PARISH PLAN UPDATE 10

HAPPY NEW YEAR – 2014 QUESTIONNAIRES AHEAD: - or so it might seem.

The Parish Plan Steering Group extend a warm greeting to everyone in the Parish and to all who have helped with the Parish Plan during 2013, from its inception last March. This year will be much about questionnaires, publication of results and completion; though we must recognise that Parish Plans are very much ongoing processes these days; about keeping up with changing circumstances and events.

The 11^th Steering Group meeting was held in the Methodist Church Hall at 7pm on Tuesday 17^th December. There were no mince pies, just hard work!

Questionnaires formed the main subject area. There is still much to do on the business questionnaire. As previously mentioned there are at least 112 businesses in the parish and work continues to allocate volunteers to each of them, so that the businesses each get the opportunity to inform the various help organisations and individuals able to assist them in trying to overcome any obstacles they foresee towards their future, successful development.

After the work done throughout the year, the committee are now able to recognise the major issues for the Parish and therefore prepare the main questionnaire. This is scheduled to go out to households and via the internet during March 2014. A group of 5 volunteers have come forward to put the questions together, in liaison with the Rural Communities Council and arrange printing, delivery, collection and collation – no mean feat!

It was decided to have a draw, offering financial prizes of £50, £30 and £20 for 3 lucky people for submitting of these completed questionnaires.

In the background, a second, more focussed questionnaire will be designed for secondary school students for delivery through their schools. Again a system of prizes for properly completed and returned questionnaires is agreed and the hope is to offer vouchers toward a range of leisure activities within West Felton.

Most of the Parish clubs and societies have by now completed and returned their forms so that their concerns and issues can be taken into account.

In the meantime Ian Walker has been working through a schedule of attendance at adjacent parish council meetings so that cross-border issues can be informed and addressed. 

Also several members are keeping close to developments over the proposed housing and commercial unit development application, for land between Holyhead Road and Tedsmore Road. This is likely to come before the Shropshire North Area Planning Committee again early this year, perhaps in February.

The scheme for mid-Wales wind-farms and the pylons, potentially connecting them to the National Grid, through north Shropshire to Lower Frankton, is still a matter of concern for many and a meeting is to be held at “The Venue,” at 6pm on Friday 24^th January. Shropshire Council leader Keith Barrow will be chairing and local MP Owen Paterson will be present to take record of people’s concerns as to how they or the local area might be affected by the proposed pylon-line. Details of the route can be found at http://www.midwalesconnection.com .

Our Parish Plan blogsite is:- wfparishplan.blogspot.co.uk for those old photographs and ongoing information about the Plan’s progress.

Steve Haworth can be contacted about any aspects of ongoing Parish Plan work on 610126.