Great Shefford Parish Plan

Introduction

The Parish Plan was published in January 2007 following three years of preparation which involved the whole community, and the Implementation Team has been carrying forward the actions which are identified in the document. At the end of 2009 responsibility was handed over to the Parish Council  for the outstanding items, most of which are by nature ongoing, recurring or long-term.

The aims of the project have been to:

• state how we wish our community to develop over the coming decade
• influence decisions on planning and community strategy
• be a basis for action
• identify our aspirations
• take stock of Great Shefford Parish
• enhance community involvement
• develop a sense of direction
• influence our own future

To download the full Great Shefford Parish Plan please click here (PDF 5.5MB)

You can download the complete Parish Action Plan here   (Word 222k)

Achievements So Far

• The Youth Club
  Following consultation of the young people in the Parish a highly successful Youth Club has been established, and is running quite independently.
  
• Football Facilities
  New goalposts and nets have been installed in the Recreation Ground and a line-marking machine has been bought.
  
• Junior Playground Equipment
  A project As a result of generous funding from West Berkshire Council, Great Shefford Parish Council and the Greenham Common Trust, an exciting new range of junior play equipment was installed in the Recreation Ground in time for the summer 2008 holidays.
  
• Website Development
  Parish Plan funds have been used to commission the professional redesign of this website. This site will continue to evolve with the aim of encouraging greater community involvement.
  
• Village Hall Improvements
  A communicating door has been installed between the Village Hall and the Social Club.
  A digital projector and screen have been bought for use in the Village Hall
• Other Projects
  The Parish Council is currently working to raise funds to replace the multiplay structure in the Recreation Ground.

After three years, not all the Actions in the Plan have been completed nor have all the aspirations been fulfilled and inevitably priorities change with the passage of time. A number of the projects which were important five years ago have been completed, some have been superseded by events and some remain to be completed. Other topics, particularly those relating to the environment and sustainability, did not feature particularly strongly in the current Plan but are likely to become more important in the future.

A revision of the Parish Plan will be desirable in due course, but in the meanwhile the Parish Council is working on the achievable outstanding items of the current Plan.