Bathford Parish Council Parish Plan October 2005 Bathford Parish Plan CONTENTS PAGE SECTION PAGE No INTRODUCTION 2 COMMUNITY SERVICES 3 and 4 AMENITIES 5 and 6 HEALTH & WELFARE 7 BUSINESS 8 TRANSPORT & ROAD SAFETY 9 and 10 ENVIRONMENT 11 and 12 YOUNG PEOPLE 13 and 14 RECREATION & LEISURE 15 VILLAGE DESIGN STATEMENT 16 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND WORKING GROUPS 17 DISTRIBUTION 18 1 Bathford Parish Plan INTRODUCTION THE PARISH OF BATHFORD THE PARISH PLAN Bathford is the third largest of the parishes which surround the city of Bath. The special rural In December 2003 Bathford Parish Council considered character of the area has been retained but the village community is large enough and sufficiently undertaking a village appraisal to assess priorities for the varied to support many thriving local community groups and ventures. Parish Council. After consultation with the Countryside The Parish extends four miles from north to south and one mile from east to west. It consists of three Agency, a public meeting was called in January 2004 at rural divisions: Bathford, Shockerwick and Warleigh. The village of Bathford is at the centre of the which unanimous support was given to the project. Parish and is divided by the A4 and a main railway line. The population of the Parish is 1753 (2001 A Steering Group was formed to undertake a public survey census) of whom 1414 are on the electoral roll. to identify the issues to be addressed. Two questionnaires The Parish is physically defined by the River Avon along the western boundary and by the Wiltshire were designed, distributed and collected by parishioners county border to the south and east. To the north Bathford shares a boundary with the neighbouring over the following 18 months. (Q1 June 04, Q2 April 05) village of Batheaston and is sometimes known as “the last village in North East Somerset”. The Steering Group collated the results and comments and, Land use and the economy are dominated by farming but the majority of the working population together with the Parish Council, prepared this plan. travels outside the parish for employment. The two largest employers in the Parish are Portals Nothing on the scale of this survey has been attempted in (Bathford) Ltd (Papermakers) and Whitehaven (Christian Science Care Home). Few retail businesses Bathford before and this Plan is a major achievement for the remain within the village but numerous small businesses operate from the area. people of the Parish. THE ACTION SURVEY METHODOLOGY The participation of parishioners enabled the Steering Group to produce a plan which An initial questionnaire (Q1) was delivered to all households in the Parish. describes what local people value and provides a suitable framework for change if and Q1 was returned by 76% (546 households) and, in addition to giving when it is needed. Thanks to the very high response rate to both questionnaires the specific answers to many general issues, also provided essential Steering Group has confidence that the Action Plan strongly incorporates the views of background in identifying main issues for a second questionnaire (Q2). It also the vast majority of parishioners. gave the Steering Committee experience in constructing questionnaires. Analysis of the questionnaires identified a set of issues for each section of the plan and Q2 was delivered to all households in the Parish and a return rate of 67% was an action plan has been formulated for each issue. The issues and actions for each obtained. As Q2 allowed more than one response per household, the views section are listed on the following pages. of 804 adults and 74 young people were obtained. Some actions are already moving forward. It will be up to members of the community Prior to each question Q2 provided brief information and a background to (many of whom volunteered via Q2) to make these projects happen. The partners for the issue. Often, a preliminary question was asked to eliminate respondents the individual projects will be drawn from the Parish Council, Local Authority and with no experience or knowledge of the issue. This approach helped to various volunteer or focus groups within the Parish, together with other agencies minimise the number of returns that did not provide a response to an issue where appropriate. Action Groups will be formed from those who volunteered. Groups and, where the response rate was low, the reason for it could be identified. to be formed are shown in red throughout this document. Through this approach the Steering Committee believe that the response to The document provides the partners with action plans and proposed timescales to each issue is representative of the population as a whole, irrespective of the assist with budget planning, making applications for funding and carrying the projects number of respondents. forward. 2 Bathford Parish Plan COMMUNITY SERVICES — 1 THE ISSUES BACKGROUND ACTION PARTNERS TIME FRAME Neighbourhood The Neighbourhood Watch scheme has been Parish Council to appoint a new Parish Council End 2005 Watch running for several years but many households Co•ordinator to liaise with local are not covered – possibly due to patchy local contact persons and the police. Avon & Somerset Scheme inactive in organisation combined with the loss of two Extend current network to cover the Police Ongoing parts of the Parish co•ordinators from the Parish. whole parish. Co•ordinator Village A high proportion of respondents are not fully Publish and maintain a Parish Directory aware of all the services available locally. Directory to list the services available Parish Council A number of people have expressed an interest and organisations based in the village Volunteer Group Spring 06 Lack of awareness of in becoming involved with the production of a together with appropriate contact Local Authority certain services Parish Directory. details. Housing There was strong support for low cost housing to Lobby Local Authority on the issues Parish Council be allocated, as a priority, to people with village involved with a view to promoting low Local Authority Ongoing Popularity of retaining connections. cost housing where sites may be Somer Housing housing for occupancy identified. by local people. Tyndale is now used temporarily as a day centre The Parish Council will monitor closely by B&NES (renamed as Carrswood RAC). Many any planning applications for the people favoured the eventual conversion of Ongoing Tyndale site with a view to securing Parish Council Tyndale to low•cost housing. this property as low cost housing. Recycling & Over 75% of respondents think that the streets Monitor Local Authority street Street Cleaning are swept often enough while almost 75% believe cleaning and collection services to Parish Council Ongoing there should be more litter bins provided around maintain or improve current Environmental B&NES provides its resi• the parish. standards. Focus Group dents with a compre• Local Authority Most residents are satisfied with B&NES recycling hensive recycling ser• Short/ vice. service. Many commented on the fact that the Lobby B&NES to include all plastic medium term service will not take all types of plastic waste. waste in their service. 3 Community Services Continued Ļ Bathford Parish Plan COMMUNITY SERVICES — 1 THE ISSUES BACKGROUND ACTION PARTNERS TIME FRAME Neighbourhood The Neighbourhood Watch scheme has been Parish Council to appoint a new Parish Council End 2005 Watch running for several years but many households Co•ordinator to liaise with local are not covered – possibly due to patchy local contact persons and the police. Avon & Somerset Scheme inactive in organisation combined with the loss of two Extend current network to cover the Police Ongoing parts of the Parish co•ordinators from the Parish. whole parish. Co•ordinator Village A high proportion of respondents are not fully Publish and maintain a Parish Directory aware of all the services available locally. Directory to list the services available Parish Council A number of people have expressed an interest and organisations based in the village Volunteer Group Spring 06 Lack of awareness of in becoming involved with the production of a together with appropriate contact Local Authority certain services Parish Directory. details. Housing There was strong support for low cost housing to Lobby Local Authority on the issues Parish Council be allocated, as a priority, to people with village involved with a view to promoting low Local Authority Ongoing Popularity of retaining connections. cost housing where sites may be Somer Housing housing for occupancy identified. by local people. Tyndale is now used temporarily as a day centre The Parish Council will monitor closely by B&NES (renamed as Carrswood RAC). Many any planning applications for the people favoured the eventual conversion of Ongoing Tyndale site with a view to securing Parish Council Tyndale to low•cost housing. this property as low cost housing. Recycling & Over 75% of respondents think that the streets Monitor Local Authority street Street Cleaning are swept often enough while almost 75% believe cleaning and collection services to Parish Council Ongoing there should be more litter bins provided around maintain or improve current Environmental B&NES provides its resi• the parish. standards. Focus Group dents with a compre• Local Authority Most residents are satisfied with B&NES recycling hensive recycling ser• Short/ vice. service. Many commented on the fact that the Lobby B&NES to include all plastic medium term service will not take all types of plastic waste. waste in their service. 3 Community Services Continued Ļ Bathford Parish Plan AMENITIES — 1 THE ISSUES BACKGROUND ACTION PARTNERS TIME FRAME Village Green 75% of respondents felt that more use should be Review possible uses of the green. Parish Council Spring 2006 made of the green as a focal point for the Parish. Questions were asked Promote greater use of the green.