What is a parish plan?
A Parish Plan is an opportunity for the whole community to voice their opinion on what action they wish to see taken in their local area in the future.
A parish plan is
• A survey of the community by the community – the real experts
• It discovers what are the local needs
• It provides a vision for the future (10-15 years)
• It is an action plan highlighting what will be done in the parish

Why do a parish plan?
• Gives all local people, not just the confident ones, the chance to develop a vision for their community, identifying positive and negative issues.
• Helps enhance the sense of community. Develops community spirit, getting people involved and talking to each other
• Looks at the needs for the future which will sustain our local community
• Guides our local action to meet the needs of the community’s. By providing a mandate to the Parish Council it prioritises Parish Council resources and effort in the future.
• Develops an increase in local voluntary action in implementing your action plan points.
• Influences the SDC in the formation of the Local Development Framework for the Sevenoaks area.
• Gains funding for local initiatives by demonstrating you have been through a needs assessment with full community participation
• Strengthens the Parish Council’s relationship with all sections of the community
• Improves the quality of life for everyone living in the parish.

Who should be involved?
The Parish Plan is managed by a steering group (usually about 12-14 local people) who are drawn from as wide a selection of roads as possible. Their role is to manage the whole process and stimulate involvement by the community, resulting in the drawing up of a final plan for the village.
Involved with creating the plan will be:
• All residents
• The parish council
• Neighbouring parishes
• County and district council
• Businesses
• Police
• Primary Care Trust
• Local groups and societies
• Everyone !

What sort of things can a Parish Plan achieve?
In other village Parish Plans, here are some of the objectives that have been achieved by parishes in Kent.
Toddler group established
Refurbished landscaping
Improved shops area with pedestrianisation scheme
Active Neighbourhood Watch scheme now in place
Ancient woodland fencing in place to reduce off road vehicle use and fly tippers
Parish identity strengthened with both local and county authority
Meeting point for young people has been established
An all-weather basket-ball pitch A young person’s arts centre
Village communication has improved
A supported housing scheme for the elderly
New, safer footpaths
New village notice boards
Welcome pack for new residents
A greater awareness of village events and societies

How can we be sure it is going to result in action?
The Parish Plan represents the clear wishes of the whole community of Otford.
• The methods of achieving the objectives are clearly drawn up in the plan itself.
• The persons or organisations who will be responsible for carrying out those objectives are also clearly identified.
• So is the time-scale that they will be achieved in. As part of the plan process the steering committee will elect specific local persons to be responsible to ensure that the objectives of the plan are carried out as the community wishes. Usually, after two or three years, the community reviews progress to ensure that the plan objectives are or have been achieved.