Our future is in our hands …
Do you know and love this area? Are you passionate about its future? Are you interested in participating in a new group to work on a village project which can make a real difference? If you live in East Hendred Parish, care about this neighbourhood and would like to be part of shaping its future, please read on.
Volunteers are needed to join an independent team, which will focus on the production of a plan to help shape the future of our area with the support of the Parish Council.
Participant essentials:
Able to commit time to undertake project activities
- Prepared for a village initiative of around 18 months duration
- Over 18 – but no previous experience is required
- Care deeply about East Hendred Parish and possess a ‘roll up your sleeves’ attitude
- Willing to work collaboratively and listen to differing views, to arrive at a consensus
Helpful skills:
- Organisational and administrative skills
- Communications and community engagement talent – social media, website, poster design, questionnaires, surveys
- Project management capability
- Data analysis experience
- A ‘can-do’, teamworking approach
Project Brief
With the support of the Parish Council, this team will develop a neighbourhood plan (NP), through a robust programme of research, community engagement and constructive dialogue with local residents and stakeholders, such as landowners, businesses, schools, churches, community groups and clubs etc.
On completion, the NP document will be presented to village residents for their agreement, through a public referendum. An adopted NP has real legal force in the planning process and provides a powerful tool to ensure communities get the right types of development, in the right place, at the right time. In this way, planning the future of the area lies more with its residents, rather than exclusively with the local planning authority.
Neighbouring parishes, including Ardington and Lockinge, are well underway with their own NPs. Networking with neighbouring groups presents real opportunities, not only to ensure consistency of approach, but also to collaboratively pursue critical issues, such as A417 traffic, with the local authorities (OCC and the Vale District Council). Together, we can make a real difference!
To register your interest in joining this new team and learn more about its aspirations, please email Jonathan Shortis – jonathanshortis63@gmail.com
If you would like to know more about NPs in general please follow this link Neighbourhood Planning – Locality Neighbourhood Planning.
Thank you for reading to the end!