Neighbourhood Plan Taking Shape – Have Your Say!

Major consultation on issues and options launched

Over the next two months from March to end of April the West Bergholt Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group is holding an “issues and options” consultation which aims to present the issues and priorities for our community. This is an important stage as the next stage of the plan is to write a draft document and to submit this to the authorities for formal examination.

So please take part in way you can. Your choices are as follows:

• Read the on-line pages and complete either a paper questionnaire (available in your March edition of the Village Bulletin or downloadable) or take the electronic survey.
• Come to the parish annual meeting on 25th March (7:30pm) where you can hear about the consultation and have an opportunity to ask questions
• Visit the exhibition which will be held at the Orpen Hall on two consecutive Saturdays in April (11th & 18th from 11am).
• If you represent an organisation why not write to the Steering Group or better still invite them to onbe of your meetings to see how you might be affected and to allow you the chance to put forward your organisations’s priorities for the future.

Further details appear below.

Consultation Material

The following is available through this website:

1. Exhibition Material
   A copy of the draft exhibition boards which explain the stage the Neighbourhood Plan has reached – an improved version of this material is in preparation.

2. A short leaflet to accompany the exhibition.

3. A paper based questionnaire to let us have your feedback.

4. An electronic questionnaire containing the same questions as the paper based version.

Your Village Future is in Your Hands – Lets Take Control Together

West Bergholt’s future for the next 30 years is being shaped and developed using a National planning scheme known as the Neighbourhood Plan.  For the first time in our history the people of West Bergholt have the opportunity to shape our village future in terms of what is most important to us as residents and includes –

• New homes – acceptable numbers and preferred locations
• Sport and recreational facilities that meet future needs and where these should be located
• Village hall enhancements that meet future needs and are environmentally sustainable
• Ensuring our pre-school and primary school are not constrained by space. Provide the right environment to develop our future generations
• Children’s play area enhancements to match the best in Essex
• Improved footways, cycle ways and traffic safety plans that reflect a vibrant and interesting place to life.
• Business enhancements – shaping the development of our existing business parks to reflect job creation, local needs and sustainability.

All these points and more must form part of our Neighbourhood Plan before it can be accepted as the model for our village future.   This is our opportunity to state what we want to avoid our village future being determined by housing developers and/or external government bodies.

2015 will see the completion of the Neighbourhood Plan prior it being subject to a village wide referendum before it can be adopted.

The plan outline findings and the vision for the future compiled from surveys and questionnaires will be on display and discussed on

WEDNESDAY 25th March 2015 at 7.30pm in the Orpen Hall

at the Annual Parish Meeting.

All are welcome and encouraged to attend – refreshments provided.

Two other exhibitions will also be held at the Orpen Hall on:- Saturday April 11th and Saturday April 18^th, both from 11am. Choose which event will suit you best. Questionnaires will be available at all events for comment and to express your views for the final time on the future of West Bergholt.

Now is your unique opportunity to influence the development of the village over the next few decades.