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

A Parish Plan?
To gain a fair impression on whether or not Otford residents wished to carry out a Parish Plan, a simply though extensive ad hoc survey of a sample of residents views was carried out.
An average of 5 homes were visited in 12 roads within the parish. The roads were selected to cover as wide a physical area as possible and thereby gain as broad a body of opinion as possible.
Residents were asked to rate on a scale of 1-5 the importance they attached to getting improvements in:

• Highways & traffic
• Undesirable development and housing
• Helping the young and reducing vandalism
• Gaining wider sporting facilities
• Improving the look of the village
• Increasing help for the elderly and the dependent.

They were then asked whether they supported the idea of producing a Parish Plan. Finally they were asked about any matters that particularly concerned them. The results of this simple survey were presented to the Parish Council in support of the community wishing to produce the Parish Plan. (Response to 3-way Research [])

So what’s the problem?
What do people feel about the place where they live?
This simple opinion straw-poll took place in October 2008 at a meeting of the Otford Society which represents a very high proportion of residents.
There were approximately 70 members present. Each received three post-it notes. The audience were asked to put onto separate notes:

• The thing they liked most about living in Otford
• What they disliked and felt should be ‘dealt with’
• Their greatest wish for the parish.

The results, though from a specific group of people with a shared interest, when correlated under headings, provides a guide to the sort of aspects that our Parish Plan may need to address in future. (Response to 3-way Research [])