ITNEY PARISH PLAN - Pitney Village Web Site

ITNEY PARISH PLAN
2007
Introduction
The Parish of Pitney lies within the
of the South Somerset countryside
between the towns of Langport and Somerton. The Parish boundary extends
along the fringes of Somerton Moor to the small settlement of Park and has a
population of just over 350.
The
Parish Plan
The background
The first steps to develop the Pitney plan were taken at the annual village
meeting and have been subsequently supported by a grant from the Countryside
Agency and the formation of a steering group of volunteers. Guidance from
officers of South Somerset District Council has been given
to help formulate a programme for the development
of the plan.
_
The Parish is made up of the village of Pitney which is surrounded by small
hamlets and groups of houses that bolder the B3153 and then northward to Park
with its houses being dotted alon|lj|he lane linking to Somtrton. It has a public
house and a farm shop as well as a number of active working farms. There is a
very well used village hall and a playing field which has Its own recently renovated
pavilion. The Parish church o*f St John sits on top of the hill dominating the view
as you approach from Langport and has been there for over a thousand years.
The concept of Parish Plans represents a
new approach to community planning,
providing an opportunity for every member
of the community to say how they think the
Parish should develop and,t>ased on those
/iews, to produce a plan which seeks to
reserve, enhance and develop the quality
life for everyone •
—*mmi
The group sought to give
parishioners an opportunity to
express their views through dn
open meeting and then formuljated a
questionnaire that asked a rgfge of
ssible the
questions covering as far a
interests, concerns and asp
ions of the whole
community. This was publis
and distributed in the late
autumn of 2006.
There was an overwhelming response with 130
of the 150 questionnaires distributed being
returned. The results of these were published
in mid January 2007 and discussed at a further
open meeting in late January. Action groups and
village organisations are now to be encouraged
to work alongside the Parish Council to
implement objectives within the Plan. This
booklet represents the final stage of the plan's
preparation and should become a living
document that helps the people of the village to
fulfil their goals as a community.
Definitions of time scales for objectives
"No street lights ever!"
"Who would empty dog litter bins and how often?"
"Where has our stream disappeared to over the last
couple of summers?"
Short term Objective— During
i
.
"Who would be responsible for protecting the wildlife in
Pitney? - need village volunteers."
Medium term Objective— By the end of 2008
We need to investigate sustainable energy for the village."
;Put
Long term Objective— After 2008
solar panels on village hall and pavilion."
Local Environment
b set up a working group to produce a map of local
footpaths and a series of circular walks.
(Short term Objective)
Almost 70% of residents felt that the character of Pitney is
formed by the views throughout the village and by the
commuiity spirit which exists.
'o work with SSDC to signpost and maintain local
ootpaths and bridleways. (Short term Objective)
63% of residents use the local footpaths/bridle paths on a
weekly basis but would like to see more maps of the local
routes available.
There was a resounding response to the question relating to paths and lighting, with 90%
against street lighting in the Village and 49% wanting better road drainage. Only 10% were
in favour of pavements.
On the Whole it was felt that the standard of environmental services was good although
45% said that roadside care and drain maintenance were reasonable and 34% thought that
they were poor.
Keeping hedges and verges tidy was also very important to
60% , but this needed to be kept in balancifwith protecting
wildlife,jvith 90% highlighting this as being very
important.
To establish a balance between road safety and environmental impact when
maintaining road verges and drains. (Medium term Objective)
4.
To set up a working group that looks at ways to enhance wildlife within the
parish. (Long term Objective)
5.
T o seek ways to improve the council recycling schemes. (Long term Objective)
6.
To investigate alternative ways of providing
sustainable energy in the village. (Long Term Objective)
Leisure, Culture and Education
To provide a multi sports court at the playing field.
(Medium/long term Objective)
To enhance the use of the Cricket pitch with the building
of a set of cricket nets to enable year round cricket
coaching facilities. (Short term Objective)
The facilities in the village are well used by 75% of residents
and outsiders as well. It was noted that there were few
facilities specifically for 15 - 25 year olds and there was a
general consensus that an all-weather surface would be of
enormous benefit to them and others in the parish. Basketball,
3.
To extend the use of the village hall. Investigate setting up courses with
education providers and establish what parishioners would like to take part in
and then to extend use to the wider community. (Short term Objective)
tennis and netball were all mentioned. Also cricket nets were suggested by many. This
To investigate the provision of broadband facilities at the village hall to extend
could be an achievable objective.
its use. (Short term Objective)
The provision for cultural and education facilities received enormous support. The Village
Hall has lost its nursery school, and leaves us with an excellent building with great
possibilities. So many evening and day classes were proposed - languages, keep fit,
computer techniques, craft and a broad band facility could be set up. •-*.
PLENTY OF IDEAS HERE TO CONSIDER - WHICH WILL YOU JOIN AND WHICH
WOULD YOU BE PREPARED TO HELP ORGANISE?
What you
said...
Culture and education received enormous support. The
Village Hall has lost its nursery school, and leaves us
with an excellent building with great possibilities. So
many evening and day classes were proposed languages, keep fit, a broad band facility could be set
up, computer techniques and craft.
"More people, of all ages to involve themselves in village life."
"Continued upgrading of Playing Field Pavilion."
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"Seating around playing field."
Harvest supper, live music, Flower Show, Christmas Fair, l/i I lage BBQ, fete, Tsunami
breakfast, charity suppers, Sunday Club, Christmas activities, film nights and
church related events are all wonderful events that take place at the village hall or
playing field. |
'Give the streets a name!'
Community Safety
Too many signs negate each other and don't work.'
'Speed cameras needed on the main road - most people
drive faster than 50 mph.'
Nearly two-thirds of Pitney residents have not been a victim of
any crime in the Idst 5 years. For residents who did report
crimes the majority were burglaries or theft with only 4%
being described as violent crimes. Most people reported the
incidents to the Police but more than half were dissatisfied
with the response/assistance given.
The people who drive too fast will almost certainly
ignore any speed signs.'
ns are ugly and pointless - individual checking is the answer.'
It is felt that improved communication with the police is required and 80% of the
residents were unaware that the Police Community Safety Vehicle stopped at the Farm
Shop and several comments were made that its location should be changed to the Village
Hall.
'Drivers respond to a flashing speed sign as you enter a village - they act as a
wake-up cdlj - not 'just another sign!'
68% of respondents believed the village would benefitfrom an active Neighbourhood
Watch Scheme and some residents were prepared to be involved in running it.
'Why is the Police Community Safety Vehicle at the Farm
Shop - they can have a cup of tea there!'
Over 70% thought that there were major 'danger spots' on the roads in and around Pitney.
More than half of the villagers would support tht introduction of a speed limit, while
others supported 'Children at Play' anct,flashing speed sighs and,road width restrictions. A
Community Speed Watch programme was also suggested.
SPEEDING TRAFFIC WORRIES Y<
•••
establish a community speedwatch programme.
(Medium term Objective)
To bring effective pressure to bear through the Parish
Council about concerns for the safety issues at the
exit on to the B3153 at Hermitage Hill. (Short term
Objective with a long term project)
3.
To improve communication with the police with regard to community safety and
more general policing concerns. (Short term Objective)
4.
To re-establish the Neighbourhood Watch scheme. (Short term Objective)
5.
To re-locate the community police support vehicle to the more central location
of the village hall and link this visit to a regular meeting or coffee morning.
(Medium term Objective)
Health and Social Needs
Housing and Buildings
84% of respondents saw the need to retain young people in the
village. However, although 70% said they would not benefit
directly from the provision of affordable housing schemes,
30%f avoured such schemes.
62 households knew about the Pastoral Care visiting scheme.
There was general-satisfaction with the level of social and
health services in the village, only 2 households expressing
I 25% wanted no further housing development. Whereas 18%
wanted more family homes.
dissatisfaction. There was little call for additional health
facilities.
With regard to people with disabilities, points raised included more support for carers,
disabled parking areas and easier access to notice boards, the church, the village hall and
the playing field.
Only a few people have difficulty in getting transport out of
Pitney. 8 households had made use of the community bus service but
To preserve the character of the village 90
respondents felt visual impact should take a high
priority in new housing. 88 wanted strict control of
building materials. Off-road parking and in-f ill
were also highlighted as important if development
was to take place.
69 households were unaware of the service and would like more
information available in the village.
51 households think there is a need for a school bus service in
Pitney with 36 being prepared to pay for the service.
"A return to Saturday opening at the surgery
GPs on call".
What you
said...
"A bus timetable would help".
"Maintenance of building lines and open spaces."
What you
said...
**
"Social engineering it may be, but in order to
encourage a balance of generations in the village, any
planning permission for new dwellings should be
restricted to affordable housing only."
"Roads not suitable for increase in traffic."
To provide bus timetables at village notice boards.
(Short term Objective)
To provide greater information about the " Links"
service. (Short term Pbjective)
~" 3.
To create a local contacts and services sheet using the
village "map" as a centre piece.
_^ (Medium term Objective)
4.
To establish whether a village web site for the Parish is necessary.
(Medium term Objective)
5.
To establish whether transport facilities to local schools should be considered
on grounds of demand and safety of our children. - As trial of this could be
considered as an action for half a term perhaps, maybe only mornings to
accommodate after school activities. (Medium term Objective)
"House designs to be in keeping with other housing."
To explore the principle of affordable housing with
developers with regard to retaining existing and
encouraging new young people to live in the village.
(Long term Objective)
To request the parish council to be guided by the
wishes of parishioners that if further housing is to be
permitted it retains the distinctive appearance of
the village. (Long term Objective)
11
Village Map
Local Economy
91 villagers are employed outside Pitney, 18 are employed in
TpnJU^^ij
Cortsuifatio
Results
Pitney, 61 are in full time education and 83 are retired. Of
those who are working 48 are self employed and 40 are based
at home or regularly work from home.
Businesses within Pitney employ 18 people from the village and 17
from other areas.
80 households did not feel there was a need for economic
growth in Pitney.
"The village should remain a quiet residential area".
':
"A small development for business units to encourage job
pportunities for young people^
k
11.
To support all local businesses in their work with the
creation of a local business directory.
(Short/ Medium term Objective)
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_——|
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What you said about living in the Parish of Pitn
Having moved in Just -ff ears ago, I cannot think of
another village I would prefer to live in.
The village mustn't be urbanised.
Mud is inevitable in a farming village. So farming
continues - a good thing.
Street lighting is unnecessary.
The night sky is beautiful.
I think we're all very privileged to be living in such a
beautiful place.
Affordable housing must be considered.
More attention should be paid to views of the Parish
Council re. planning decisions. Bungalows would be best.
The impact of second homes is very sad.
Please no speed signs.
Since the household rubbish collections have become"
fortnightly and since a lot more boxes of rubbish for
collection on different days have been put out, a lot more
litter has been appearingin the village because it gets
i blown about in the wind. "Perhaps the extra vehicles and
the rubbish it causes, in trying to solve the
environments problem, is making it worse!
How about selling the Village Hall and rebuild on the
Playing Field site with a dedicated faciljty which can be
rented out for functionsi.
Voluntary help for elderly residents
i.e.. shopping and lifts.
PI
Acknowledgements
This parish plan was produced by a steering group that was established following
the open village meeting held in April 2006.
The core members of the steering group were:
Stephen Wills—Chairman
\i Braithwaite—Secretary
|4\n Midgley-Treasurer
Adrian Stephens
Sally Tomsett
Viv Winterburn
Robert Walrond
Phillip Herriman
The steering group would lij|to extend its thanks to the many others who helped
i supported this project:
\ Gerard Tucker of South Somerset District Council and his team of staff who
helped with analysis and presentation of questionnaire results.
Somerset Rural Community Council.
The extra people who were involved with the distribution and collection of
questionnaires and analysis booklets.
The parishioners for their outstanding response to the questionnaire and
attendance at meetings!
*
This Parish Plan represents, as best as possible, the views of
Pitney Parishioners and has been adopted by the Parish
Council.
However, it is intended as a living document tjnat wilt change
and develop as the village progresses in its life.
Continued support of parishioners for objectives set out in
the plan will be dependent on local authority and more
importantly community involvement.
To get involved with the projects and objective set out
within this plan yojj need,to contact theParishpouncil who
will direct you to the groups set up to tackle the objectives.
Your Village
Needs You!!