HAYDON BRIDGE GATEWAY TO HADRIAN’S WALL COUNTRY HAYDON PARISH PLAN • 2008 – 2018 & VILLAGE DESIGN STATEMENT Final Reports and Action Plan October 2008 HAYDON PARISH PLAN 2008-2018 Page FOREWORD 3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 3 1 INTRODUCTION AND STRUCTURE OF THE PLAN 5 2 HOW THE WORK FOR THE PLAN WAS CARRIED OUT 6 3 PARISH PROFILE 10 4 WHAT WE HAVE FOUND – KEY ISSUES 19 5 PUTTING OUR PLAN IN A WIDER CONTEXT 23 6 THE WAY AHEAD 26 7 ACTION PLAN 37 APPENDIX 1 48 HAYDON PARISH PLAN 2008-2018 FOREWARD It is just over 10 years since we last completed a Parish Plan (then called a Parish Appraisal). It resulted in some major and tangible achievements, including the building of the new Community Centre. This Parish Plan comes at a time of change for the Parish itself, for example the potential impact of the bypass on both the economy and well-being of our community. There is also wider change in the structures of local government with the disappearance of Tynedale Council, and the creation of the new Northumberland wide unitary council in 2009. Parish Plans are important for three main reasons. Firstly, they identify issues of importance to our community through the public consultation that goes with the plan. Secondly, they provide the evidence to support applications for public, private and charitable funding to support initiatives or projects identified by groups in the Parish. Thirdly, they provide information for a range of organisations – for example local and regional government, the health service, and other public, private and third sector organisations – about the Parish, the services it needs and the potential for investment as partners in our future. In developing the Parish Plan local residents have been consulted and involved in a range of ways to ensure that the plan reflects the main interests and priorities of the Parish. Following approval of the plan by the Parish Council on 10 April 2008, the Parish Council and Parish Plan group then undertook a detailed set of consultation meetings with potential partners to refine the action plan and get their support for its implementation. We have been delighted by the positive response we have received and look forward to working with our partners to deliver on the action plan. On behalf of the Parish Council I would like to thank the volunteers on the Steering Group which has led the development of the plan. I would also like to thank the Haydon News and its volunteers for distributing the questionnaire and for hosting regular updates on the progress of the plan, Community Action Northumberland for their support, guidance and funding and, of course, to all the residents of Haydon Parish who have attended meetings, completed questionnaires and made sure that their views were incorporated in the Plan. It is OUR plan. We hope as many of you as possible will get involved in turning it into reality. Esmond Faulks Chairman, Haydon Parish Council 3 HAYDON PARISH PLAN 2008-2018 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Haydon is a rural parish situated in the South Tyne 3. Re-energising our sense of well-being Valley some 8 miles west of Hexham, our nearest within a socially inclusive community market town. Our population is approximately This covers: re-energising our sense of 2092. The Parish Plan was carried out during the community; health and families; children, period March 2007 to March 2008. It involved young people and schools; sport and exercise; wide consultation with a good response from and older people nearly 300 people attending public meetings and We have developed an action plan, setting out events and 450 households completing short, medium and long-term actions to take the questionnaires. Parish Plan forward. This sets out the actions, Our residents think that Haydon Parish is a great both for ourselves as a Parish, but also to enable place to live. However, they have a key set of external partner organisations to work with us to concerns which relate to its future sustainability deliver on the Parish Plan. Following our after the by-pass is completed in the spring of consultation meetings with other stakeholders 2009. These issues relate to the future economy, this final version of the Parish Plan includes their the physical environment, and the well-being of involvement in the action plan. the communities that make-up the Parish. The Parish Plan provides a set of recommendations for action under three main themes: 1. Ensuring a sustainable economy and clear and marketable identity for the parish after the bypass This covers: expanding tourism and leisure; better information about what is available; promoting our heritage; improving our environment through more car parking, improved physical landscaping, and improved signage; improving Transport links; strengthening our business community and promoting inward investment; and creating a clear ‘marketable’ identity for the Parish L St Cuthbert’s Parish Church 2. Enhancing the physical design, environment and accessibility of the village/parish after the bypass This covers: development of a Village Design Statement for Haydon Bridge; the scale, type and tenure of future housing; environmental challenges and approach; and flooding 5 HAYDON PARISH PLAN 2008-2018 1. INTRODUCTION AND STRUCTURE OF THE PLAN 1.1 Introduction 1.2 Structure of the Plan This report describes the process and results of The plan comprises 2 linked reports: developing the Haydon Parish Plan during the 12 • The Parish Plan itself month period March 2007 to March 2008, and of working with partners to firm up the action plan • The Village Design Statement which goes during the period April to September 2008 when alongside the Parish Plan we held a series of consultation meetings with other stakeholders. These two reports can be accessed as follows: Developing the Parish Plan has been a major • Paper copies are available through the Public community initiative which has involved two Library in Haydon Bridge questionnaire surveys of all households in the • Copies are also be available in PDF format on Parish, as well as public consultation meetings, the Visit Haydon Bridge website: www.visit- focus groups and exhibitions. This has resulted in haydon-bridge.co.uk a lot of local people being directly involved in contributing to the development of the Parish There is also an Evidence Pack which provides the Plan. 451 households responded to one or both reports from all the local events and meetings of the surveys, and nearly 300 people attended that were held to develop the plan, as well as the public meetings. This scale of involvement questionnaire distributed to households in the highlights how much local residents care about Parish. Documents in the Evidence Pack are in the future well-being and sustainability of their bracketed numbers e.g. (1) and listed in Appendix community. 1 of the Parish Plan. They are not available in The process of developing the Parish Plan has paper format for cost reasons. However, they are provided information about the aspirations, hopes available in PDF format through the Visit Haydon and fears of local residents. It has provided clear Bridge website: www.visit-haydon-bridge.co.uk evidence about what is important to local residents to ensure that Haydon Bridge with its In order to make the report as accessible as surrounding communities is a wonderful place to possible, alternative formats can be made live and invest in for the future. available on request. 6 HAYDON PARISH PLAN 2008-2018 2. HOW THE WORK FOR THE PLAN WAS CARRIED OUT 2.1 Deciding to develop the plan and The Steering Group continued to meet throughout securing the funding the development work for the plan, and met 11 The decision to develop the Parish Plan was taken times in all over the full period of the plan. by the Parish Council in late 2006. It was Its members were: prompted by the need to address, among other Sonja Bailes (A) Aron Mazel (A) things, the economic and social implications for Benedict Bates (C) Kate Minto (C) the Parish of the forthcoming Haydon Bridge Eileen Charlton** (A,C) Mike Parkin** (B) bypass. Three Parish Councillors and a local Peter Fletcher (A,C) Pauline Wallis (C) resident who was asked to co-ordinate the work Steve Ford (C) Don Woodward (A) on the plan, formed an initial Steering Group. A Jane Hart* Mick Hall (B) successful funding application for £1500 was *= Community Action, Northumberland. made to Community Action, Northumberland. **= Parish Councillor The Parish Council provided an additional £95 (A) = member of the Economy sub group funding. (B) = member of the Village Design sub group (C) = member of the Community sub group 2.2 Starting off – the first public meeting Paul Carruthers and Richard Snowdon** were An initial public meeting was advertised in the also members of the Parish Plan Group during the early part of the plan’s development and Howard Haydon News and using posters, and held in March Oliver** provided input to the economy and 2007. It was attended by over 60 people living in identity sub group. the Parish. Participants were invited to identify issues for the Parish under 10 broad themes (1). Ian Foster was a member of the Economy and Identity sub group. Marcus Byron, a local resident 2.3 The Parish Plan Steering Group and graphic designer designed the Parish Plan and Village Design Statement reports. At the public meeting a number of other volunteers joined the Steering Group. Economy and identity sub group The Steering Group held three meetings to review The sub group met four times. A synthesis of views the information and ideas from the public and ideas from the initial public meeting was meeting, and from that divided the development drawn up and aims and objectives developed (2) work for the plan into three broad areas, with a sub group working on each area.