A Parish Plan aims to set out a vision of how the community want to develop over the next 5-10 years. A comprehensive plan will be able to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the Parish through community consultation. It is then possible to create an action plan in order to achieve the vision for the future by changing or improving aspects of the Parish.
The beauty of a Parish Plan is that it is not dictated by anyone. It is purely the work of the community. It truly reflects the aspirations of the people in the local area, making the plan an important source of knowledge about peoples needs.
Who should be involved?
Parish Plans belong to the community but to be most effective you need to make sure you have the co-operation of everyone who might be affected.
Within the Parish:
· The Parish Council
· The Whole Community
Outside the Parish:
· The Community Council of Shropshire
· Shropshire Association of Local Councils
· The County Council and District and Borough Councils
Why Produce a Parish Plan?
Bring the Community closer together with a common goal.
A Parish Plan is a great way of assessing the needs and aspirations of the local community. A comprehensive plan should be able to target areas of concern, and enable change in the future. A Parish Plan can help a community find local solutions to local problems and encourage local producers and shops, pubs, hotels and restaurants to work together. Many of the issues identified can all be tackled by local people, given the right support and funding. E.g. setting up a parent and baby group, a neighbourhood watch scheme, reopening a village shop, creating a local nature reserve or providing community transport.
Capacity builds your communities and helps to discover hidden talents and skills from the community.
People who have taken part in parish plans have found it a great way of bringing people together. It taps local talents and enthusiasms and helps foster a sense of community.
Influence local decision making (Community Strategies & Local Development Plans)
Local communities can have a real opportunity to influence the nature and quality of future development. They can set out a vision of what is important in the parish, how new development can best be fitted in, the design and quality standards it should meet and how to preserve valued local features. Parish councils are well placed to lead this process and providing their Plan is consistent with the local Development Plan, and the relevant national planning guidance, the design and land use aspects can be endorsed by the planning authority as Supplementary Planning Documents. This approach has the potential to reduce the adversarial nature of new proposals.
Helps to identify partners
Often action plans identify the people/organisations that could facilitate the action becoming reality. By writing this in a formal document it encourages people to get involved and complete their action.
Provide evidence of need for future funding opportunities.
A Parish Plan can also be used for developing or safeguarding local services such as shops and leisure facilities and addressing community needs. These issues can be tackled by a comprehensive Parish Plan and the written evidence can be used to apply for funding.
What is a Parish Plan?