Calveley Today
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CALVELEY TODAY The parish of Calveley still retains much of its rural character although, as in many places throughout the UK, this is under threat from both commercial and residential development. Of the 107 houses in the parish, roughly half of these are concentrated along the A51 which runs along the southern boundary. The majority of these are clustered around the site of what was Calveley Railway Station. These include a relatively new development of houses built in the 1990s, known as The Chantry and Gowy Court. The rest of the houses are scattered along the “back lanes”. The majority of houses within the parish are well maintained and many have been altered and extended. All of the houses are in private ownership. The 2011 census identified a population of 280 living in Calveley. Of these 64 (22.8%) are aged 0-19 and 44 (15.7%) are aged 64+. Recent times have seen an increase in the number of people who travel to work outside the parish and the immediate area. A primary school is located in a rural setting on the back lanes. Calveley Primary School provides first stage education for children from the parish and the surrounding area. Set in a predominantly Victorian building, the school has been much extended and modernised in recent times. This is a small school with five Teachers and four Teaching Assistants. The intake for 2013 academic year was 11 pupils giving a total attendance of 92 children. Numbers fluctuate at Calveley School in response to local changes in population profile. Calveley Hall Chapel (C of E) (known locally as Calveley Church) provides the only licensed place of religious in the Parish. It is a “daughter church” to St. Boniface in Bunbury and holds services twice per month. 14 The Alpraham and Calveley Reading Room continues to provide a village hall facility for both parishes, however, this shared building is nearing the end of its useful life. Happily, the trust that looks after this wooden building is planning a new, modern replacement. It is hoped that work may start soon. The majority of land in the parish continues to be given over to farming, the principle use being dairy. However, the number of working farms has reduced in recent times from eleven to seven. In some cases redundant farm buildings have been converted to dwellings in common with many areas throughout Cheshire. A small number of businesses have been established in Calveley in recent times including an auto repair company, a turkey egg export “farm”, a petrol station with a convenience store, a coal yard and most recently a retail store serving the farming and equestrian community. A public house, situated on the A51, The Davenport Arms, once offered food and drink but although the building still stands this amenity has recently ceased to trade. The Shropshire Union Canal borders the south western corner of the parish and is very popular with boaters. There is a boat servicing facility situated in a 19th century warehouse, operated by the Canal and Rivers Trust. Calveley’s location on the A51 and close proximity to the motorways ensures excellent connectivity to a number of nearby centres that provide significant employment opportunities including Manchester, Chester, Crewe, Liverpool and Stoke-on Trent. A regular bus service connects Calveley to Nantwich, Crewe and Chester. There are fast rail links from Crewe to Birmingham, London , Liverpool and Manchester and also the airports for the latter two cities. The area is well served by comprehensive rail and road networks. Consequently, Calveley has become a popular place for commuters to live. 15 THE FUTURE Calveley is a rural area and there are no major developments planned for the area covered by the Plan in the immediate future. The responses to the two community questionnaires show that some housing development is supported for affordable housing in particular, and mostly for small numbers of houses spread out around the community area. However, the results highlight that the Parish should retain its current character. Calveley is divided by the A51, a main arterial route. Many of the issues raised relate to the effect on the quality of life of local inhabitants by the amount and nature of the traffic travelling along this route and through the adjoining lanes. One of the consequences of the amount of traffic along the main road has been the demise of any local shops and there is no identifiable village centre or community base within the village. The local school and the church remain the current focal points and may present opportunities for wider community use. The responses to the questionnaire confirm there is a desire for a village centre which validates the need to explore any potential for improved local facilities within the area covered by the Community Plan. The responses also demonstrate that in order to improve the quality of life there is a need to address the pressures put on the parish and surrounding community by the A51. Though the need for improvement has been identified, there is no desire to change the nature and character of the Community. 16 Efforts are being made to secure a new building to replace the Reading Room on an alternative site to provide better facilities for the Community. Unexpected difficulties have delayed its construction but it is hoped that the matter will be resolved soon. Whilst outside the area covered by the Plan, development of the Wardle Airfield site will bring with it job opportunities. Overall the Calveley Community is not opposed to the 13,500 sq mtr of employment related development (which recently received outline planning permission). A recent traffic assessment has estimated that it will increase the amount of traffic travelling along the A51 through Calveley by 25% at peak times. This will undoubtedly have an impact on those living in the vicinity of the A51 and also put even more pressure on the back lanes as a cut through and diversion route, particularly in the event of an incident on the main road. Included within the development are proposals for a weight limit along Calveley Hall Lane, which may assist somewhat, but traffic calming measures and speed restrictions remain to be addressed. There is considerable support for the station to reopen and for a bypass around the village and these remain longer term aims for the community. 17 Calveley School was graded as “Good” in its OFSTED inspection which took place in May 2014. The report highlighted the Head Teacher’s management of teaching and learning as “Outstanding” and described the Governance of the school as a significant strength. As well as playing a large part in the local community the school’s future includes development of the current informal partnership with Acton School in Nantwich which delivers both economies of scale and the opportunity to share best practice. The school will now build on its success to date in its aspiration to be outstanding in all aspects. 18 THE QUESTIONNAIRE The Action Plan has been drawn up based on responses from the people of the community to the questionnaires that were delivered to every household. There were two questionnaires, the first being issued in October 2012. The questions included were derived from a series of open meetings that were held over a period of time. The meetings comprised a general discussion that identified the issues most important to the people who attended. The results of the first questionnaire were analysed and used to compile the more detailed and focused second questionnaire in December 2013. This was again delivered to every household, together with a brief summary of the earlier results. The Working Group developed the Action Plan included in this document. This concentrates on the various issues raised by the community and provides responses and tangible actions that will be taken. 19 THE ACTION PLAN The information provided by the community via the two questionnaires has formed the basis for the “Action Plan” shown on the following pages. The plan refers to the questions asked, the responses received from the community and the various actions to be taken in order to achieve the required objectives. The plan also outlines the “measure for success” and a realistic time frame to achieve this. The measure for success is intended to provide a tangible goal that can be worked towards. An “owner” is also identified for each objective who will hold the issue in question and take forward the necessary actions in order to achieve the required goal. The majority of goals included within the plan refer to improvements over what already exists in our community. Much of the work required will have to be taken forward in conjunction with the Parish Council, infrastructure providers and similar bodies. The Action Plan is intended to be a “live document” meaning that work will continue and be on-going. As goals are achieved, other issues will be identified and possibly added as they are raised by the community. The Working Group intends to issue updates on progress, measured against the plan. It is intended that these will be communicated to the community via the Parish Notice Boards and the Community Web Based Notice Board and Parish Magazines The Working Group hope that this document will give the people of Calveley a voice and allow them to understand more about what can be achieved with everybody working together for the benefit of the Community now and for its future. 20 QUESTIONNAIRE ANALYSIS AND ACTION PLAN Questionnaire Time Task Issue Analysis Action Measure for Success Resource Results Frame Owner Q1 Would you like to Yes 55 There was high response rate to this To explore what sites may be appropriate 12 months Production of a Time AW have a village No 14 question with the majority liking and their availability.