ways. But there is space for more! If you are interested in any of the areas covered in this plan, have any resources to offer, and you have not yet been recruited please don’t hesitate to get in touch with anyone on the contacts page in this plan or make yourself known to a parish councillor, If you are short of time, there is a one page summary of key findings from the village wide questionnaire towards the front of the report and an action plan summary at the back, but we hope that most may like to read the village snapshot and the more detailed analysis with recommendations that comes in between. James Macnamara Diana Boxall Chair of the Parish Council Parish Plan Co-ordinating Group - 1 - INDEX Item Page What is a Parish Plan and why do it? 3 Headlines from Survey Results 4 Map 5 Parish today 6 Parish history 7 Consultation process 9 Report structure 10 Who responded to the survey? 11 Communications 12 Housing and Development 13 Local Enterprise 14 Local services – shop and health centre 15 Safety, crime and policing 16 Environment - housekeeping 17 Environment 18 Transport – speeding and traffic calming 19 Transport – public transport, walking and cycling 20 Youth 21 Community – future of the village hall 24 Community organisations – church 26 Community organisations – sports and social club 29 Community activities 30 Relationship to Cherwell Sustainable Community 32 Strategy Action Plan summary 35 Contacts list and acknowledgements 36 - 2 - What is a Parish Plan and why do it? What is the Parish Plan of the activity which was going and why do it? on already. The Parish Plan seeks to draw together the views of the Influencing others community, highlights Other actions, especially strategic issues for input to those linked to local services, local authorities and others, cannot be addressed by the and suggests some local community alone and an solutions. The Parish Plan has important function of the legal weight and it must be Parish Plan, is to influence taken into account by decision and inform others, linking to makers. plans made by Local Authorities, other Statutory Community participation Partners and Voluntary The Parish Plan Organisations. The local questionnaire, completed by authority has reviewed the some 70% of the residents of plan. The Local Strategic Lower Heyford and Caulcott Partnership (LSP) for was used to canvas views on Cherwell devises and Parish Council, develops a strategic plan for communication, community the areas which it serves. and leisure facilities, housing Therefore the plan does and development, transport, consider some areas in which tourism and the village all we can do is “have a say”. environment. The main issues which came out of the Gaining funding for local responses are highlighted initiatives within the plan (and were also By demonstrating that there reported by newsletter in has been a needs summer 2009). assessment with full community participation the Direct local action Parish Plan can help gain Some issues in the plan can funding for local initiatives. be addressed through direct action by the community with little outside help. The local action plan shows that some of these are being put in place already, and has had the benefit of recruiting some new local voluntary action as well as helping to publicise some - 3 - HEADLINE RESULTS OF SURVEY Around 70% of households responded to the survey in autumn 2008 Strong opinions (more said they would use it) than 70%) More than half of Creating welcome respondents do not see pack is a very good litter, and dog fouling as idea problems, although quite a Bottle bank is heavily few would disagree used by the Bonfires were not seen as community an issue Strong objections to 65% object to more street allowing housing lighting development beyond Footpath between Lower gap sites Heyford and Caulcott is felt Vandalism is not to be a good thing seen as a problem Moderate support for From youth increasing tourism questionnaire a high Some interest in a parish percentage felt that school there was not enough The historic preservation of to do, nearly all had the church and being able access to a PC to have baptisms, weddings and funerals was Majority wishes important to more than half (between 50 & 69%) the households, as well as Parish Council needs help for locals in need. to communicate more Interest in helping to set up with the community a community shop is low. Affordable housing is supported, and so is Split opinions allowing “change of Speeding is seen as a use” so that local problem by 46%, and there businesses could use is support for traffic calming suitable sites but 27% say it is not an Expanded sports and issue, and there is no social club, and more clearly preferred method for development in the speed reduction. church is the No clear views on the preferred solution for adequacy of public a village hall transport (1/3rd say they do (although not many not use it). - 4 - PARISH TODAY This map is Crown Copyright. Permission to reproduce it has been granted under a Click-use licence from the HMSO. Further information can be obtained from www.clickanduse.hmso.gov.uk - 5 - PARISH TODAY Parish today Census data The parish of Lower The 2001 census is the most Heyford and Caulcott lies recent data available. All the midway between Oxford information below is Crown and Banbury and 4 ½ miles Copyright and taken from the from the market-town of data tables available at: Deddington. Lower http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk Heyford and Caulcott Further data is also available, together have around 400 free at this web address. adults on the Electoral Register. People At April 2001, there were 484 Facilities include two pubs, people in the parish. The St Mary’s church, a shop at average age was just over 40, the canal marina and a with 24 people over 75 and 36 sports and social club at under 4. the Lower Heyford playing field. Households Out of 199 households in total The marina and an 148 were owner occupied, and agricultural business based 55 had dependent children in the in Caulcott are the main house. 41 households had one or employers. more persons with limiting long term illness. Lower Heyford has a mainline railway station Employment with regular train services 259 people were employed, with to London via Oxford and a further 8 economically active Birmingham via Banbury. but unemployed. 150 people The South Oxfordshire classified their occupations as Canal passes through Managerial and Lower Heyford and has a Professional. number of residential boats. Travel There were 330 cars or vans There are a number of owned in the parish, only 17 community groups and households had no car or van. several organisations, On average, inhabitants of Lower sometimes with complex Heyford and Caulcott travel 26km inter-relationships which to work and 182 travel mainly by exist to manage community motocycyle, car or van. assets such as the playing fields, and a village charity - 6 - PARISH HISTORY How long have people Heiford, probably because the lived here? ford was used at hay harvest. The spelling Hegford was used in Lower Heyford has been the Domesday Book (1088). settled since at least the 6th After the building of the bridge in century AD and probably 1255, it became known as since prehistoric times. Heyford ad Pontem (Heyford at There was a Roman villa in Bridge). From the mid 14th Caulcott: a Roman road, century until the 19th century it Portway, crosses the high was sometimes known as plateau to the east of the Heyford Purcell, after the locally village. There was an important Purcell family. Nether Anglo-Saxon pre Christian Heyford was first recorded in cemetery and possible an 1474, and later Little or Lower Iron Age hill fort outside the Heyford was used. village near Cold Harbour. The site was popular, no Who owned the land and doubt, because it was houses? close to two fording points of the River Cherwell, and By the time of the Domesday is plentifully supplied with survey most of the land in the water from springs and village was divided between two wells. estates. By the 12th century, the manors were held by the Earls of In the 13th and 14th Conwell and Gloucester, but the centuries, Caulcott was freehold estate was established larger in size than Heyford, by the 13th century. In and the joint parish was mediaeval times the two manors among the most passed through the hands of a prosperous in the number of minor gentry and lords Ploughley Hundred.