Bridgerule Parish Plan....

What's it all about?

The government and Devon County Council are encouraging rural communities to let them know how they would like their parishes to be run and what facilities they will require in the future

They are so keen to find out what we all want that they have actually paid Bridgerule to create a Parish Plan, and if we don't do it we will have to give the money back so we are obviously trying to oblige!

A Parish Plan is an important document intended to set out and illustrate the wishes of the local population and then ensure these wishes are taken in to account in the future of their own communities

The finished document should make very interesting reading for all the people of Bridgerule. It could be that we all like Bridgerule as it is and many of us don’t want change. It could also show that there are improvements needed and pinpoint areas where we need to take action.

Parish Plans are also of interest to the Police, Health, Education and Council services and they can be used to back up requests for funding and services in the future

Click here for information on Parish Plans from the Devon County Council website

Planning and Development

Planning departments are increasingly being encouraged to refer to Parish Plans to ensure that developments are in line with local requirements

One of the most important action plans we will need to consider is a new document called a village design statement to ensure that we have our say in the future development of Bridgerule.

Click here for more information on Village Design Statements from the Devon County Council website

Local Input

The plan has to be based on the views of the local population and this is why the questionnaire was sent out to everyone in Bridgerule.

The questionnaire results have been independently analysed by Corporate Consultation Services, part of Devon County Council to ensure they accurately reflect the answers we received

The Parish Plan steering group are going through the answers to ensure all the extra comments are taken in to account. They wanted the results to be available to everyone in the village as soon as possible so click the link below if you would like to see the preliminary results

Click here if you would like to see the draft results of the questionnaire

So what have we done so far?

The Bridgerule Buzz Newsletter, brilliantly edited by Sheila Cholwill, is now delivered to everyone in Bridgerule every 2 months. It is proving very popular and several people are already sponsoring and advertising in the Buzz so it looks like a winner already!

Chris and Rose Hitchins are organising regular Bridgerule Litterpicks to keep the village tidy.

The Questionnaire was designed by the Bridgerule Tomorrow steering group and has been distributed to everyone in Bridgerule.

Click here to see the interview we were asked to do for Devon County Councils Village Green Magazine

What next?

The next meeting is on Wednesday 10th March 2010 at 7-30pm in the Bridge Inn.

The interesting work now begins!

Now that we have the results of the questionnaire we can start work, knowing what the majority of the village wants. The immediate priority is to go through the results and publish the Parish Plan document

The Parish Plan document will consist of several general sections including "The location of Bridgerule", "Bridgerule Yesterday and Brigerule Today as well as details of why the project was undertaken in the first place

The main part will be the "Bridgerule Tomorrow" plan for the future. We need to make sure that the things we all like are maintained as they are and put plans in place to back this up. We also need to identify the points that are of concern to the people of Bridgerule and set up action plans and maybe in some cases, action committees to address these concerns

It won't be easy but it will be interesting and it could carry on for ever!

The plan is far from finished but click here to see the draft plan so far

We have agreed that the following headings will form the basis of the plan.

1 Front cover, introduction, why and how the plan is produced. (Can’t be finished until the plan is complete)

2. The location of Bridgerule.

3. Bridgerule Yesterday.

4. Bridgerule Today, the shop, the pub, the church, the chapel, the school, football clubs etc.

5. Local Businesses.

6. Local services.

The questionnaire – details, results and analysis.

THE FOLLOWING WILL BE TAKEN MAINLY FROM THE QUESTIONNAIRE WHEN WE KNOW WHAT EVERYONE THINKS

7. The good, things we are happy with and want to stay as they are.

8. The bad. Things we want to get rid of.

9. Aspirations and things we would like to change. ie. The Parish Hall, tidy up the appearance of the village, the roads and parking. Future development of the village, affordable housing, facilities for the young etc etc.

10. Action Plans.

Please email any comments, suggestions, news, photos or announcements to info@bridgerule.co.uk