14th February 2010  Report of Community Plan Questionnaire Results Meeting

The meeting to report back on the Community Plan questionnaire results took place on Thursday 11 February, in the School Hall. It was attended by some 45 people. The Community Plan Steering Group gave a PowerPoint presentation, which is now available in full on the parish website www.appletonwitheaton.org.uk (see above for links). A summary of the results is also available on the website, and will be distributed as a leaflet to all households in the village in March.

We also heard about the progress already made on some of the issues raised by the questionnaire:

• Playground: A playground group was set up last summer which has been finding out the views of adults and children, carrying out research, starting to make plans, applying for grants and becoming a sub-committee of the parish council.
• Broadband: A meeting to be held on Saturday 13 February in the Village Hall at 11.30 am with a presentation about ways we can improve our broadband as a village – see separate report.
• Road Safety near the School: Two meetings have taken place involving the Head teacher, & representatives of the Governors & Friends of Appleton School, Oxfordshire County Council, Thames Valley Police, the Neighbourhood Action Group and the Parish Council, and a number of solutions are to be implemented.
• Flooding: The Flooding & Rainwater Group has been awarded a grant of £5000 which they are planning to spend on sandbags and pumps.
• Paddle-and-rymer system at Northmoor Lock: A letter was sent by the Parish Council but the decision to replace the system has been made on health and safety grounds.
• Litter: We have registered with Oxclean and found out about a spring clean initiative.
• Dog fouling: This issue has been taken up by the Neighbourhood Action Group, and there was an article in this month’s Appleton Advertiser.

Some things can be done by individuals, for example reporting potholes and changing to the only mobile phone network which works! We anticipate that other issues, eg buses and recycling, will be taken up by the parish council and other organisations as appropriate.

The huge response to the volunteer sheet at the end of the questionnaire was reported: a total of 84 volunteers. The numbers were as follows: -

• Playground 27
• Shop 6
• Skills for Shop Refurbishment 5
• Cash for Shop Refurbishment 1
• Footpath maintenance 21
• Pond work 20
• Woodland 20
• Habitat creation 20
• Litter-pick/spring-clean 60
• Ditch-clearing 19
• Fundraising for Pre School 4
• Website 3
• Alternative Energy working group 13

Lists of these volunteers have been sent to the relevant groups and organisations. Co-ordinators came forward on the evening for other groups, and for different areas of the village to mount a spring-clean. Details below!

The draw for the £25.00 cash prize was made by Margaret Reading and won by Patience Tuckwell of Town Furlong.

Comments and questions from the audience were taken and noted, and will help with the next stage of the process, which is the preparation of the Action Plan.

Please send any further comments and comments to susan_hine@hotmail.com.

Thank you to everyone who helped with the presentation, especially the Steering Group, and thank you to everyone who came.

Sue Hine 13.2.10. 

So if you volunteered, these are the people who will be getting in touch with you: -

19th November 2009: 80% return on questionnaires. A big thank you to everyone in the parish who filled in the questionnaire. We had a fantastic 80% return – nearly 300 households in total. We are now busy processing the answers - thank you to everyone who is helping. There will be an open meeting to present the results and invite feedback on Thursday 11 February, in the School Hall at 7.30 p.m. All welcome! There will also be a summary of the results in the Advertiser and on the parish website. Sue Hine

23rd October 2009: households in the Parish should have received their questionnaires by 26th October: PLEASE COMPLETE AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE! If you have not received the document by 26th October, please contact Pam Feast, Tel. 863207, email oxfordshire.d_of_e@btinternet.com (underscores after d and of)

COMMUNITY PLAN UPDATE - June 2009

After the consultations held via the notice boards, the Annual Parish Meeting and the Community Plan Village Event on May 16, we now have an indication of the main issues for people living in Appleton and Eaton. Here are some views which received widespread support:

• Appleton is a really friendly village community.

• We need to preserve its rural environment.

• The Community Shop and other amenities are great assets.

• Parking and speeding are big problems.

• Dog-fouling is a real nuisance.

• We could do more towards recycling.

• Broadband and mobile phone reception need improvement.

• We need a better bus service.

• The Pre-School should have a permanent base.

• The village needs a recreation area/playground.

Our next step will be to deliver a questionnaire to every household in the village, so that you can give us your views in a more systematic and detailed way. Then we’ll see what can be done, by the community and by other agencies, to solve some of the problems. Look out for the questionnaire – coming soon! From the Community Plan Steering Group: Pam Feast, Sue Hine, Robert Munro, Richard Prickett, Phil Sapwell, Ray Strugnell and Sarah Williams. Sue Hine Ox.861931 e-mail susan_hine@hotmail.com (with an underscore between susan and hine!)