Wednesday 14 December 2011

ISSUES RAISED BY THE COMMUNITY OF STONESFIELD

FEEDBACK FROM COMMUNITY CONSULTATION
What people liked about Stonesfield

·      “Sense of community” “Friendly small and diverse community”

·      “Overall friendliness of most people”

·      “Community spirit” “A village that cares and involves”

·      “Lots of mutual support”

·      “Our Church community” “Bells wonderful”

·      “Rural feel of the village” “Beauty & Friendliness”

·      “Architecture” “Natural stone buildings”

·      “Stonesfield Common”

·      Great Walks – Footpaths

·      “No street lights”

Many people recognised that Stonesfield already has “great
village services and facilities” In particular they identified and wish to safeguard

·      “The village shops including the farm shop” “The post office”

·      “The village pub”

·      The library

·      “The church”

·      “The primary school”

·      “The preschool” “The toddler group”

·      Allotments

·      Some affordable housing for young people

·      Access to the countryside around Stonesfield and country walks

·      The many different interest groups eg Darby & Joan, Lunch Club

·      Our good village newsletter “the Slate” “Good website”

·      Some bus services

·      Prescription Service

·      Places for the Community to meet – Village Hall, St James Hall etc

·      Great sports and activity facilities (sports and recreation club)

·      The Youth Club recently launched fortnightly in St James Hall

·      The Sustainable Stonesfield Group recently launched.

Things that people think would improve Stonesfield

More facilities for Young People

·      “More Youth facilities particularly for teenagers”

·      “A New Scout Hut is urgently required for our active Scout Group”

·      “A Youth Club is needed that meets at least once a week for up to 5hrs ”

·      “A Youth shelter is needed for our teenagers where they can meet in order to socialise”

·      A Club for young people aged 7 to 10”

·      “Up-date the park area and playing field”

·      “More play equipment at school and park”

·      “Mothers and under 5s drop in facilities”

·      “Improve conduit into decision making for young people – not just Parish Council making    decisions”

Physical Environment – Sustainable Stonesfield

·      “Improve the physical appearance of some parts of Stonesfield eg Pendle Court”.

·      “Road repairs at the parking area for Pendle Court have been urgently required for months”

·      “More street furniture at selected site – more flowers and plants”

·      “Remove graffiti – bus shelter / other – clear litter – tidy grass verges – clear footpaths from garden overhangs”

·      “Street signs need replacing – compare ours with those at Combe”

Housing

· “There is a desperate need for 1/2 bedroom homes (houses / bungalows) privately owned so that older people can downsize and release larger family houses for younger people. Also helping older people by releasing much needed capital”

· “We need an old people’s home”

· “Lower House prices” “House prices to high for younger people”

· “Affordable Housing is required for Young People”

· “Not enough Social Housing”

· No more Housing in Stonesfield (stop further in fill)

Facilities and Services

·      “Improve the utilisation of the Village Hall particularly during day time hours and at weekends. Introduce Community Education a Film Club and greater use by businesses”

·      “Pub! We need one that works” “Pub (White Horse) not functioning properly introduce varied activities” “Use it or lose it”

·      “Deal with the eyesore of the redundant Black Head Pub”

·      “Open Black Head Car Park as a Community Car Park which could be used by the school” “Village buy Blackhead for other uses”

·      “More Facilities for Visitors – Local Museum / Heritage Centre, Exhibitions, Tea Room”
(Tourism)

Crime and Disorder Reduction

·      “Reduce vandalism, Anti-social behaviour, inconsiderate driving, litter, dog-fouling

·      “Start a Neighbourhood Watch scheme” “More visible policing”

·      “More considerate parking”

·      “Reduce speeding”

·      “Reduce speeding in danger spots e.g. Ridings to beyond Callow Farm, Laughton Hill, Woodstock Road, centre of village”

·      “Street lighting in some places to make it safer after dark”

·      “Eliminate drugs from the village”

Highways and Pavements

·      “Traffic lights at the Duke of Marlborough Junction”

·      “A cycle / pedestrian path from Stonesfield out the Woodstock Road along the B4437 to link to the A44 and the network of cycle paths to Woodstock – Oxford and beyond.”

·      “Extend some pavements to allow circular walks”

·      “Road and Footpath repairs badly needed in some parts of Stonesfield” “Road and footpath repairs that are needed often take many months or are not done at all”

Transport and Mobility

·      “Would like buses to run more often.” “Buses direct to Witney.” “Buses on Sundays and to Station”

·      “Direct service to Witney to arrive before 9.00am”

·      “Ensure at least the current bus services are maintained especially those after 9.00 pm”

·      “We need to at least retain the existing services”

·      “Continue Stonesfield Transport Service. Thank those involved”

Business and Employment in Stonesfield

·      “Encourage more business premises in Stonesfield to provide more local employment”

·      “Mechanism to enable Stonesfield local businesses and the self employed to network”

·      “Identify ways to locate employment opportunities”

·      “Encourage business sponsorship similar to Football Club”

·      “Use them or lose them” “Try them first”

Common Land and Village Green

·      “Need for a village green where families can meet, talk and have picnics” (Glebe land
suggested)

·      “No reply received from the Church to the letter sent many months ago by the Parish Clerk re Community use of Glebe land off Brook Lane.”

·      “Picnic orchard – Use of land behind the new and old Rectory”

Health Services

·      “There is a need for the return of a Doctors Surgery in Stonesfield”

·      “We need more information on services available to support people with a disability or long term health condition and help to access these services” (Both Health and Social Care Services)

Needs of Minority Groups and Pastoral Care

·      “Build on and extend the work of St James Church Pastoral Care group and make people more aware of its purpose and existence”

·       “Establish a Good Neighbour Group that supports people in Stonesfield” (People who may need extra help, such as older people, disabled people, single parents, young mothers, carers who need a break, those in need through temporary illness or anyone experiencing isolation in the community.)

·       “Provide Drop-in activities” (Provide people with an opportunity to drop in somewhere to meet others on an informal basis without having to consciously join a club or organisation – A number of communities including Stonesfield have opened a community venue once a week such as an “open-house”, coffee shop or cafe for lunch – Some have not continued or perhaps could have been better publicised – Generally run by a single group rather than the village)

·       “Organise a Village showcase each year” (It is surprising how many people are unaware of what activities, services and facilities are available and running in Stonesfield, let alone in the
surrounding area.

·      “Emergency plan required to protect the vulnerable in times of heavy snow. Power cuts, water cuts etc”

Publicity and Communication

·      “Older people need information and involvement”

·      “Wider and better communication of the outcomes of Parish Council meetings and decisions”

·      “Information on how the Parish Council budget is spent”

·      “Continue to produce the Stonesfield Directory”

·      “Continue to improve the village website”

·      “What are the future plans of the Stonesfield Community Trust” “What is the Community Trust? How do they make their decisions on behalf of the people of Stonesfield? How do they involve
people in making their decisions?”

·      “Ensure ‘the Slate’ continues”

·      “Introduce a new residents pack for those who come to live in the village”

·      “Improve Broadband Internet and mobile phone coverage”

General

·      “We need to have a mechanism that quickly identifies any threats to existing services
or facilities”

·      “Remove overhead cables to underground”

·      “Cull the foxes”

·      “Wind Turbines and other renewable energy”

Note

While preparing the Stonesfield Community Led Plan the Plan Steering Group will keep under review the ongoing developments arising from

·      The National Planning Framework
·      The Localism Bill
·      The West Oxfordshire Local Development Framework

2 comments:

  1. Looks like a comprehensive List Bob!
    It would be good though to also have some back ground on the process of the consultation, who the steering group are and a summary of how it's consistitued and what it sees as the way ahead...
    Cheers, Tim

    ReplyDelete
  2. I would like to suggest a 'Plant A Tree' scheme of native English trees to go onto the Village Green and the Glebe Lane.

    Deanna Asplundh
    Churchfields

    ReplyDelete