Parish Plans and Rural Outreach Project

VASA’s parish plans and rural outreach project is an initiative to work with rural communities on tackling key issues they themselves have identified.

Parish plans are surveys of how people in a market town, village or hamlet feel about where they live

- what’s important to them
- what they want preserved, and
- what needs to be improved.

They also identify the actions that need taking, the resources required and who is responsible for moving things forward.

Parish plans are especially important in a district as rural and large as ours, with so many diverse communities and all anxious to protect their own distinctive character, ensure their continued vibrancy and cope successfully with growing pressures.

The VASA project focuses on the 31 parishes that have produced parish plans to date.

We have compiled a database identifying nearly 900 actions altogether. Many have been completed, thanks to considerable hard work by the communities, but others are still outstanding.

We are working with the parishes to provide support and advice on how they can get the resources - volunteers, funding, etc. - to deliver uncompleted actions. Examples of VASA’s support include:

- shared working between parishes to exchange best practice, e.g. to tackle ‘rowdy’ youth problems
- a PR campaign for new volunteer drivers in certain areas
- visits by retail gurus to with town or parish councils on developing their retail facilities
- working with parishes to develop new community web sites
- forming a working party of parish councillors and local sports groups to put together a bid for grants for sporting projects

Further information can be obtained from David Morgan on 01789 262889 or email (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

 

Last updated: Mon 24th Aug 2009