EIGHT ASH GREEN

PARISH PLAN

LIST OF CONTENTS

Subject Section Pages

Maps of the village of Eight Ash Green ,Fordham Heath and Seven Star Green 1 2-3

Introduction 2 5

Executive Summary 3 6

A Brief History of Eight Ash Green 4 7-8

The Modern Parish 5 9-10

How the Parish Plan was developed 6 11-13

Summary of the Parish questionnaire 7 14-17

Transition from the Survey Results to the Action Plan 8 18

Concluding Summary 9 19

Action Plans 10 20-30

Feedback 11 31

Prepared by the Eight Ash Green Parish Plan Group

Published by Eight Ash Green Parish Council

This document was produced with help from the

Eight Ash Green

Page 1

Eight Ash Green

Map of the Boundary of the Parish of Eight Ash Green.The "Village Boundary" identifies the civil parish administered by the Parish Council.

Copyright © 2004 Crown Copyright Ordnance Survey (not to scale)

Page 2

Eight Ash Green

The

Vill

age

Enve

lope

(not

to s

cale

)W

ithin

the

Vill

age

Boun

dary

, se

vera

l "D

evel

opm

ent

Enve

lopes

" id

entif

y th

ose

limite

d a

reas

of l

and

whe

re g

ener

al

hous

ing c

an

be

acc

omm

odate

d w

ithou

t caus

ing h

arm

to th

e ex

istin

g fa

bric

of t

he v

illage,

and

pre

vent

its

expans

ion

into

mor

e op

en a

reas,

whi

ch w

ould

brin

g a

bou

t und

esira

ble

spra

wl.

The

Dev

elop

men

t Env

elop

es a

re p

erio

dic

ally

revi

ewed

and

agre

ed a

s part

of th

e Bo

roug

h C

ounc

il's

Loca

lD

evel

opm

ent F

ram

ewor

k, w

hich

is c

onfir

med

afte

r an

exam

inatio

n-in

-pub

lic b

y a G

over

nmen

t Pla

nnin

g In

spec

tor.

Any

pro

pos

als

to b

uild

on la

nd o

utsi

de

the

the

are

as

mark

ed b

y th

e bla

ck li

nes/

bou

ndarie

s sh

own

abov

e w

ould

be

outs

ide

the

Vill

age

Enve

lope

and

wou

ldno

t the

refo

re r

ecei

ve P

aris

h/Bo

roug

h C

ounc

il appro

val

Page 3

Page 4

Eight Ash Green

Welcome to the Eight Ash Green Parish Plan. Although the Plan has been put togetherby a small team of dedicated volunteers, it is very much Plan and the Plan forthe whole village. Without your support and responses to the questionnaires and otherfeedback we received, it would not have been possible to present the Plan you seebefore you.

As you will see from the List of Contents, there is a short Executive Summary settingout the main points followed by various sections that describe the history of the village;the modern parish; how this Plan was developed; a summary of the analysis of thequestionnaire; as well as the transition from the survey results to the Action Plan andthe concluding summary. However, the key section is perhaps the Action Plan.

The is to help determine the future of the environment wherepeople live and how it can be changed for the better. It is a local, action-based plancovering social, environmental and economic issues that aims to address a range ofconcerns and opportunities affecting rural communities. Although principally for theparish, it may also influence the statutory planning process. It sets out a vision for thefuture of a parish and outlines how that can be achieved in an Action Plan.

During the time the Parish Plan Group has been working on this project, at the forefrontof our thinking has been the . By this, we mean:-

� The conservation of the rural character and landscape of the village

� Maintenance and improvement of services

� Maintenance of a safe and clean environment

� Development of recreational facilities for all.

We do hope you will take the time and trouble to read this Plan as it reflects a widerange of issues expressed by you. It is not just about identifying local problems butalso about proclaiming those things we value and cherish, living as we do in abeautiful part of England.

Finally, we would welcome your feedback about the Parish Plan as well as any offersof help or assistance in taking forward the items shown in the Action Plan. Section 11at the end of this Plan contains a feedback sheet you can complete and return.

John Allcock Chris Gray

Chair of the Eight Ash Green Chair of the Eight Ash GreenParish Plan Group Parish Council

EIGHT ASH GREEN PARISH PLAN

INTRODUCTION

Page 5

Eight Ash Green

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This Parish Plan, which covers the Civil Parish of Eight Ash Green, which includesFordham Heath, Daisy Green, Lexden Heath and Seven Star Green (all part of EightAsh Green for the purposes of this document), pulls together a wealth of informationwhich has been brought together for the very first time. In that sense, it breaks newground.

At a single glance, people in the village can now get a real sense of what has goneon before, how things stand at present and how we want the village to develop, ornot as the case may be, for the immediate future.

The main points are clear. All of us enjoy living in a lovely rural setting in a beautifulpart of the country which we want to see protected and preserved and improved forthe future, both for ourselves and for our children . We don’t want to see our villagebecome an urban sprawl - we really value our village way of life but at the same timewe enjoy the easy access to all the modern facilities a large town like Colchester canoffer.

However, despite the easy availability to the countryside on our doorstep, that accessto town, coupled with our hectic, fast paced modern way of life means not everythingis sweetness and light. The loss of certain facilities such as the Post Office; issuesaround transport such as too much traffic including excessive speeding, a poor busservice; the need to make things better for pedestrians by making improvements topavements and extra crossings; the desire for a play area for children; and keepingthe village tidy, this means that there is always work to be done.

These concerns are reflected in the Action Plan section which we hope you bothrecognise and support. Sitting alongside this in the document are the messages fromthe “other side of the coin” that highlight what is good about our village – relativelycrime free; a safe place to live; the Jewel in the Crown that is the Heath; and overallsatisfaction with services.

To summarise, the Parish Plan is written in a nice easy style that both young and oldcan follow, with a clear, logical framework that is neither too long nor too technical.Read all of it in one go or dip into it Section by Section – it’s up to you but whichevermethod you choose, the Parish Plan Group commends it to you.

Page 6

A BRIEF HISTORY OF EIGHT ASH GREEN

The building of the railway in the secondha l f o f the n ine teen th cen tu ry sawsignificant growth in the village, with anincrease in population, industry andamenities. At this time ninety people livedaround the “Eight Ash Green” creating asocially mixed, self-sufficient and thrivingcommunity. Eight Ash Farm employedabout half of the twenty-five families asagricultural labourers. Tradesmen includeda Smithy, Miller, Coal Merchant, Carpenter,Hurdle Maker, Shoemaker, two Bricklayersand a Market Gardener, as well as aSchoolmaster and Schoolmistress.

Local education began in 1875 when a

school was built at the corner of SpringLane and Halstead Road but by 1926 ithad outgrown the buildings and moved tonew accommodation by the church, whereit stayed until moving to its present locationin Fiddlers Folly in 1976. The vacatedSpring Lane site was in use again around1928 when Mortlocks Garage opened forbusiness.

With a large Roman villa at Fordham and aNeolithic flint axe found on Fordham Heath,we can be sure that our village has beenpopulated for many centuries. By the MiddleAges it was a small hamlet of six to tenfamilies involved in agriculture. The nameEight Ash Green referred to a piece of landand pond opposite the Brick and Tile publichouse and the village name is traceableback to the 1600s. But it was not until 1947that Eight Ash Green was created as a newparish in its own right.

The new village was made up of areas ofAldham, Stanway, Copford and Fordham.Situated on the Colchester to CambridgeTurnpike [toll road] the area had alwaysbeen a desirable place to live with plenty ofcommon land, good farming opportunitiesand easy access to the River Colne. Thepopulation was large enough in 1754 to

support the first localt a v e r n , p o s s i b l yfrequented by localbrick makers, hencethe name The Brickand Tile. More localemployment camein 1836 w i t h t he

building of a Post Windmill to the south ofFordham Heath and also two more taverns,the Half Moon in 1855 and The Heath [laterThe Star and then The Cricketers] in 1871.A Post Office and Stores opened in 1880. Thespiritual needs of the village were also givenpriority with the building of a MethodistChapel in 1866 and All Saints Church in1899. The gardeners were not to be left outand the first soil was turned on a villageallotment in 1895.

Eight Ash Green

THE BRICK AND TILE/SPRING LANE “OLD AND NEW”

THE METHODIST CHURCH

THE OLD SCHOOL

EIGHT ASH GREEN CHURCH “OLD AND NEW”

Page 7

A BRIEF HISTORY OF EIGHT ASH GREEN

The early part of the twentieth centurywitnessed slow but steady growth. TheFirst World War saw the upper area ofFordham Heath turned into a camp for theSomerset Yeomanry, where horses andmen were trained for war. The SecondWorld War had a more profound effect onour area, with the MOD requisitioning landon the Heath for anti aircraft guns andsearch lights on what is now the cricketpitch. The village suffered aerial attackswith an incendiary bomb hitting The Star[now The Cricketers] public house and adoodlebug [V1 rocket] landing at theSeven Star Green end of Blind Lane,blowing out windows in the school andcausing damage over a wide area. Afterheavy rain the crater still fills with water to

this day.The cricket team was started by local boysbefore the Second World War. The teamcontinued to flourish after the war untilfinally a pavilion was built in 1960 andopened by the legendary Sir Len Huttonon 26th June 1960.

With Eight Ash Green becoming a villagein its own right in the post war years,things began to move at a quicker pace,with the Village Hall and council housesat Porters Cottages being built in 1948.The population in 1951 was 668. The1950s saw building in Spring Lane and

Wood Lane, followedduring the 1960s/1970swith development atThe Walk, Heathfieldsand Fiddlers Folly. Morerecently a modern Hotelwas built on the southside of the village. Atthe time of the last

census in 2001 the population had risento 1750.

Modern services slowly reached thevillage with mains water in 1936, but itwasn’t until 1962 that mains seweragestarted to arrive and electricity wasinstalled in the church in the same year.Street lighting was updated in 1972 andgas was supplied to the north side ofHalstead Road in 1992.

The 21st century still sees Eight Ash Greenchanging and adapting to meet moderndemands but it still remains a community,albeit very different to the one when theflint axe was lost.

Acknowledgements

Laurie Coffey, Graham Huxtable and EVAS

Eight Ash Green

THE CRICKET PAVILION

WOOD LANE CORNER “OLD AND NEW”

Page 8

THE MODERN PARISHToday, the parish of Eight Ash Green ismuch changed from its origins. Whilst stillsurrounded by farmland and largely ruralin nature, the ever growing urbanconurbation of Colchester, currently thefastest growing town in Britain, nowknocks on its doorstep. To date, any formof coalescence with its larger neighbourhas been avoided, with only small scaleand sporadic building taking place duringthe last 20 years – the vast majority ofwhich has been contained within theexisting village envelope.

Since the widespread housingdevelopment of the 1960’s and 70’s, thevillage now contains more than 600homes, centred in three distinct areas;Eight Ash Green, Fordham Heath andSeven Star Green. These three areas areconnected by the main Colchester toHalstead road, the A1124, which runsthrough the heart of the community.

Shops were established to serve the newdevelopments in Wood Lane and PortersCottages. Of these, Bungalow Storesremains and The Corner Stores is now athriving fish & chip shop. Various otherservices and facilities have opened. Manyhave not survived. Indeed in recent timesthe village has suffered the loss of keyfacilities such as the Post Office and morelatterly the Brick and Tile public house.Despite this, the village continues to boasttwo hairdressers, MOT service and carbody repair-shops and a dental surgery,plus numerous other small businesses.The Holiday Inn provides a restaurant andfirst-class sports centre and swimmingpool and Spring Lane is home to theVillage Hall.

Industrial units are concentrated at theStanway end of Turkey Cock Lane. Resultsfrom the Business questionnaire showthat most employees come from outsidethe village. The largest Sainsbury super-store in the country has recently openedand is situated on our doorstep, only 1.5miles from the centre of the village. Thisis an excellent facility but local outletscannot compete on price and range ofgoods.

The questionnaire results revealed thatmany of these village facilities are onlyused sporadically by residents and clearlycustomer base for these businesses mustreach far beyond the boundary of theParish.

In te rms of requests for addi t ionalfacilities, the questionnaire showed that320 respondents had as their top prioritythe return of a Post Office, followed by 150wishing to see a visiting health facility andc o m m u n i t y c e n t r e . A b o u t 2 5 0respondents wished to see a children’splayground established on the Heath.

Eight Ash Green

HEATHFiELDS TAKEN FROM SEARLE WAY

SPRING LANE AND HUXTABLES LANE

THE VILLAGE HALL

Page 9

Eight Ash Green

At the centre of the community, FordhamHeath is still regarded by most as thejewel in the crown, providing valuablerecreation space and a focal point forvillage life. This oasis of green open spaceis one of the largest registered commonswithin a village setting to be found in thisarea of the country.

The village also has a thriving communityspirit if you look in the right places, with alarge cross section of community, socialand sporting groups active. Whether itsscouts or snooker, cricket or karate, thereis something available for all ages andinterests. In recent years the most evidentexpression of this thriving communityspirit has been demonstrated by the ever

growing popularity of the village Fun Dayor Eight Ash Green village Festival as it isnow known. Into its 5th year, it continuesto grow in popularity, marking anessential date in the diary to cometogether as a village with the chance toenjoy live music and displays put on forthe enjoyment of all.

THE MODERN PARISH

THE HEATH

SEVEN STAR GREEN

VIEW OVER COLNE VALLEY

THE MAY FAYRE

THE SCOUT HUT

THE VILLAGE FESTIVAL

Page 10

HOW THE PARISH PLAN WAS DEVELOPED

It was a lengthy process to develop aParish Plan which the Parish Plan Groupstarted off by holding a village meeting inMarch 2009 to explain what a Parish Planwas and how the people in the villagewould be consulted. The key steps wereas follows:-

Questionnaires

During April 2009, the Parish Plan Groupthen looked at sample questionnairesprepared by other Parishes and held anumber of meetings to discuss the areasor subject headings to be covered in thequestionnaire. These included:-

� Personal details

� Planning

� Transport

� Facilities

� Community safety andadministration

� Environment

� A number of optional questions[contact details; gender; age;ethnicity; employment status]

During the late spring and early summerof 2009, some 50 individual questionswere drafted and refined. As the ParishPlan Group wanted to be sure people inthe village knew why it was beingdistributed, an explanatory note right atthe beginning of the questionnaire setout what it covered; how to complete it;how to return it (there were eight drop offpoints for the return of hard copies aswell as a postal address); the timetable;confidentiality issues; and the provision ofa contact number.

Following this stage, the Parish PlanGroup “road tested” the draftquestionnaire with a small number ofpeople leading to further refinement andfinal agreement.

So as to make the analysis of theresponses as quick and easy as possible,the questionnaire was drafted so that thevast majority of responses only requireda “Yes”; “No”; “Unsure” answer oralternatively, the insertion of a “tick” or“number” in the answer boxes.

One lesson learnt during this phase wasthat more emphasis should have beenplaced on completion electronically. Only30 were received online – more wouldhave made the analysis stage quicker.

The questionnaire was then printed andlaunched at the village festival on the18thh July 2009

In August, two adult questionnaires weredistributed to every household in EightAsh Green, Seven Star Green andFordham Heath – some 750 houses.

Following a reminder in September, allthe questionnaires were collated. 400 ofthe 1,500 main questionnaires werereceived back with at least onequestionnaire being returned from 40%of households. This is very good responserate - other parishes only got between12% and 18% back.

Eight Ash Green

Page 11

A business questionnaire was alsodeveloped asking for details about thebusiness eg trading name; what thebusiness does; how long has it existed;how many employees it has and howthey get to work as well as access to thepremises and parking; access to anduse of the Internet; issues aroundplanning; crime; waste collection; postalservices and banking. Some 60business questionnaires were sent outand 15 were received back ie. 25%which is also a very good response rate.

During this phase of development anddistribution of the questionnaires, theParish Plan Group kept the villageinformed of the process and timetableby way of the Quarterly Newsletter andby having a stand at the May Fayre onthe 4th May 2009.

The analysis stage came next and thisis explained in section 7 below.

Parish Council approval

A presentation was made by membersof the Eight Ash Green Parish PlanGroup to the Parish Council onWednesday 8th September 2010 aboutthe results of the questionnaire. Beforethe meeting, each member of the ParishCouncil was given a copy of theTechnical Report setting out the factualdetails of the responses to the mainquestionnaire in both text and bar chartform.

The Technical Report also contains asummary of the responses to thebusiness questionnaire. It is availableon the Eight Ash Green Parish PlanGroup web site.

The Eight Ash Green Parish Plan Groupteam explained the process as set outabove as well as saying the analysisstage meant the answers to some 52questions contained in 350questionnaires had to be entered onthe database – a lengthy and timeconsuming process.

The Eight Ash Green Parish Plan Groupteam then described the key pointsfrom the responses covering the

who replied (majority havelived in the village for more than 20years); (majority against anynew build); (poor bus serviceand speeding traffic); (a hugeresponse for a new Post Office); and

(village relatively crime freeand happy with rubbish collection). Theresidents liked the quiet rural location(the heath is the “jewel in the crown”)and disliked the heavy traffic andspeeding on the village roads.

The meeting closed with the ParishCouncil congratulating the Parish PlanGroup for all their hard work, fullyendorsing the Technical Report andmandating the Parish Plan Group toprepare a full Parish Plan, in draft form,for the Parish Council’s approval.

Eight Ash Green

HOW THE PARISH PLAN WAS DEVELOPED

SEVEN STAR GREEN AND VILLAGE SIGN

Page 12

HOW THE PARISH PLAN WAS DEVELOPED

The Parish Plan

Following endorsement by the ParishCouncil, the Parish Plan Group then metto discuss and agree the format of theParish Plan looking at a variety of plansproduced by other parishes. Eachmember of the Parish Plan Group tookresponsibility of a particular section andthe result is the Parish Plan before you.The Parish Council fully endorsed theParish Plan at its meeting on 8th June2011.

Recognising the outcome from thequestionnaires raises a large number ofissues, some of which may take sometime to come to fruition, the Parish PlanGroup decided to concentrate on 10 keyissues as set out in the Action Plans insection 10 below as those ones thatare most likely to be achieved within thenext 5 years.

This is not to say the other issues are notimportant – they are – but the ParishPlan has to start somewhere and anyParish Plan is not cast in tablets of stonefor all time. It is a living document thatwill need to be revisited on a regularbasis, taking account of changingcircumstances and priorities.

Eight Ash Green

Page 13

HALSTEAD RD LOOKING TOWARDS WOOD LANEOLD

HALSTEAD RD LOOKING TOWARDS WOOD LANENEW

CHOATS WOOD

DAISY GREEN POND

Some Views around the village

PLANNING SECTION Q5 – 12

The Planning section of the questionnairewas answered by a large number of therespondents, indicating its importance topeople within the village. The majority ofrespondents to the question of locationfor new development, suggested that noadditional sites should be allocated. Ofthose who did accept that somedevelopment might have to take place,the centre of the village was favoured.When questioned on the type of housingthat should be permitted, favour was

expressed for small starterhomes and 2-4 bedfamily housing. Peoplewere very keen to protectthe green areas of thevillage, seeking to resistdevelopment on theheaths, greens, woodlandand open farmland. Very

similar views were expressed regardingareas of the village that should bepreserved as they are at present. It wasseen that these areas provided recreation,wildlife protection, natural beauty andhelped to preserve the rural nature of thevillage.

Areas to be Protected and Preserved

SUMMARY OF THE PARISH QUESTIONNAIREThe majority of respondents agreed withthe promotion of more employmentwithin the village and believed that thisshould take the form of additional shopsand small business starter units. This

employment should be located on eitherbrownfield land or within reusedagricultural buildings.

TRANSPORT SECTION Q 13 – 27

The Transport section of the questionnairewas answered by most of therespondents, with some questions havingalmost 100% of the people whocompleted the survey. The car is the mostpopular form of transport followed bypublic transport with few people using thebus for work. Public transport was asubject that caught the interest of therespondents citing that buses do not goto the destinations needed and theinconvenience compared to using a car.The pie chart shows the reasons why theresponders did not use public transport.The numbers are the responses for eachquestion.

Reasons Not to use Public Transport

Eight Ash Green

TURKEY COCK LANE

A1124

Page 14

Congestion at the major junctions was

also worrying respondents. Some wouldlike cycle paths and the need for a newpedestrian crossing on the A1124 at WoodLane was well supported.

The need for a new pedestrian crossing

A1124 AND SPRING LANE JUNCTION

Eight Ash Green

Parking may be a problem dependingon where you live.It was agreed by most that newpavements are required, along HeathRoad and in the Heath area on SpringLane.

New Pavements required and where

Traffic in the village was a very popularsubject with speeding on our mainroads causing concern. The suggestedsolutions and their popularity with theresponders are shown below.

Speeding in the Village

JUNCTION OF SPRING LANE AND HUXTABLES

A1124/WOOD LANE JUNCTION

Page 15

COMMUNITY SAFETY ANDADMINISTRATION SECTION

Q33-37

This section sought the views on thegeneral welfare and services in the

village, principally in thecontext of the servicesprovided by localgovernment: eg. Police,street services, refusecollection, Parish Councilnotice boards. Themajority of respondentsthought the village to berelatively crime-free, a

safe place to live, although roughly 10%had some concerns on this matter. Thepolice service was considered to be"reasonable-to-good" by one-third of therespondents, with a similar numberhaving no opinion, mainly because theyhad not needed the service of the police.There was considerable overallsatisfaction with the refuse collectionservices. 80% of respondents wereagainst fortnightly refuse collection and asimilar proportion were against theintroduction of wheelie bins. Some 80% ofrespondents were knowledgeable of thelocation of the village notice boards, butonly half of respondents thought thelocations were convenient.

Eight Ash Green

FACILITIES SECTION Q28-32

This Section was designed to ascertainwhich Facilities currently available in thevillage are used and appreciated andwhat new Facilities are thought to berequired.

It seems apparent that most small retailbusinesses in the village suffer from ourproximity to bigger shopping areas as allthe facilities listed [except Fish and ChipShop, Petrol Station and The CricketersPublic House] had “Never Use” as thelargest response.

The responses also show that a PostOffice and a Children’s Play Area are topof the wish-list for the village.

Would you like a new play area ?

Regarding the availability of Facilities forthe disabled, most people were “Unsure”,although over 100 said that the village didnot cater properly for the disabled. Inanswer to the Question “Whatimprovements would you like to see, andwhere?” the main comments were inrelation to paths and pavements, fromproviding new ones to maintainingexisting ones.

THE CRICKETERS

TURKEY COCK LANE AND SEVEN STAR GREEN

Page 16

BUSINESS QUESTIONNAIRE ANALYSIS

About 60 questionnaires were distributedto the businesses in the Parish of theseonly 25% (15) were returned. This does notprovide enough data to give meaningfuland useful information for the Parish Plan.However there are some questions thatare answered fully, so that a better idea ofhow local businesses work and theirneeds can be understood from thatinformation.

Of the 15 responses most were smallbusinesses with only 3 having “doublefigure” numbers of employees. The totalnumber of people employed in the village(by responders) was 80 with 25% (20)actually living in the village.

80% of Businesses in the village are usinga broadband connection. Of thoseresponding 25% (4) regarded theirconnection as poor or adequate with theremainder seeing good to excellentreliability. With regard to connectionspeeds 50% (6) received 4 Mb speeds and33% (4) getting 8 Mb speeds. Moreworrying 16% (2) were getting speeds lessthan 2 Mb. This is not sufficient for mostbusinesses and ties in with the opencomments made in the environmentsection of the main questionnaire.

All the businesses made good use of thepostal system with 60% (9) posting morethan 5 items a week. A good majority(73%) would use a Post Office if one werere-opened in the village.

Eight Ash Green

ENVIRONMENT SECTION Q38-47

There can be no doubt of the importanceof this Section in the questionnaire to thevillage as there were a lot of responses tothe individual questions. People clearlyvalue living in the village. They want thecountryside protected, for example bystopping or severely restricting newbuilding; they enjoy the beauty of thevillage and the open landscape; they ratethe peace and quiet highly; and it isevident they regard the Heath as the“jewel in the crown”. At the same time they

enjoy the proximity to Colchester and easeof access to the A12 and the shops atTollgate.About pollution (dog fouling; litter; flytipping; graffiti; noise; and street lighting),although annoying to some, no majorproblems were reported. In general,villagers are content with thefootpaths/rights of way.On the downside, there are strong feelingsabout the volume, noise and density oftraffic coupled with excessive speeding.Public transport is also felt to beinadequate.Finally, the lack of a Post Office was keenlyfelt.

VIEW ACROSS THE CRICKET PITCH TO HEATH

THE OLD POST OFFICE

Page 17

Eight Ash Green

Transition from the Survey Results to the ActionPlan

The exact form and content of the questionnaire emerged from several public consultations carriedout throughout the village. The preference for multiple-choice questions and answers, often furtherexplained in an additional text box, did not lend itself to a precise numerical analysis and ranking ofissues.

The following guiding principles were adopted by the Parish Plan Group in ranking the issues:

1. The ease or cost of implementation was not a factor in ranking order

2. The weight given to each issue was broadly proportional to the number of people completingthe answer about that issue in the questionnaire

3. The weight given to each issue was further influenced by the number of villagers for, less thenumber of villagers against (or vice-versa if the majority were against)

Furthermore, it will be seen in the summary of the 5 general sections and the business section, thatissues which span sections, can be grouped together where this leads to the emergence of arational Action Plan.

Using the principles described above, the top 10 issues clearly emerged from the results of thequestionnaire. These are summarised in the following table. Each issue in the action plan has acontrol sheet describing:

� The background and relating it to the results of the questionnaire

� The objectives which the villagers appeared to have in mind from their answers

� The Expectations which the Parish Plan Group identified from their analysis

Page 18

Eight Ash Green

CONCLUDING SUMMARYAlthough this Parish Plan represents the outcome of several years work, it is not the final story. As ever,things move on where, for example, the issue around Broadband for the village was not covered inthe questionnaire issued in 2009 but has since risen to the fore. Hence its inclusion in the Action Plan.So this Parish Plan is more of a “living” document rather than something cast in tablets of stone whichis never amended or adjusted to take account of new priorities or issues. It will need to be revisited ona regular basis.

However, that does mean it is of little value because a Parish Plan can be used in a variety ofways including:-

Helping to address local problems

Focusing attention on the immediate issues of concern to the village

Helping to manage change

Providing a clear, evidential base for bids in applying for funds to make improvements

Helping to influence and inform the appropriate planning authorities

Helping to enhance the Parish Council in its community leadership and representational roles

It is worth making one thing clear. The ten items listed in Section 10 – the Action Plans have not beenchosen either at random or as “pet projects” of either members of the Parish Plan Group or membersof the Parish Council. There is sound evidence from the responses to the questionnaire and the TechnicalReport to substantiate their inclusion. Readers may, of course, have differing priorities and this is whythere is a Feedback form for you to complete and return.

The next steps are twofold.

First, to make progress on the items listed in the Action Plan and to report progress both at theregular Parish Council meetings which anyone in the village can attend (they take place on thesecond Wednesday of each month at the village Hall starting at 7.30 pm) and by way of theQuarterly Newsletter

Second, to develop a Village Design Statement. Whereas a Parish Plan sets out the vision forthe future of the Parish and needed to achieve that vision, a Village DesignStatement of the local patch and produces design guidance andpractical ways to care for and enhance the appearance of the local area. It sets out clear andsimple guidance for the design of all development in the village based on its character. It is anadvisory document that is intended to influence the operation of the statutory planning systemso that new development is in harmony with its setting and makes a positive contribution to theimmediate environment. Unlike a Parish Plan, a Village Design Statement is not about deliveryof plans.

Page 19

AC

TIO

N P

LAN

STh

e fo

llow

ing Is

sues

have

bee

n Id

entif

ied fr

om th

e V

illage

que

stio

nnaire

as

wor

thy

of fu

rther

inve

stig

atio

n, a

nd r

esol

utio

n if

at a

ll pos

sible

.

Eight

Ash

Gr

een

Act

ion

Plan

Sect

ion

Issu

eSu

gges

ted r

espon

sibili

ty v

iath

e Pa

rish

Cou

ncil

Tim

efra

me

Fund

ing a

nd C

osts

Rem

ark

s

1Pl

ann

ing

Dev

elop

men

t in

side

and

out

side

the

Vill

age

Enve

lope

Paris

h C

ounc

il, B

orou

gh

Cou

ncil

Ong

oing

act

ion

2Tr

ans

por

tPu

blic

trans

por

tBo

roug

h C

ounc

il, B

usO

per

ato

rsO

ngoi

ng

3Tr

ans

por

tTr

affi

c in

the

villa

ge

Boro

ugh

Cou

ncil,

EC

CTo

be

Con

firm

ed

4Tr

ans

por

tPe

des

trian

Cro

ssin

gs

in th

e vi

llage

ECC

To b

e C

onfir

med

5Tr

ans

por

tPa

vem

ents

and

Foo

tpath

sBo

roug

h C

ounc

il, E

CC

To b

e C

onfir

med

6Fa

cilit

ies

Prot

ectio

n of

the

Hea

th, G

reen

s and

Woo

dla

ndPa

rish

Cou

ncil

To b

e C

onfir

med

7Fa

cilit

ies

Play

Are

a in

the

villa

ge

Paris

h C

ounc

ilTo

be

Con

firm

ed

8Fa

cilit

ies

Post

Offi

ce in

the

villa

ge

Post

Offi

ceTo

be

Con

firm

ed

9Fa

cilit

ies

Broa

dband

in th

e vi

llage

Paris

h C

ounc

ilTo

be

Con

firm

ed

10En

viro

nmen

tEn

viro

nmen

tal I

ssue

s in

the

villa

ge

Paris

h C

ounc

il, B

orou

gh

Cou

ncil,

EC

CTo

be

Con

firm

ed

Page 20

At p

rese

nt, t

here

are

no

date

s en

tere

d in

col

umn

5 in

res

pec

t of i

tem

s 3

to 1

0 of

the

Act

ion

Plan.

Alth

ough

the

Paris

h C

ounc

il ha

s fu

lly e

ndor

sed th

e Pa

rish

Plan,

the

next

sta

ge

isfo

r th

e Pa

rish

Cou

ncil

to s

ubm

it it

to C

olch

este

r Bo

roug

h C

ounc

il so

they

can

conf

irm th

ere

is n

othi

ng in

the

Plan

that c

ontra

dic

ts th

e Bo

roug

h w

ide

Dev

elop

men

t Fra

mew

ork.

Onl

y th

en c

an

the

Paris

h C

ounc

il ta

ke o

n boa

rd th

e ite

ms

in th

e A

ctio

n Pl

an,

dec

ide

prio

ritie

s and

sta

rt to

dec

ide

times

cale

s afte

r dis

cuss

ion

with

the

rele

vant

parti

es, w

here

appro

pria

te.

Eight Ash Green

ACTION PLAN 1DEVELOPMENT INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE VILLAGE

BACKGROUND

The questions in the planning section of the questionnaire asked where development should beallowed (Q5) and also resisted (Q7).

The majority of respondents to Q5 stated that there should be no further developments in thevillage with smaller numbers suggesting that small infill plots and Brownfield sites in the centre ofthe village could be used.

The response to Q7 was similar to Q5 in that Greenfield sites and our Heath/Commons/Woodlandshould be protected. The table shows the categories and the number of responses to Q7.

Greenfield Sites 53 Heaths/Commons/Woodland 81 Village Centre 40 Everywhere 44 Outside Village Envelope 21 Gap Between village & Town 18 Back gardens 5 Fiddlers 7

OBJECTIVES

1. To try to ensure that any development in the village is sympathetic to the views expressed in thequestionnaire, with just infill and Brownfield sites agreed if possible.

EXPECTATIONS

1. That any planning requests received would be considered by the Parish and Borough Councils,taking into account the views expressed by the village and the forthcoming Village DesignStatement.

Page 21

ACTION PLAN 2PUBLIC TRANSPORT

BACKGROUND

The public and personal transport questions were answered by a high proportion of respondents. Alarge number (501) used a car for both work and social reasons. A smaller number (154) usedpublic transport, the majority using the buses.

Q14 asked why public transport was not used. The responses are tabled below:-

Not Convenient 143 Insufficient (Day) 174 Insufficient (Evening) 119 Expensive 71 Noisy/Crowded 61 Wrong Destination 138 Other 50

Buses do not go to the destinations required. Tollgate, Marks Tey, the Train Stations and theHospital being the most common requirements. Inconvenience - cars give more independence,and are more economical for families.

OBJECTIVES

1. To investigate ways of improving public transport from and through the village with a view toencouraging more use of public transport.

EXPECTATIONS

1. Difficult to quantify in the present financial climate.

2. Some success has already been achieved by the Parish Council both with a shopping bus toTollgate being arranged on a weekly basis and the reinstatement of the bus stop at Seven StarGreen.

Eight Ash Green

Page 22

ACTION PLAN 3TRAFFIC IN THE VILLAGE

BACKGROUND

Questions about traffic in and through the village were very well supported. This is a subject thatcaused concern to most of those responding to the questionnaire.

� Speeding through the village is thought to be a problem with the A1124 (Y325), Spring Lane(Y254) and Wood lane (Y191) being the main places where perceived speeding occurs.

� Problems with parking were also reported although this was restricted to Spring Lane (Y70) andWood Lane (Y50) both near the junction with the A1124.

� Congestion was also reported at the 2 main junctions in the village although this was only atpeak times, Spring Lane (Y165), Wood lane (Y64) and the A1124 (Y127).

� There were mentions of the problems with skip lorries using the road from Fordham past theschool and Wood Lane and with the “rat run” from Argents Lane to the Spring Lane Junction.

OBJECTIVES

1. To prove that the main roads in the village do have a problem with speeding and take action toreduce the overall speed of traffic through the village.

2. To arrange for random checks to be made regarding parking at the main junctions.

3. To organise a traffic survey, to be done at peak times so that observations can be made ofcongestion and traffic flow at the main junctions. This should also include Wood Lane and theArgents Lane/Spring Lane Junction.

EXPECTATIONS

1. That a traffic management plan for the village will make improvements to the overall quality oflife for the residents of the village.

Eight Ash Green

Page 23

OBJECTIVES

1. To expand the existing single pedestrian crossing at the top of Spring Lane to include crossingsat Wood Lane and Turkey Cock Lane on the A1124.

EXPECTATIONS

1. To get these projects onto the programme of work that is held and owned by Essex CountyCouncil.

2. To give pedestrians in the Fordham Heath area of the village greater security in crossing whathas become a very busy road, and at the same time helping to slow the traffic down throughthe entire village.

BACKGROUND

A large majority of respondents (267) agreed that there should be more crossings in the village,and specifically on the A1124 at Wood Lane (244) and Turkey Cock Lane (102).

ACTION PLAN 4PEDESTRIAN CROSSINGS IN THE VILLAGE

Eight Ash Green

Page 24

OBJECTIVES

1. To ensure the pavement along the A1124 is widened and should include improving the surfaceand raising the level of the kerbstones.

2. To build new pavements along Heath Road and the section at the top of Spring Lane.

EXPECTATIONS

1. To get these projects onto the programme of work that is held and owned by Essex CountyCouncil.

2. To give pedestrians in the village greater security in walking to and from the school and/or thevillage amenities, particularly during the winter.

BACKGROUND

There were three questions asked regarding pavements.

Q17 asked if they were safe with a slim majority agreeing (Y157) - it is likely that the minority(N114) who felt they were unsafe were referring to the narrowness of the pavement on the A1124.

Q18 asked if the pavements were well maintained, the result being a dead heat at 126 each.

Q19 asked if there should be additional pavements and a big majority said Yes (Y192).

Asked where new pavements are required in Q20, the biggest responses indicated that all ofHeath Road and Spring Lane from Huxtables Lane to the Cricketers and beyond should be paved.

People were generally happy with the maintenance and signing of the footpaths.

ACTION PLAN 5PAVEMENTS AND FOOTPATHS

Eight Ash Green

Page 25

ACTION PLAN 6PROTECTION OF THE HEATH, GREENS AND WOODLAND

BACKGROUND

It was obvious from the replies to Q8 that the Heath was the most important area of the village tobe preserved along with Seven Star Green and the woodland areas also well supported.

Fordham Heath 230 Seven Star Green 71 Woodland Areas 38

Other Parts of village 80 Colne Valley & Cooks Mill 9 Village Footpaths 11 Blind Lane 10 Fields Surrounding village 18 Daisy Green 17 Cricket Ground 8 Turkey Cock Lane 7

OBJECTIVES

1. To enthusiastically protect and maintain the Heath, Seven Star Green and the woodland areaslike Choats Wood and Iron Latch Wood.

EXPECTATIONS

1. Preservation of the highly valued areas of safe, natural beauty available for the wholecommunity to enjoy, thus maintaining the plants and wildlife for future generations.

Eight Ash Green

Page 26

BACKGROUND

Q30A asked if people would like to see a new children’s play area in the village, with the vastmajority (240) saying Yes.

Q30B asked if it should be opposite the Cricketers, again a large majority (220) said Yes.

OBJECTIVES

1. To build a new play area opposite the Cricketers public house.

EXPECTATIONS

1. The Parish Council will arrange the funding and building of a new play area.

ACTION PLAN 7PLAY AREA IN THE VILLAGE

Eight Ash Green

Page 27

BACKGROUND

In response to Q29F which asked what other facilities people wanted to see in the village, the vastmajority (320) would like a Post Office in the village.

OBJECTIVES

1. To see a Post Office in the village offering a full range of services to the public.

EXPECTATIONS

1. With the help of the Post Office, businesses and residents in the village, the Parish Councilshould explore, how best to deliver a normal Post Office service to the village.

ACTION PLAN 8POST OFFICE IN THE VILLAGE

Eight Ash Green

Page 28

BACKGROUND

A number mentioned that Broadband speeds in parts of the village were unacceptably low. Thiswas echoed by some of the Business questionnaire responses.

OBJECTIVES

1. To survey the average speed of the broadband in the village and produce a detailed report.

EXPECTATIONS

1. An improvement in Broadband speed for all of the village, by the best economic meanspossible.

ACTION PLAN 9BROADBAND IN THE VILLAGE

Eight Ash Green

Page 29

BACKGROUND

There were some issues mentioned in the questionnaire not covered in the other Action Planswhich sit comfortably within the heading of “Environmental Issues”. They are:-

� Dog Fouling (Q40C) - a fair number of respondents (Y168) thought that we as a village have aproblem with people not clearing up after their dogs, in spite of the provision of disposal binsabout the village.

� Litter in the verges (Q40B) - again a fair number (Y166) commented on litter problems, in andaround the verges.

� The village was thought occasionally noisy (Q42B) by a large number of respondents (Y278) butit is difficult to quantify what exactly is causing concern However from the comments in Q46, itmay be traffic noise from main roads, the A12 and skip lorries. Some of the comments residentsmade about anti social behaviour may be localised.

OBJECTIVES

1. To publicise in the village magazine and web site, the problems with dog fouling so as toencourage cleaner streets.

2. To ask the Borough Council for random visits from the Dog Warden.

3. To clean up the verges around the village where necessary. A volunteer “clean up” couldpossibly be organised.

4. To enquire via the magazine and web site where the noise is coming from and make all effortsto find a solution.

EXPECTATIONS

1. A cleaner quieter village.

ACTION PLAN 10ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES IN THE VILLAGE

Eight Ash Green

Page 30