What 's This "Plan", Then?

Parish Plans form part of the government’s scheme to help communities to have a greater say in their own affairs. The intention is to drive the development of communities towards the people who live in them. This is where the Parish Plan comes in: something that sets out what the community wants, what we don't want, what we need and where we see our community heading.

In many ways, this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to tell the planners and politicians how we, the people who live, work and play in Broadway, want the village to develop in the future. It is our opportunity to demonstrate the needs of the people and help tell the various layers of government about these needs.

We've tried to be as broad-ranging as possible, and have kept the whole process open-ended to get the widest range of "needs". However, to give you an idea of what the plan could or should cover, it might impact such things as roads and traffic; housing and development; the environment; leisure and recreation facilities; village communications. It's really up to us.

More information about the impetus that sits behind the Plan can be found on the Countryside Agency web site, www.countryside.gov.uk or click here for a direct link.

Who's Behind It?

The Plan is being developed by a "steering group" of community volunteers who came together in late summer 2004 by responding to adverts placed in the Evesham Journal and around the village. We're not politicians, we're not part of the Parish or Borough council, we're not part of any particular pressure group or special interest group. We've aimed to have members who are young and not so young, who are traders and residents; we have people who live in all parts of the village; we have folks who each bring a slightly different perspective to the table. As part of that we have links to the Parish Council, since they're obviously a significant part of any conclusions, but it's not "their" process: it's ours.

The current members of this group are as follows:

We also mustn't forget to mention the assistance of Michael Gordon-Smith, who was instrumental in getting this process up and running in the early days, including securing the funding. Some members have been and gone, for personal reasons, and our thanks go to those, notably Sarah Mason and Doreen Parratt. And, of course, there are other unsung helpers in all this, normally the partners, spouses, children and friends of the folks above who hesitated for one brief moment when they were asked to help. Thanks to you all!

We're always open to new input and new members. If you think you could play a part please get in touch.

How's It Funded?

People are cynical about anything that smells of "government". Well, you'll be pleased to know that we're not spending your Council Tax on this process. We've secured funding from a number of sources, including grants from various government and non-government bodies and donations from generous local traders. Our funds are entirely under the control of the Steering Group and accounts are held.

As such, grateful thanks to all of the following for their financial assistance, without whom none of this would have been possible:

What does this mean? It means that we're transparent about where our money came from and where it goes to. It means we spend it on the things we need to spend it on as and when we decide. It means we're free from any political interference or meddling, because we're not part of any political body.

What's The Process?

In outline terms, it's simple:

• Ask everyone we can think of what they want

• Crunch the results to get a view of the major areas or categories that people are interested in

• Hold an open day to get more involvement from the community and get key "stakeholders" to come forward

• Start a series of groups of volunteers to work the individual categories

• Put together the results into a documented plan

• Keep working through the categories to make the changes that people want

Sounds easy when you put it like that, doesn't it?

The key to all of this is this, though: these are community problems, and it's up to the community to solve them. This isn't about simply telling someone else that we don't like the colour of the carpet or that it's chilly in the mornings - it's about doing something about it. So, if we decide that, for example, we want a sports centre, we need to get together all the interested groups (schools, clubs, societies, individuals) and work through that. Where would we put it? How would we fund it? What have other villages done? Who would be responsible for it? Who do we put pressure on to make it happen?

Another thought: many people have thought that the Plan is about change. It's not: it's about clearly stating what we want as a community and finding out how to achieve it. So, if there's something we treasure as a community, if there's something we want to maintain just as it is, the Plan gives us a mechanism to broadcast that fact. If we then need to take action to maintain something, the same process kicks in: who needs to be involved, what's the process, how would we fund it, and so on.

This is a genuine chance to make a difference to the community: your community. Don't let it pass you by.

What Have You Done So Far?

Well, you're reading part of it: this web site has been created in direct response to the feedback we've received and has been paid for by the Steering Group and has been created by Steering Group members. So that's a start.

However, this is by no means all: more information on our progress to date - and the next steps - can be found here.

A lot of work has gone into this, and there's much more to do. Please don't let it go to waste.