This follows on from the first report delivered to the council putting forward proposals for how such a plan could be put together:
Futures Forum: Neighbourhood planning @ Sidmouth Town Council >>> meeting Monday 6th July
This is the paper presented by the VGS:
Incorporating
Sidmouth Science Festival, Sid Energy, Futures Forum, Farmers’ Market, Café Scientifique, Climate Week
etc.
Developing a local response
to the global challenge of unsustainable and unprecedented environmental
change.
SUGGESTIONS FOR SIDMOUTH
TOWN COUNCIL NEIGHBOURHOOD
PLAN TASK & FINISH FORUM
1. The VGS welcomes
the initiative of the Town Council and endorses the proposals outlined by
Councillor Cole at the 6 July meeting.
2. The Vision Group
does not have financial assets but can offer its expertise in consultation
processes for public engagement to
motivate broad participation in active
citizenship.
3. We have found
that donated time and materials from
Sidmouth’s people can minimise the cost of preparing a Neighbourhood Plan.
4. VGS is gratified
to be included as a “stakeholder” early in the process of scoping the NP. We
would emphasise the need to extend the range of consultation to ensure the inclusive involvement of all our neighbours
as the project unfolds.
5. To ensure
excellent communication, clear mission focus and transparent budget controls, we recommend the early
appointment of an experienced project
manager to steer the process of generating a Neighbourhood Plan.
6. Clarification is
needed on the relationship between the emerging EDDC Local Plan, EDDC’s
proposed Village Plan for Sidbury, and the Town Council’s developing NP for the
entire Sidmouth Civil Parish.
7. No outcomes from
the consultative process should be pre-determined; and we recognise that the NP
focus is on land use and design
issues. However, some of the priorities that have emerged from our previous
consultative processes include:
flood defences, beach
management, food security, water and sewerage security, public transport, the
conservation and enhancement of the AONB and our marine and other environmental
assets and the local agriculture, tourism, retail, catering and care provision
industries, the introduction of new employment opportunities, traffic
management, cycling enhancement, affordable housing, the regeneration of Port
Royal, health provision, and continuing education in the valley.
And this is the report from chair of the Futures Forum of the VGS who attended the meeting:
Robert’s notes for VGS
Coordination Team : 7th Sept meeting
Cllr Louise Cole as Chair:
STC is currently scoping the
NP project with a view to deciding whether or
not we will develop a NP.
Is it worth it? What will it
cost? How long will it take? What benefits are there for the town and valley?
What can stakeholder groups offer?
Sceptic Cllr Ian Barlow
suggests NP may be just a profit-centre for EDDC to get government funding to
do an exercise that has no intrinsic value. There is a task to convince
Councillors and citizens of its value before it can start.
Richard Thurlow (SVA)
Richard Eley (Ch of C) and Robert Crick (VGS) gave their views and offered
support. VGS paper was tabled.
General sense that cost
might be about £20k; funding would come from Central Govt and EDDC and an
enhanced CIL and possibly from KOF. To be done as fast as possible in a year to
18 months.
Outcome will have statutory
power to guide, and to hold accountable, the District Planning Department. But
we will have to be vigilant in monitoring how they use it.
Legacy value from the
exercise will include an interactive website.
General sense that there is
an appetite, even an enthusiasm, for this work in the town, in spite of
previous disappointments (and betrayals!), though past experience has shown us
gaps in our communication processes and in our procedures and in our agenda,
from which we may learn for a more successful outcome this time around.
Sidbury village plan is also
to be developed by EDDC. Lympstone plan shows we can focus on land use and
design but also include a comprehensive community action plan, (preferably not
referred to patronisingly as a “wishlist of pet schemes”!)
On behalf of VGS, I suggested
another legacy from the process could be the engagement of active citizens in
several hubs in the valley, not just in reaction to threats (as at Cliff Road
and Knowle and Sidford cross in recent years) but also in constructive and
creative conversations and community actions (as with the Arboretum, Friends of
the Byes, Science Festival, Sid Energy, SeaFest, Hopper Bus, PPP etc)
I added that Sidmouth being
much bigger than a village, requires many conversations with many groups and in
several locations. This will require a team of volunteers with a common purpose
and methodology. From this a town-wide questionnaire could be generated.
I suggested that a poll of
public opinion without active engagement is analogous to a health centre check
on your weight, blood pressure etc. It can diagnose problems and disagreements
in the community. Active community engagement with structured conversations is
analogous to changing your diet and exercise regime.
So I hoped we might
anticipate a positive consensus with high levels of participation within the
town in the final referendum if we have previously used the right procedures
for inclusive engagement.
TAFF members Michael Earthey,
Ian Barlow, Paul Wright, Kelvin Dent, Louise Cole continued their
deliberations.
Robert Crick
Vision Group for Sidmouth - VGS report from Town Council TAFF on neighbourhood plan
.
.
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