EWNP - Planning Workshop Jan 14th

EWNP - Planning Workshop Jan 14th

  1. Workshop Activity Programme [LINK]
  2. Briefing Notes [LINK]
  3. NP background notes [LINK]
  4. The Project Plan [LINK]
  5. Organisation - Steering Group, Working Groups & the Admin Team [LINK]

 

2.   Briefing Notes - NP WORKSHOP WEDNESDAY JAN 14TH 2015

This will be an interactive hands-on workshop where we will make a practical start on getting the Elstead & Weyburn Neighbourhood Plan underway. We will have four main themes, which are: 

  • Housing & Community Facilities 
  • Transport & Parking, Utilities & Services 
  • Environment, Heritage & Design.
  • Local Employment

People can work on each of these areas, looking at the main things we need to consider for the future of Elstead & Weyburn. The meeting will focus on making sure that everybody is clear about our objectives and what practical steps are needed to reach them.

During the development work over the next few months we will need to produce ideas and supporting evidence to go into the draft Neighbourhood Plan. This is quite a long process, involving consultation and official inspection of the draft Plan after we have produced it. At the end of this process residents of Elstead and Peper Harow will get the opportunity to vote on the final Plan in a referendum.

The next stage of NP development will be for us to form working groups to investigate each of the key areas, asking these questions:

  1. What already exists in Elstead?
  2. What is needed now?
  3. What may be needed in the next 15 years?
  4. What can we reasonably expect to achieve?
  5. How can we set about getting what we want?

These steps need to be taken in sequence, to ensure that we have all the facts before trying to develop solutions. This will help us avoid wasting time, possibly dreaming up solutions to problems that do not exist or have low priority.

A separate Weyburn Working Group has already started work on all aspects of the proposed development of the Weyburn Works industrial site. This has been done because of the Linden Homes housing proposals for the site, which need to be considered separately from the main Neighbourhood Plan. The potential impact of any such large scale development will still have to be considered as part of the main Plan.

There will be a Steering Committee whose job it will be to co-ordinate the activities of the Working Groups, reporting to the Elstead Parish Council and Peper Harow Parish. 

Some of the information that we need is fairly readily available but some of the work will have aspects outside the experience of many of us. We will be able to call on expert help from time to time, especially when we get to the stage of writing the Draft Plan, which will require some legal and technical expertise.

 We will need to communicate with each other effectively during this work and we will produce quite a lot of messages, working documents and reports. An Admin Team is being set up to advise the Working Groups on the management of communications and document control, online and on paper.

There is already a considerable amount of information available on the Neighbourhood Plan section of the ELSTEAD ONLINE website, including Frequently Asked Questions and links to external sources:  http://www.surreycommunity.info/elstead-plan .  We will be making arrangements for as much information as possible to be made available for people who are “Internet-Free”.

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1. EWNP Planning Workshop Jan 14th – Workshop Activity Programme

Objectives - At the end of the workshop:

  • Four main areas of work will have been defined.

  • People will have been identified who wish to work on each group.

  • Each group will have started on an investigation plan for their work area.

  • One person from each Working Group will have been nominated for the Steering Group

  • The Working Groups will have received a copy of the proposed Project Admin procedures and the outline Project Plan.

  • All attendees will have filled in the volunteer registration form

Agenda

  • Introduction - The main themes for the investigation of what exists in Elstead, what is likely to be needed in the next 15 years, what is practical and how we can achieve it.

  • Group briefing – How the people who are interested in the four main areas of investigation can set about getting the information that they need. What we should try to achieve in the Workshop.

  • Weyburn report – The Weyburn Working Group is concentrating on the Linden Homes proposals for this site and has made considerable progress in investigating the likely impact on facilities and services in Elstead. 

  • Weyburn layout exercise – This is an opportunity for people to become more familiar with the Weyburn site, its relationship with Elstead and Peper Harow and possible layouts for development of the site.

  • Group discussions - People can get together to examine and discuss their preferred work area and decide what they should be doing during the next two months

  • Group summary – What has been achieved during the Workshop & what comes next.

  • The Project Plan for 2015 - General discussion

  • Conclusion.

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 3. NP background notes

Elstead & Weyburn Neighbourhood Plan Public Meeting

November 13th 2014

The meeting was held in St James's School Hall. It was attended by over 100 people from Elstead and Peper Harow and was chaired by Parish Council Chairman Pat Murphy, who answered a number of questions.

Angela Koch, a Consultant from the government funded “Locality” organisation explained what a Neighbourhood Plan is and how to set one up. She described the various stages of the development process from the definition of the area to be included in the Plan, through investigation of what issues affect Elstead and what solutions need to be considered, to the writing of policies that will give the Parish more control over future development. This process is expected to take until early 2016 to complete.

A Neighbourhood Plan cannot stop development and it has to work alongside the Waverley Local Plan and within the National Planning Framework. It can influence the future shape of the village by controlling some aspects of housing and business development and it can promote desirable development, improve services and protect village assets and spaces. It will follow the general principles set out in the existing Design Statement.

Angela emphasised the need for the development of the Neighbourhood Plan to be an open process, with maximum involvement by the community and close liaison with developers and Waverley Planners. Meetings will be as open as possible and keeping in touch with other parishes that are developing Neighbourhood Plans will be helpful. The Plan development will be co-ordinated by a Steering Group led by Councillor Jane Jacobs.

Advice and assistance will be available during the project from various sources, including Waverley Planning Dept. Some government grants will be available to help with the cost of setting up the Plan.

Inclusion of the Weyburn part of Peper Harow was approved by a show of hands. Any development in that area will impact on Elstead infrastructure, facilities and services and it is advisable to deal with these as part of a joint Plan for Elstead & Weyburn involving both Elstead and Peper Harow Parishes..

Setting up a Neighbourhood Plan is essential for the future of Elstead as a good place to live and work. Without one we would have no control over future development in the village.

Progress since the Public Meeting

Issues and ideas discussed at the Public Meeting are being examined and sorted into manageable headings for investigation. Volunteers are joining five working groups to carry out the work. The headings proposed are:-

  1. Housing & Community Facilities
  2. Transport & Parking, Utilities & Services
  3. Environment & Heritage
  4. Local Employment
  5. Weyburn area
Elstead and Weyburn Neighbourhood Plan

A Team of Volunteers is starting the process of developing a Neighbourhood Plan to define the future of Elstead and the Weyburn part of Peper Harow Parish. Weyburn is included in the Plan Boundary because development there will have a major impact on services and facilities in Elstead. Anybody who is willing and has some time is welcome to join the Team.

Why?  

We currently have problems with local people being priced out of the housing market, loss of retail outlets and their replacement by private housing, current housing stock being moved up-market by extensions and conversions, loss of employment opportunities in the village, an increasing commuter population and pressure from developers for excessive and inappropriate development. We aim to restore a healthy balance for the future of the village.

The new Waverley Local Plan

We could leave it to Waverley Borough Council and developers to make all the decisions on Elstead's future or we can decide to have some say in what happens to us and our village. The Waverley Local Plan will define a framework within which the Elstead & Weyburn Neighbourhood Plan will operate. Elstead Parish Council will have more planning powers and more money to use for the benefit of everybody in Elstead.

Who are we?

Groups of volunteers are being formed to prepare the first stage of the Neighbourhood Plan development project. This will define the extent of the area and the general aims to be covered by the Neighbourhood Plan. We will consult with local people, businesses and landowners at every stage of the project, through public meetings and other means. Anybody who is willing and has some time is welcome to join the Team.

What is Neighbourhood Planning?

The Localism Bill was enacted in April 2012 and included the right for communities to draw up a neighbourhood development plan.

It enables communities to draw up a Neighbourhood Plan for their area and is intended to give communities more of a say in the development of their local area, within limits set by the Waverley Local Plan and other legislation. These plans will be used to decide the future of the places where you live and work giving the chance to influence a number of possible factors, e.g.:

  • choose where new homes, shops and other development should be built;
  • specify the design;
  • provide for local needs;
  • identify, protect and enhance important local environmental features and physical assets;
  • promote quality building standards and energy-efficient construction and materials;
  • develop community facilities;
  • promote biodiversity and renewable energy projects;
  • address transport and access issues. 

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The Project Plan (original dates - progress update at end.  The original plan was hopelessly optimistic).

Stage 1  Team Formation & Project Setup - Sept 2014 to Jan 2015

  • Meetings, fund raising, training & publicity.
  • Agree & submit EWNP boundary, including Weyburn to Waverley
  • Set up Steering, Admin & Working Groups.
  • Start Pilot Investigation and Assessment of Weyburn site

Stage 2  Investigation & Assessment - Jan to March 2015

  • Waverley starts Consultation on the proposed EWNP boundary
  • Complete Weyburn Pilot activities and report.
  • Develop Admin and Publicity procedures
  • Surveys of existing Housing stock, Education & Medical facilities, Transport, Recreation,  Businesses & Shops, Employment, Land use, Utilities & Services, Access to open areas, Environment, Heritage & Design, Significant issues & problems.
  • Consideration of likely future needs during the next 15 years and beyond.
  • Progress Review - public meeting March 2015

Stage 3  Review, Revise & First Draft Plan - April to May 2015

  • Waverley accepts boundary (or not!)
  • Examine Results of Investigation Stage
  • Identify gaps and inconsistences for revision
  • Consider priorities for future action
  • Start Draft Plan

Stage 4  Revision & Policy Writing. - May to July 2015

  • Review & Revise Draft Plan
  • Write Policies with expert support

Stage 5  Consultation & Review - Aug to Sept 2015
Stage 6  Final Revision & Draft Plan Submission - Sept to Oct 20
Stage 7  Publication, Consultation, Inspection & Final Review - Oct to Dec2015
Stage 8  Referendum & Acceptance. Jan to Feb 2016.

Progress at March 1st 2015

  • Stage 1 is complete and the Weyburn Group investigation is going well.
  • Stage 2 has commenced and is running late, so the Public Meeting has been postponed until April 2015.

Progress at October 2016 (There has been major slippage even on later revised project schedules, due to some key activities taking far longer and extended holiday periods, especially in the summer).

  • Stage 3 is almost complete
  • Stage 4 has not yet started

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Project Organisation - Steering Group, Working Groups & Admin Team

Outline Neighbourhood Plan Project Organisation - Steering Group, Working Groups & Admin Team

        1.  Steering Group

    • This Group will be authorised by Elstead Parish Council and Peper Harow Parish to carry out the day to day running of the Elstead & Weyburn Neighbourhood Plan.
    • It will include representatives from both Parishes, somebody nominated by each of the working groups and from the Admin Team.
    • It can co-opt additional members if special expertise is required. 
    • It will be responsible for control of the project and for reporting progress and expenditure to the Parish Council.
    • The Elstead Parish Clerk will be the source of advice on formal procedures and documentation.

        2.  Working Groups

    • These will be groups of volunteers who have a particular interest in one of the main work areas on the project. They will be responsible for deciding what information they need to collect for their investigation and how to collect it.
    • They will be responsible for their own documentation and communications, within guidelines suggested by the Admin Group. One member of each Working Group will be appointed by the Group to represent them on the Steering Group.

3.  The Admin Team (This was set up but not maintained. No form of central document control or storage was established for the project).

    • This a group of people who are willing to assist the Steering & Working Groups to run the project. They will help with electronic & paper documentation and communications and will advise the Working Groups on sources of information.
    • The Elstead Parish Clerk will be the source of advice on formal procedures and documentation required for the project by Waverley.

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