What are community-led plans?

Parish/Town Plans and Village/Town Design Statements are both types of community-led plans. The characteristics of community-led plans are:

• they are produced by the community at a very local level, thereby representing the parish/town as a whole; and
• they enable local community groups to become actively involved in the decision-making process affecting the future of their parish/town.
  
  The process of producing a community-led plan identifies local needs and aspirations, highlights local issues and priorities and develops a unique vision for the future of the community.

Parish/Town Plans

A Parish (or Town) Plan helps to determine the future of your community and how it can change for the better. It is a document (prepared by the local community) that sets out a vision for the future of the parish (or town) and outlines how that can be achieved in an Action Plan. The Parish/Town Plan process typically includes:

• A Village Appraisal - household questionnaires to assess the needs and aspirations of local people;
• Participatory Appraisals - hands-on interactive workshops to further gauge the views of local residents;
• Business Surveys - to gauge the views of local businesses; and
• Creation of an Action Plan - to consolidate the findings of the appraisal process into a succinct, realistic action plan, setting out key actions and who is responsible for achieving these actions.

What will the Council do with completed Parish/Town Plans?

Parish/Town Plans are useful documents that consolidate the views of a local community and help to inform the Council about what communities consider to be the priorities for their local area. They can help to attract funding for local projects and set out what needs to be done, by who and when.

Village/Town Design Statements

The Council is committed to ensuring that all new development maintains or enhances the local character and distinctiveness of a settlement and its surroundings. A Village/Town Design Statement (VDS) is an advisory document prepared by a local community (not the Council) that provides an assessment of village character and its surroundings, its qualities and distinctiveness and sets out design advice to help guide new development to make sure it fits in with its local context.

A VDS can influence and improve the quality of development that takes place in your area, so that it is harmonious with its setting and makes a positive contribution to the local environment. An effective VDS:

• Identifies the distinctive local character of a settlement at three levels: the landscape setting of the settlement, the shape of the settlement and the nature of the buildings themselves within the settlement.
• Sets out design principles based on the distinctive local character, to ensure that new development fits in with the character of the village.

A VDS is not about whether new development should take place - this is the responsibility of the district-wide Local Plan (and subsequently the Local Development Framework). A VDS is about managing change in a settlement, not preventing it.

The Council has produced a guidance leaflet to assist those communities that are thinking of preparing a VDS.

Guidance leaflet (PDF)

The Council intends to prepare a VDS template which will provide more detailed advice on what to include in a VDS. Once completed, the template will be available on this web-page.

What will the Council do with completed Village/Town Design Statements?

A VDS that has been prepared in accordance with planning policy and in consultation with the Council - and which is generally supported by the local community - may be considered for approval as planning guidance. Once approved as planning guidance, a VDS may be taken into account in the determination of planning applications and help guide members of the community and others when carrying out physical change in the local community.

Thinking of preparing a community-led plan?

If you or your community are thinking of preparing a Parish/Town Plan or Village/Town Design Statement the recommended first step is to make contact with The Rural Community Council of Essex (RCCE), which is an independent charity helping communities throughout Essex build a sustainable future. The relevant contact covering Tendring District is as follows:

Sarah Sapsford - Field Officer (North Essex)

Tel: 0844 4773938
Fax: 01376 573524
Email: sarah.sapsford@essexrcc.org.uk
Address: Rural Community Council of Essex
Threshelfords Business Park
Inworth Road
Feering
Essex CO5 9SE
Website: www.essexrcc.org.uk

Completed community-led projects in Tendring

To date, the following documents have been completed in Tendring:

Frating Village Appraisal (2006)

Great Bentley Village Appraisal (1999)

Great Bromley Village Appraisal (2006)

Great Oakley Parish Plan (2004)

Jaywick Community Plan (2003)

St Osyth Parish Plan (2004)

Thorrington Village Appraisal (2008)

Wrabness Village Appraisal (2005)

Wrabness Parish Plan (2008)

Community-led projects in progress in Tendring:

Parish/Town Document / Stage

Ardleigh VDS Draft prepared
Alresford PP Consultation and surveys commenced
Brightlingsea PP/VDS Steering group established
Frating PP Consultation results analysed
Great Holland PP/VDS Consultation and surveys commenced

PP = Parish/Town Plan
VDS = Village/Town Design Statement

Please note: information on projects in progress has been supplied to Tendring District Council from the Rural Community Council of Essex. If it is inaccurate, or your community is thinking of preparing a community-led plan, please notify the Rural Community Council of Essex Field Officer (contact details above).