IT'S LAUNCHED!

The Otford Parish Plan is now officially launched.
Copies have been given to all our Parish Councillors, our two Sevenoaks District Councillors, our Kent Count Councillor and the Hon. Michael Fallon, our MP. Further copies are now available to purchase from The Parish Office, The Post Office, Yvonne's Store and St Bartholomew's Church. The nominal price is £3.50, which is 50p less that they have cost us from the printers!

First reactions have been very positive. Many have commented on Phil Clucas' eye-catching art-direction in its design. Many residents have also read it 'from cover to cover' and say they think it is one of the most constructive and positive documents they had read on local planning for our future.

With articles in all our newsletters and the Sevenoaks Chronicle, we hope there is now no one in Otford that is unaware of what is happening in our village. Our new Parish Council, under the leadership of John Edwards-Winser, have already made quite clear that they will support all the aspects of the Plan and help the community achieve its aims.

So now the work can begin. If you read of proposals where you would like to be a part of the group who are undertaking a particular project, you will be welcomed to join. The more the merrier. Just ask at the Parish Office for details. It is after all, what being a community is all about.

ALMOST THERE...

February 2011 and after two years of diligent work by the steering group as well as many members of the wider community, the Otford Parish Plan is almost ready to go to print.
Our Parish Council have reviewed all the content of the plan and support the results.
Members of the steering group have also concluded extended discussions with the head of strategic planning, head of community services and of housing policy at Sevenoaks District Council. They too are preparing their own plan for the whole Sevenoaks district so wished to ensure that Otford’s proposals were not at variance with the Local Design Framework Core Strategy.  They are not and the officers have been full of advice on how we might achieve some of our targets.
Now we are at the stage of dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s of the final document.  We are at present editing hundreds of local and community photos  and designing the final  lay-out for Part One of this 40-odd page, full-colour plan. We hope be in print by the end of March.  A copy will then get delivered to every household in the parish.
Part Two is a different kind of document entirely and will only be available from the Parish Office.  It is what we call the Action Document and contains the specific actions that are being proposed to carry out the wishes of the community. It details who will be leading each section of work forward, who will be helping, how it will get funded and so on.  No pictures this time, just a lengthy schedule of proposed works for the community to undertake in the future.
Otford’s Parish Plan is not just a bunch of wishful thinking, as some would believe it. The Action plans are entirely practical, do’able  projects which the steering group have given a lot of time and thought to. A number of them are already in the early planning stage and you would be surprised at what is already being achieved. They won’t all happen tomorrow. Some will take time. They are all though achievable if you believe that they are worthwhile. So at the end of the day it will be up to you, the community, to give your support and help see them carried through.  
Rod Shelton, Chaiman Otford Parish plan Steering Group.
[Forum Discussion]

PROGRESS ON THE PARISH PLAN

The Parish Plan is in the final stages of its preparation. All the concerns that the community have expressed have been taken on board and practical suggestions made for addressing them.It has taken a bit longer than had been hoped but it has been worth all the effort that has gone into it.The Parish Council will shortly be discussing it in detailand we hope early in the New Year, the Otford Parish Plan will be on line and available to you in print. We hope to begin design in December. Meanwhile the steering group are actively looking at ways in which we can raise the funds which will be needed to support some of the objectives you have identified. It won't all happen over a few months. Some of the proposals make take years to achieve. Action with Communities in Rural Kent have allocated us a 'Funding-Buddy' who will help us in the search for the right sort of funding source for each of the many projects we have planned. At the end of the day though, it will be all of us, as a community lucky enough to live in this beautiful village, who actually make the plan work.

YOUR PERSONAL PHOTOS ARE NEEDED

When it goes into print, the Otford Parish Plan will have many photos in it. These will illustrate the many aspects of life in our community. There are so many stories connected with living in Otford and we would like the plan to reflect a taste of our village life. Can you help with your photos? It doesn't matter if they are digital or simply traditional photos. We would love to see them – and be sure they will be returned to you afterwards.

We are particularly interested in photos that might help illustrate the following subjects:

• Showing what care means – whether it is for an older person, or a young one.
• Having fun at community events - particularly non-obvious pictures.
• Photos which illustrate walking, rambling or taking exercise or performing a sport.
• Cycling is so high on everyone's list, we would love to get some cycling shots.
• Photos which show how attractive our historic village is – particularly unusual views.
• Photos which illustrate our local footpaths – maybe with your family on it.
• Shots which illustrate our three schools
• Any interesting shots which tell of 'life-in-Otford'

You can drop your photos in to the Parish Office in an envelope addressed to Parish Plan Photos and encloseyour name, address and telephone number: or if they are digital, you can email them to rodshelton@greenbee.net. Who knows, you may end up in print! Rest assured, nothing will be included in the Parish Plan document, without your written permission in advance and all your photos will be returned to you.

RESIDENTS GIVE THEIR APPROVAL

On Tuesday 29^th June, 120 local residents packed into the Memorial Hall to hear a presentation of the recommendations for the content of the Otford Parish Plan. The PowerPoint presentation was given by members of the Parish plan steering group. Each speaker outlined the concerns that the PP questionnaire responses had clearly identified and summarised what needed to be done as an over-arching 'Objective'. The speaker then outlined some of the proposed actions that could be taken in order to meet the Objective. At this point these proposals are only suggestions and will need further consideration before forming part of a final plan.

The meeting was invited to indicate by a show of hands whether they supported the Objectives. In almost every instance the vote was in unanimous support. Many residents spoke from the floor on a wide range of issues and with very few exceptions, their questions were answered to their satisfaction.

PARISH COUNCIL GIVES ITS APPROVAL

Committees of the Parish Council have discussed all the proposed objectives and have now indicated their support in principle to these being the basis of the community's plan.

WHAT NEXT?

Steering group members have been leading discussions with residents (Action Groups) to discuss and propose the sort of practical actions which might be taken in order to meet the objectives of the Plan. These discussions are now being used to form the basis for a set of actions to be recommended as parts of the Plan. It should be emphasised that the majority of these actions will be taken by residents/ resident groups, supported by our Parish council. They are not simply a 'shopping list' which the Parish Council is expected to carry out on its own. The Parish Plan is a community exercise for the community, by the community.

Many 'actions' may require funding.It is the role of the steering group members, with help from Action with Communities in Rural Kent, to find appropriate funding sources and to make the applications .(The applications will technically be made by the Parish Council as they hold the funds for the Parish Plan.)

As the Actions are agreed, the overall plan will be prepared. The draft of the plan will be discussed with Parish Council, SDC and ACRKand their advice sought.Once agreed, it is intended to hold a 'Drop-In' event at the Memorial Hall where residents can study the detail and have the opportunity for any further comments.

The plan will then, we trust, be formally adopted by our Parish Council.

We will publish hard-copies and it will be available to all on the Otford web site.

RESPONSES RECEIVED TO THE PARISH PLAN QUESTIONNAIRE

A presentation of all the results of the Parish Plan questionnaire was held on Saturday, 30 Jan 2010 at the Memorial Hall. It was very well attended but because of the volume of written comments many people asked if we could put it onto our Parish Plan site so they could study at leisure.

These are organised into a sub-forum Questionnaire Results within the Otford Parish Plan forum, under the headings:

1. A Safe Community - (A) Home
    A Safe Community - (B) Roads and Pavements
2. A Caring Community
3. Having a Green Environment
4. Living in a Healthy Environment
5. Supporting a Dynamic Economy
6. A Sustainable Economy for Otford
7. Facing the Future
8. Older Persons Concerns
9. Young Peoples Concerns

You are warmly invited to read these and, if you wish, give any feedback.

“I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE ...”

The results of the Parish Plan questionnaire have revealed certain concerns that residents of Otford would like resolved. They are listed in these sections, together with ideas for improving things. The purpose of a Parish Plan is to find ways to improve the quality of life for all who live in the parish and tackle problems which are perceived to exist. As a volunteer, you can join one (or more) of the ‘action groups’ involved with this work. Please complete the attached form, highlighting the headings you are particularly interested in. Then add your contact details etc. at the end of this form and we will get in touch with you.

Application Form to join an Otford Parish Plan Action Team []