Community Planning in Stanmore
There are occasions when we all feel powerless to influence decisions being taken by others that impact on our lives. Fortunately a growing number of communities have realised that there is a way to change that and have set to work on developing a Parish or Community Plan for their area.
One such community is the Stanmore estate in Winchester, where residents started just over 2 years ago by forming a small but dedicated steering group. The work they’ve undertaken during the last two years has been supported by officers from the City Council, elected members from both City and County Councils and other representatives from Stanmore Combined (the local Community Forum). This work included a consultation, which involved a household survey and identified a number of issues of concern to local residents. One of the key areas of concern raised was the growing number of student properties in the area, which impacted on the availability of homes for local people and also led to problems with parking and noise.
In order to identify potential solutions to these issues, an event was organised recently to enable residents and students to discuss the issues with landlords, representatives from the University of Winchester and the Police. Almost 140 people attended the event, which identified 17 different proposals they would like to see considered.
A further event also took place which debated other issues arising from the consultation, such as promoting a more positive image of the area, community safety, health, recreation and leisure facilities. The proposals from both events are now being considered in more detail to determine their viability and hopefully identify when any agreed solutions can be implemented.
Cllr John Cooper, Portfolio Holder for Communities & Safety said “The community planning work in every part of District is hugely important”. “It will help to shape neighbourhoods in a way that the people living there want”. “Every community has its own identity and residents must have the power to directly influence the changes that best meet their local needs”. “In a diverse District like Winchester there will never be a ‘one size fits all’ solution to improve amenities and environments but as more and more engage in this process there will undoubtedly be threads that will start to inform the council’s future policies and resource allocation. “Good community planning is about finding ‘local solutions for local problems’ and I want to ensure that our residents have the means to make change happen”. I would be delighted to hear directly from any community planning group if you feel there is more the Council can do to support you”.
Published: 14 December 2009