Thank you to those who contributed to the initial public consultation. The Steering Group is meeting regularly (via Zoom) despite the lockdown, and we wanted to bring you up to date.
We received 408 responses to the public survey. 50% from people aged 65+, 43% from people aged 30-64, and just 7% from people aged 16-29. As the draft Plan must evidence the needs of the whole community, we are going to find ways of engaging with young people under the age of 30 and those who are still in education.
A summary of the responses can be seen on the ‘Cirencester Says’ page and with support from Cirencester College the Steering Group will be sharing a detailed analysis soon, in the same location.
The analysis highlights a number of issues which are very important to the whole community: access to local health services, parks and green spaces, protection of community services, the amount and type of housing growth, support for local businesses and job opportunities, climate change, use of sustainable materials instead of single-use plastic and parking.
NP Initial Engagement Survey Summary Graphs
These important issues fall into five themes:
- Environment and Climate Change
- Access, Infrastructure and Transport
- Development, Design and Built Environment
- Economy, Business and Retail
- Community, Culture and Leisure
We have therefore set up working groups for each theme, led by the community representatives on the Steering Group. The role of each group is to analyse the survey responses and highlight any issues, barriers and options for each issue raised. Future work will include preparing an evidence base for the issues and considering how planning policy could address the issues. This is a huge task to undertake and we need your help to do this.
We need support to review the analysis and evidence, to write up briefing notes and reports, to talk with the community and come up with planning and non-planning solutions and options for each issue, which will help us prepare the first draft of the Neighbourhood Plan. This is where we would really appreciate your help!
Calling all Community and Business Groups!
If you are a member of a local Business or Community Group such as Chamber of Commerce or Civic Society, with some time to give and are passionate about the future of Cirencester, we would like to invite you to join one or more of the themed working groups outlined above. If you are interested or would like more information please e-mail Sian at info@cirencesternp.org
Due to ongoing social distancing we are unable to hold public drop-in events to present the consultation response to you but we will continue to publish information and updates on this website via the ‘Cirencester Says’ page.
We will also be using a variety of other ways to communicate feedback and updates, including this newsletter, as we recognise that different people have different communication preferences.
This is your opportunity to shape your future Cirencester, so please spread the word to local friends, family and colleagues who might wish to get involved with, or receive information, on the Neighbourhood Plan. Encourage them to sign up here https://cirencesternp.org/sign-up/ to receive this newsletter and/or if they have any queries or want to help, to e-mail us at info@cirencesternp.org